Xbox Reportedly 'Dabbling' With Handheld Console Prototypes For Cloud Gaming

Definitely interested! With a decent controller (same stuff as xbox controller) and an oled please.

Sounds like another subscription fee to me. Unless they just omitted 5G, which would defeat the purpose of a portable cloud gaming platform.

Alternatively they could include 5G with the cost of Xbox Live, though it would be more likely to just be a separate subscription or a buy up like Game Pass Ultimate is to Xbox Live.

Meh. My android smartphone plus my Razer Kishi is enough for me for xCloud.

This just makes me wish Microsoft and Nintendo would collaborate in the hardware, online, cloud, and software spaces. A fangirl can wish.

I'd rather they do one that plays games natively but this is cool.

Native would be a must, but that 'Gx3 gen 1' platform is android based I presume, so the question is could it possibly run xbox games natively? If not native, then you could just connect a controller to our phone like @gollumb82 suggests, and cellular connectivity would be a must too like @InterceptorAlpha mentioned, if not native.

Looking at the development kit picture (boy that better not be the final product, it's not a pretty device imho) they already have the xbox button layout, so that's cool.

Have the ability to play games natively and I'm in, otherwise, cloud just isn't there yet with the latency.

What could this bring that I cannot do with my iPhone 13 already? Probably better support with a native app, but other than that if it is cloud only, I don’t see the point.

@gollumb82 my feelings exactly. I already have plenty of devices that will run xCloud including Kishi with my phone. No need for a dedicated machine for just that purpose. Not for me anyways.

What's the point though if its just a screen with WiFi capability, we all have phones already

The whole point of cloud gaming is you can use the devices you already have available, removing the barrier for gaming. No need to buy a separate device.
So I just don't understand the thinking around a dedicated device.

I think they would be better off with something like the Razer Kishi and using your current cell phone for this to be honest.

I could see this being worth it if it's like the Wii U gamepad and has some sort of low latency direct connection to the Series X/S so you can carry on playing when someone wants to use the TV.

But for streaming remotely, like others have already said, my phone can already do that and the latency is so high that most games are unpleasant and awkward to play.

If it includes console streaming I'd be in. No way I'm buying whole other cellular plan just for xcloud, but for local play, cloud and console, that would be really cool.. I WISH Switch had GP support. So a device like this if it's not too expensive would be cool. Even if it's wifi only it would be cool. I don't like using the phone ,clamp it, unclamp it, clamp it, unclamp it ever 15 minutes of play I try always sends me back to Switch.

I don't really see the point of a dedicated handheld device if they are just going to stick to cloud streaming. Might as well just use my smartphone and get one of those Switch-esque control accessories for it. The entire purpose of dedicated handheld game consoles is being able to play games away from a connection, if I gotta be connected phones can already do everything it could do.

For all the people saying that they would only be interested if it played the games natively and not only over the Cloud. Well you might wanna try Xcloud again... Ever since they updated their servers with Xbox Series X hardware, it now runs so much smoother.
I used to only play games that were turn based when using Xcloud gaming when I was out n about. Because it worked, just not good enough to feel native, and would remind me I was streaming pretty regularly.
I do have great internet, 1 gig internet connected to my Xbox hardwired, and lucky as hell for me my neighborhood just enabled fiber optics... So pretty much as fast as I am going to get on console.
Anyways, I have been streaming a good amount of games I just haven't felt like putting my internal storage. The quality with the new Series X hardware at their servers is incredible! It feels the exact same as playing a game downloaded native... and the last game I was playing on Xcloud was MLB The Show, you aren't going to play that game if you have any kind of lag. N I have been streaming it for weeks. I feel like they could definitely pull a streaming hand held console off if they have the right hardware inside that was very compatible with their Xcloud Servers.
Don't knock it until you try it, and I am talking about Xcloud in the last 6 weeks or so.

Native games on an xbox handheld would probably be awful. It's basically Steam Deck, which can also run xcloud...and those suckers aren't cheap.

I think the main point of this would be, in theory, cheaper, doesn't tie up your phone, doesn't eat your phone battery, can pack a bigger battery, have controls permanently attached so you don't have to keep clamping a phone, etc. It could also have a bigger, better screen than most people have on their sub-$1100 phones. Sure next to an iPhone 13 Pro this is sucky, but most players don't have iPhone 13 Pros. They have Moto E's with horrible streaming buffers and small mediocre screens.

The only thing xcloud needs but probably can't have is quick resume. If you're using xcloud you're probably playing in short bursts, and waiting for game logo screens and menus is brutal that way. That's another place switch wins for now unless a device like this could keep your game state alive somehow.

I mean they already make so many controllers, wouldn't hurt to add a screen in the middle of one so to say. The surface duo is pretty cool, just one of those screens would be great! Let's see what they come up with if anything

It makes total sense if it has extra features like connectivity with Series X/S like @BulkSlash said, Velocity Architecture to reduce input lag and WiFi, of course. Please be OLED. The screen, big battery and integrated controls are the differences between this and a phone.

There is no point in this when the cloud games can be played on just about anything mobile. I'd much rather see dedicated hardware akin to the Steam Deck. I still admire my Vita sitting here on my desk even though I don't use it much anymore.

@Stoned_Patrol That's great and all if you plan to only play your handheld when you are at home or near a good wifi connection, but it doesn't do you much good if you are out and about. This is where modern smartphones with 5G connections come in, but then again you can't count on that being available everywhere either.

@NEStalgia “Native games on an xbox handheld would probably be awful.”

Today. But perhaps in a few years, 3? 5? They can make a mobile device that matches the specs of a Series S and automatically can run any Series game in S mode.

@Tharsman very good point. I think the timeline is too soon for s though. And remember that Xbox games are Intel x86 based, not arm, so the system would have to be, basically a surface pro with a far better CPU, fast ssd. And surface pro already jumped from $800 to 1100 this year.... With a battery to match unless intl shocks us in a few years.

Plus Phil said years ago they don't see a point competing with Nintendo in the handheld space and I doubt that changed a streaming box for xcloud is one thing but going hard into handheld is quite another while they're predicting streaming is the future. If deck hits it big then maybe there's a handheld renaissance blooming and Vita 2 will really happen....

It would need to be native games downloaded and accessed offline. I dont know if Microsoft will be able to handle that reality. A "portable" system that can only stream or is limited by Xbox's DRM structure would have little value.

@JayJ Sorry for the late reply, didn't see that you responded. N yeah I live in a big city, San Diego, and have Verizon with 5G... I really don't have any problem with connection except for rare instances being at the bottom of a hill by a canyon or something random. Also, being a Switch owner, I really don't find myself playing handheld nearly as much as I ever thought I would before I had one. I guess I just prefer the TV experience, and when I am out n about I am usually driving or just do not have time for gaming until I am home. I just like the option of a high quality handheld. I would for sure buy an Xbox handheld even if I wouldn't end up using it too often in the end... It's having it on a long trip where something like that makes it all worth while.