Talking Point: Should Xbox Create A Dedicated Handheld Device?

Just put game pass on Switch , problem solved

I already have several devices I can use for cloud gaming. I'd buy an Xbox handheld in a heartbeat, but only if it played the games natively.

Pretty needless without exclusives. Everything Microsoft develops will already be able to run on Steam Deck.

No as it has the cloud on any mobile device

I think Microsoft’s strong pursuit here is because it’s ability to be played anywhere. I personally don’t want another device to carry with me and care about.

As long as it plays the games natively id be interested, i long to play Halo on my Switch Lite

For physical or downloaded games I'm skeptical that Microsoft can produce a product that can compete with the available options — particularly the upcoming Valve Steam Deck — and would worry that attempting to do so would stretch Microsoft too thin. For xCloud I think it makes more sense for Microsoft to make a Retroarch "core" that could be easily loaded into various portable products based on the Raspberry Pi, Windows, Android, NVidia Shield Portable, etc.

7.5 inch, 1080, wi-fi only version to tether to mobile's 5g 5ghz

i don't necessarily think that MS need to make a Handheld. You already have a 'Mobile' in your pocket and there are peripherals to turn your Phone into a 'Switch' like Handheld gaming platform.

That doesn't mean that I don't think a 'Partner' could offer a mobile gaming platform, whether its just for 'streaming' or has some Storage to play locally. Its not as if you can't use a Samsung phone or tablet for example and maybe someone like Nacon or maybe Asus, HP etc could make 'something' that would work with Game Pass...

I don't think its necessarily something MS themselves should be concerned with. They have partners making peripherals to use your existing mobiles to take your Game Pass games on the go...

I don't think Xbox needs to make a handheld device, But that's not to say i wouldn't buy it lol

Idk, tbh my phone works perfectly for my handheld xbox needs

nope just let everyone else make the devices and put gamepass on everything

Get gamepass on the Steam Switch, sorted.

Please stick with Home consoles.

I personally, think they should drop the Series S and build a Series H. A low powered, cheap, hybrid xbox would be much more versatile and much more appealing to me.

Honestly though, a new series of hardware to sit along side the S and X, wouldn't do any damage to the ecosystem. MS already have several stypes of surface devices, I don't see why a Series H couldn't work, especially with the PC and Series S requirements.

Tbh it wouldn't work unless it was a xbox series handheld that played the same games as the series S/X, the reason being Microsoft would need a seperate handheld division and developers to make seperate exclusive games for the handheld, and its taking them years for these developers to make games just for the home console. This is the reason nintendo merged the handheld and home console together

Xcloud only works if you have decent Internet, and if you don't it just becomes a stuttery mess as this week on holiday has proved. As others have said if and its a big if MS produced a handheld I would prefer it to be a hybrid device, but I couldn't see this being cheaper than a series x.

For cloud gaming? What’s the point? It wouldn’t be portable for the vast majority of the world’s population.

In a few years; if tech gets there. A Series S shrunk down into a handheld that can run all Xbox Series games you already own (if you own them digitally.)

The deck supports xbox.
Phones support xbox.
There is no need.

I have a Razer Kishi for my iPhone and loving it. It’s the portable Xbox I didn’t realise I wanted.

@Xiovanni I think that Steam Deck is going to fill the void left by Vita and 3DS. The possibilities of that handheld console/PC are huge.

Just buy Steam.

Yes, yes, yes, they should. I would definitely buy it! I always dreamed about a handheld Xbox. Xcloud is great, but I'm talking about a native, offline experience. I would love it.

Really, the only way I see a dedicated Game Pass handheld working, is if you can download the games.

Otherwise, phones, tablets, PC's and even other Xbox are fine, there's no reason to buy a full dedicated cloud device, if a controller and the device in your pocket does the same thing.

@Marios-love-child “Hi Mr Furukawa, can we have permission to plaster our brand all over your devices, and take away the majority of your customer base to play our first party games instead?”

@notleks_

Works both ways, there would be plenty of people who buy a Switch for that very reason so it's not like Nintendo wouldn't get anything out of the deal

@Marios-love-child I’m just messing with ya, mate. It would be a very cool idea, but I feel they wouldn’t really allow it. Game Pass already offers the best value in gaming at the moment, and seeing as Nintendo’s first party games are stupidly expensive for what they are, I feel it would draw their customer base over to Microsoft. They’d probably make a good bit from Switch sales, but nothing more apart from that really.

It is mad how much they charge though for their games, I nearly vomited when I saw Mario Kart 8 is nearly £60-70. I paid £42-49ish for BoTW, but couldn’t really get into it and it was such a large game. My missus had New Horizons, and she said it was fun for a few hours, but it gets repetitive very quickly.

The market is full of all sorts of systems right now, it wouldn't hurt. I would nost certainly be interested in buying it. They have teams working on dumb touch screen controls (sorry prefer buttons) so they can definitely afford the manpower to do a handheld

The steam handheld is Xbox gamepass compatible. I'm not sure how it will work with you playing games in the go if you don't have internet access, will you be able to play a gamepass game after installing it? But the R&D that will go into this and the price of the unit to break even just doesn't make any sense to me. Your phone is a handheld device already as well. For Xbox it makes no business sense to make one.

I would be very happy with just a Wii U-style controller for the Xbox. Basically a low-lag screen with sticks and buttons to carry on playing on the Xbox when the family wants to use the TV to watch something else. That’s mostly how I used the Wii U back in the day.

I don’t really want an internet streaming device as that’s fairly easy to do with any old phone and Bluetooth controller and from what I’ve experienced of game streaming it’s always been too laggy for me to enjoy it.

The series S should have been a handheld. Keep it at 1080p so the price is not absurd and use those specs. To be able to play halo infinite, starfield, perfect dark, avowed, ori series riding the train, no internet. What a dream.

Yes!! absolutely with xcloud and game pass in mind

I debated steam deck for a while, then realized I have games across 3 ecosystems already and a steam library consisting of exactly 5 games. At least one of which is already available on Xbox for pennies and really needs a mouse. Entering a 4th ecosystem with an empty library would be stupid and the hardware would go entirely underused no matter how cool it is.

I thought at the time I wish ms had a handheld for Xbox. But I'm not sure how that would work. There's no point building a dedicated streaming console. I'd love one. I'd love to use switch as one. Even considered a steam deck for it. But there's so little market for it vs phones, tablets and smart devices. They could do a Series M, a mini S with a 720p screen. But would that many people buy a mini portable under powered Xbox? I'd love a mobile console I could play my owned library on that isn't a phone clamp. But it sounds like a business fail.

I'm skeptical steam deck will ever be more than a niche. Good pricing for what it is. Bad pricing for what the mass market wants. Less overpriced than switch by far. But the masses don't want good value, they want cheap. Which Ms knows, that's why there's series X.

@Ralizah sort of, but steam deck doesn't come with windows or windows store preinstalled, it requires side loading windows. So that's only true for enthusiasts and modders, not as a mass market feature. It would work out if the box steamed, but then it's a $400 streaming client when a phone does the same thing. It's cool but not cool enough for ms to spend a dime for a marketing partnership.

The problem is it would have to be pretty powerful to set it apart from the Switch what would raise the price by a lot, i'm sure the hardcore will buy it but i doubt they would bring in the money, People like to nag on at Sony for how they supported the Vita but end of the day it barely sold, Nintendo have completely took control of the handheld market and i doubt MS could get anywhere near.

A better option would be MS trying to get XCloud on Switch.

I love the idea of xCloud, but in practice until 5g is ubiquitous it's not a very portable solution. I've used it at home, but whats the point when I have a XSX in the living room and a XOneX in the bedroom, a PC in the office.
For me it's something that will be great in the future and it's something I'm very much looking forward to.

As for a device that runs the xCloud, well MS kinda already do that with their folding phone, you can just sit it on a table and pair an xbox controller for the best experience. If they're going to do a dedicated gaming handheld, then I'd want something that can run the games natively, but I really can't see that happening.

For streaming 100% no it wopuld be pointless, if they can by some miracle fit a Series S into a handheld then I'd be all for it.