Pocket PCs have a long and storied history in the world of gaming. Although several consoles technically came before it, Nintendo's Game Boy broke new ground for handheld gaming, providing an almost NES-level experience on the go. Nintendo continued to prove itself in the handheld space with subsequent iterations of the Game Boy, and the company set a new bar for the entire industry with the launch of the Nintendo DS in 2006. But while PlayStation tried its hand at competing with Nintendo in the handheld space, Xbox remained clear. But that will soon change.
After more than a year of speculation and rumors, Phil Spencer confirmed in a recent interview with Bloomberg that Xbox is indeed in the process of developing a portable device. However, Spencer also claimed that it will be a few more years before fans see it on the market. But when the portable Xbox does eventually arrive, there's one obvious feature that's sure to set it apart from the competition.
Relatives
All major video game releases are coming soon to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
Here are all the major upcoming Xbox Series X/S games coming in 2024 and beyond, from survival horror to Microsoft exclusives.
The Xbox handheld will have an ace up its sleeve
The Xbox handheld can have some tough competition
The handheld market is arguably busier than ever. The Nintendo Switch is now in its seventh year, and together with the Lite and OLED models, more than 140 million units have been sold. While its hardware is objectively inferior to even the last-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the Switch's portable nature, high brand awareness, and family slant have kept it at the top of the gaming world for the better part of a decade.
Back in 2022, Valve thought to try their hand at creating a portable console. In the two years since its release, the Steam Deck has been praised as one of the best portable devices ever made, allowing you to play some of the most demanding modern games with very few limitations.
The handheld console market may look a little different by the time the Xbox hits store shelves, but it may not be much. A successor to the Nintendo Switch is due next year, and Valve has already confirmed that a second-generation Steam Deck is in development. As such, the competition for the Xbox handheld may be no different than it would be if it launched now.
Additionally, a recent report from Bloomberg suggests that PlayStation is also in the early stages of developing a new portable console. If that's true, then the Xbox handheld will have some stiff competition when it eventually comes out.
Xbox Game Pass could be the Xbox Handheld's secret weapon
Last year, Xbox tried to sell the concept that the Xbox wasn't just a console, it was anything that could run an Xbox app. Xbox Game Pass has been at the forefront of this recent marketing push, with ads often showing players enjoying their subscription across Xbox, PC, mobile and a host of other devices via cloud streaming.
When the Xbox handheld is officially unveiled, it's highly likely that Xbox Game Pass will be its main selling point, and for good reason. Putting Xbox Game Pass front and center for the upcoming PDA would be a huge boon in both the short and long term.
In the short term, Xbox handheld players will be able to access a huge library of hundreds of games, all for free. And thanks to the Xbox Game Pass library, which provides a wide range of gameplay experiences, players will be able to immediately test the power of the portable console with countless AAA and indie games ready and waiting on day one.
In the long run, Xbox Game Pass ensures that handheld gamers will have an ever-changing library of games to keep coming back to. Also, while the PlayStation handheld could move its library of titles to PS Plus, Game Pass would still have an advantage since PS Plus doesn't add first-party games to the service on day one. And that advantage will only get stronger as time goes on, as Xbox's first offerings now include Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, and Activision-Blizzard.
