Rumors are Xbox is working on a handheld console, yet again. Should we believe them?

It’s that time of the year again when gamers everywhere, especially tech nerds, are starting to ponder the idea of an Xbox handheld console. Handhelds are quite popular right now, and many tech companies and video game platforms, even, have joined the fun.

For instance, Steam joined the handheld market with its Steam Deck console. Asus came in with its ROG Ally beast, and Lenovo, as we exclusively reported last summer, joined the fun with the exquisite, highly capable, yet demanding Lenovo GO. (In case you want to buy one of these handhelds, please check our detailed comparison so that you can make an informed decision.)

As the popularity of handheld consoles is getting bigger, the big players are also taking their chances once again. More specifically, Insider Gaming recently reported that Sony is planning to release another PlayStation handheld that will have an AMD APU and it’s currently in development, so it might take a year or two before it gets released.

However, as noted on X (formerly known as Twitter), many video game lovers gave their input on the news, including Windows Central’s Jez Corden, who apparently admitted Xbox is looking into developing a handheld console, as well. Does Corden know something we don’t?

Well, we don’t know, as it might simply be just a joke. But jokes, aside, should we entertain the rumors and expect Xbox to release such a console?

Should Xbox release a handheld console?

The answer is ambiguous. Yes, and no. If we explore the yes answer, then we have already entertained the idea, and you can find out what should an Xbox handheld console look like by reading this article. We said there is everything that needs to be said about a potential Xbox handheld console.

But we also want to say something more: the reason Xbox should join the handheld madness is simply due to the fact that it would offer a wide array of choices to many a variety of gamers. Sure, there are already two versions of the Xbox console, aimed at different audiences, so why shouldn’t Microsoft cater to one more audience, the ultramobile gamers, who are often on the road?

From this perspective, Xbox should take a risk, just once, and release a console just for the sake of it. Maybe it will be well-received by gamers, and critics alike. Maybe it won’t. But if it doesn’t, Xbox already has two current consoles, and the very popular Xbox Game Pass to get back to.

On the other hand, if we say Xbox shouldn’t release a handheld console, is simply because the company would have too many departments to focus on: they have the Game Pass, they have the newly-acquired Activision-Blizzard-King corp to take care of (and it doesn’t look good, as Microsoft announced a wave of layoffs for the triad company), they also have a gigantic roadmap with over 5000 games in development, plus, the next-gen Xbox consoles.

So there would be too many things, and we all know how the word goes: you can be a jack of all trades, but master of none. And if Xbox wants to be the dominant force in the console market, it has to be the master of it.