Reports of an Xbox handheld have been doing the rounds for some time now, and with the likes of the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck, and others enjoying the success that they’ve enjoyed, it’s not hard to understand why. And though nothing official has been announced yet, it looks like Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed that a portable gaming device is very much part of Xbox’s plans.
He confirmed the same while speaking recently with Bloomberg, acknowledging that “the expectation is that we would do something” in the handheld space. Prototypes are currently in the works, but though early work is being done, Spencer says such a device – whatever it ends up being – is still at least a few years away.
Earlier this year, Spencer was reluctant to talk about Microsoft’s plans for a potential Xbox handheld, stating that there was “nothing to announce” at the moment. Shortly afterwards, reports emerged that the company was indeed prototyping ideas for native Xbox handheld device.
Whether such a device ends up being an integral part of Microsoft’s hardware plans for the next generation of gaming remains to be seen, but the timeline would certainly line up, with Spencer stating that a portable Xbox machine is still a few years out.