Quick Summary
Xbox's boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that a handheld console is in the company's plans.
He also revealed that future Xbox consoles will be released, even if Xbox games can be played on multiple other devices through the cloud.
It's no secret that Sony has won the console battle this generation, with the PlayStation 5 far outperforming the Xbox Series X/S in sales. However, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has indicated that his company is preparing to continue the fight long into the future. He has confirmed that an Xbox handheld is in development and that there will be new Xbox home consoles released in the future.
This comes on the back of the recent "This is an Xbox" ad campaign which points out that Xbox gaming is not limited to just a dedicated machine – it is available on PC, TVs and phones too, thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming.
It suggests that while the PS5 might be the most popular console around, just as many people play through Xbox services. Even Amazon Fire TV Sticks can stream Xbox games today.
It's a sentiment Spencer elaborated on in a Rolling Stone interview: "It literally was a box when it first launched – it was the Direct X box. What it’s grown into now is more accessibility," he said.
"Xbox isn’t just one device, Xbox is on your smart TV, Xbox is on your PC, Xbox is on your phone, and we’re in the middle of that transition."
However, he also stressed that the company is far from ready to drop the console completely, and that a next-generation machine is still very much in its plans: "We’ll definitely do more consoles in the future, and other devices," he added.
The latter is an Xbox gaming handheld – a Steam Deck rival – which the Xbox CEO previously confirmed. He told Bloomberg earlier this week that the "expectation is that we would do something" in that area.
"Longer term, I love us building devices,” he added.
"And I think our team could do some real innovative work..."
There is a catch though – don't expect anything any time soon. The development phase is only really starting and isn't likely to result in anything until 2026 at the earliest.
In addition, Spencer seems to have ruled out releasing a PS5 Pro rival – an Xbox Series X Pro, if you like.
When speaking with Rolling Stone, he implied that a mid-gen refresh is not necessary, as developers aren't gaining much from the "increased horsepower". It has instead recently released new versions of its current console – the Xbox Series X Digital Edition and 2TB Xbox Series X Galaxy Edition.
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