A new survey from Microsoft has further hinted at the possibility of an Xbox handheld being in development.
Recently, we had reported that both The Xbox Two podcast co-host Jez Corden and insider Tom Henderson had hinted at the existence of an Xbox gaming handheld device. It turns out that Microsoft is now sending out invitations via email to newsletter subscribers, asking them to take part in a survey to provide feedback on their gaming handheld devices, indicating that there is indeed some truth to the rumor.
The survey aims to gather information on various user preferences pertaining to native software installation, cloud gaming, usage patterns, form factor, and the impact of a handheld PC alongside other devices. It’s clear that Microsoft is interested in working on a handheld Xbox, and likely already has prototypes in development, as Corden had learned. As per him, Xbox is currently working on gaming handheld prototypes. He further clarified that although the company had previously experimented with handheld prototypes, the one he referred to are more recent.
The podcast hosts explained that the existence of prototypes doesn’t necessarily mean that they will go to market. However, Corden believes that Microsoft would be “insane” to not do this. He also pointed out that Valve’s Steam Deck is benefiting from being able to run both Xbox and PlayStation exclusives, and Microsoft currently doesn’t offer a similar experience for its own ecosystem. He believes that both Sony and Microsoft are likely to be pursuing the handheld market. Corden clarified that the Xbox handheld prototypes that Microsoft is currently working on are not cloud-based, and that they are capable of running software natively. If eventually released, the device will be digital-only, and there are unlikely to be any physical media options.
With a survey gathering interest and prototypes possibly already in the works, the chances of an Xbox handheld going to market seem rather high.
