In a recent interview, Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, spoke at length about handheld gaming and how much he’s enjoying the revolution spearheaded by the likes of Lenovo, Asus, and Valve. In recent months, handheld gaming has skyrocketed in popularity, with some white-hot and super-powerful devices making their way to the market.
Phil Spencer has an idea in mind for his dream Xbox handheld – something that has been the subject of much debate of late.
Phil Spencer’s Handheld Dream
In an interview with Polygon that took place at the Game Developers Conference, Spencer spoke about the success of handheld devices and the level of innovation these manufacturers are bringing to the world of gaming. He referenced travelling with a Lenovo Legion Go, one of the most capable handheld units, but stressed that it could be so much more ‘like an Xbox’.
I want my Lenovo Legion Go to feel like an Xbox. I’m on the airplane and I have this list of everything that makes it not feel like an Xbox. Forget about the brand. More like: Are all of my games there? Do all my games show up with the saves that I want? I want to be able to boot into the Xbox app in a full screen, but in a compact mode. And all of my social experiences are there. Like I want it to feel like the dash of my Xbox when I turn on the television.
According to the write-up published by Polygon, Spencer is considering two approaches to a handheld Xbox-based experience, one driven by hardware, and the other by software. There’s the option to create a proprietary handheld console, and then there’s the option to improve the Xbox software experience on compatible devices like the Windows 11-powered Asus ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go.
Phil Spencer and his team are yet to officially reveal that Microsoft is looking to create a handheld Xbox-based device, but it’s on the tip of everyone’s tongues and only seems like a matter of time.
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