Xbox Handheld console: Here's all you need to know about it

An Xbox handheld console has been in everybody’s minds lately, especially when we take into account the fact that big players are coming with little big beasts. You’ve seen the Steam Deck, and you’ve seen the Rog Ally (and Phil Spencer recently called the latter the portable Xbox).

And if you’ve been following us, we have exclusive pictures and insights into the newest Lenovo Go, which seems to be a breathtaking handheld console. For now, naturally, when it comes to handheld consoles, the only question now is: which one to buy? With Lenovo coming into the handheld market, it would seem hard to choose, but we’ve got you covered.

But then, what if, let’s say, Microsoft decided to surprise everybody and announce their own handheld console? Would it be possible? We’re looking at all the facts, and at all the mentions of an Xbox handheld console, to see if Microsoft might release one.

Xbox handheld console: Will it be released or not?

Let’s start with the beginning: almost 10 years ago, the possibility of Microsoft releasing an Xbox handheld console was 0. And this statement came from Phil Spencer, who is currently the head of Xbox.

@xrCore I don't think we'll do a dedicated handheld gaming device, rather just focus on WP, tablets, maybe with controller support someday.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 5, 2014

However, this was back in 2014, and, as we all know, a lot has changed since then: gaming, especially, has become far more mobile due to the rising popularity of mobile devices, and operating systems such as Android and iOS.

So, besides our phones, what we have right now are three major gaming handheld consoles: Steam Deck, Rog Ally, and the upcoming Lenovo Go. Of course, there are the ones from Nintendo, and PlayStation has also been dabbling with handheld consoles.

But we’re talking about handheld consoles that are able to carry over big and demanding games, such as the upcoming Starfield.

Xbox Series Z, Xboy and other nicknames for the handheld console

Well, the release of Xbox Series S and X, also brought forward the discussion about an Xbox handheld console, again. This was particularly due to the slick, and almost mobile design of the Xbox Series S, which is a console suited for casual gamers, and it can be easily carried from one room to another.

In 2022, for example, a TikToker posted a video on TikTok where they unveiled a form of Xbox handheld console prototype, suggestively called Xbox Series Z, as a node to the other two Xbox consoles.

Xbox Series Z, of course, was not a real Xbox handheld console, but just a mock-up design of one; however, the video garnered over 37 million views and 2 million likes in a short time, proving that there is indeed a market for this kind of console from Xbox.

There were also talks about an Xbox handheld console back in 2021 when everybody thought that Microsoft would release such a console under the name of Xboy (or at least that was its nickname). Of course, the portable gaming machine never came to fruition, and Xbox didn’t release a handheld console that year either.

And, much to the disappointment of handheld console lovers, apparently Xbox won’t release a handheld console any time soon, according to a very recent interview with Phil Spencer, by Eurogamer.

In the interview, Spencer said that his ROG Ally is his Xbox on the road because the recently released console has all the capabilities of an Xbox.

I know for me, my ROG Ally is my Xbox on the go. Because almost every game supports cross-save so I can sit down and I can pick up my progress there. My friends are there if I’m playing a multiplayer game. And then when I go home, and I pick up from my console, it’s very continuous. So I’m picking a little bit on the niche experience. I think if it was something totally dedicated to being extension of the console. But these are standalone platforms unto themselves.

Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox

He then went on to describe the ROG Ally as an amazing Xbox experience, further emphasizing that there are already handheld consoles suited for Xbox games.

I think the differences are smaller and smaller for us. Because Game Pass is there so my library of games are there. The controls are basically the same ABXY, twin stick, triggers. My saved games are there. So yeah, I don’t need people to buy a piece of hardware from us specifically to go play. It’s an amazing Xbox experience, even though we didn’t build the device. And I think that’s totally fine.

Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox

Here’s what people would love in an Xbox handheld console

Even though Xbox is not releasing any handheld consoles in the near future, a lot of people especially Xbox lovers out there, are still fantasizing about one.

Let’s take, for example, this Reddit thread. We covered it earlier this summer when ROG Ally was about to be released.

How would you guys feel in regards of an Xbox handheld?
byu/Most-Fix-2977 inxbox

A lot of Xbox enthusiasts imagined how it would look, and someone came up with this design that you see in the image below.

If it had enough SSD and APU juice to store and play the full backcompat catalog up through Xbox One era (natively, not streaming), then I would be all over it. Realistically any Xbox handheld likely will have to rely on streaming for newer Series S/X titles that are not cross-gen.

According to a lot of Xbox lovers out there, an Xbox handheld console would have to:

• Support the current Xbox Series S and X games, including titles such as Starfield, Baldur’s Gate 3, or Diablo IV.
• Be capable of having full backward compatibility for all the past Xbox consoles (Xbox 360, Xbox One).
• Have detachable controllers are similar to the ones the current handheld consoles have.
• Feature a large storage, preferably 1TB SSD.
• Include a variation of the Xbox Game Pass.
• Be capable of rapid charging, as we’ve seen this is the norm in nowadays consoles.

It will be interesting to see if the release of the newest Legion Go handheld will change the way people will look at handheld consoles, as a whole.

As we’ve covered the console with exclusive information and pictures, Lenovo Go is going to work together with its Lenovo Legion Glasses to make the mobile gaming experience more immersive wherever you are.

While the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally consoles will have to deal with this new addition to the handheld console, it will be interesting to notice if it will make a difference or not. And if it does, will the Xbox handheld console require such a feature or not?

But what do you think? Would you love such a device? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below.