A Xbox Handheld is on The Horizon

There is going to be a new approach coming at Xbox. The focus will be on creating hardware that makes the best out of a native Microsoft and Windows based gaming handheld that will come to market from Xbox. It’s something that is being worked on. They’re exploring all possible ideas for a reinvention of how to reach more audiences.

Not only are we seeing Xbox going multi-platform with some of its exclusives heading to PlayStation. The idea of Xbox getting into the handheld arena is a crazy one and that. You’re probably wondering why is it that crazy? Well, it’s crazy because this is a gaming company that is failing on software and hardware sales. So why would they get into a arena of hardware that they’ve never been in before?

That’s an interesting question right there. I think that there is a need for a handheld from Microsoft. One that is from Microsoft themselves. There is a gap in the market for that. It’s obvious they will push Game Pass. It’s also obvious that with the recent success of PS Portal and Sony rumoured to be developing their own new handheld (Vita successor) that it’s something they’d compete with. It won’t compete with Nintendo Switch.

The thing that’s got me scratching my head is the fact that most exclusives head over to PlayStation eventually. Just what the hell is the selling point of this thing or any new hardware moving forward? Other than a native Windows experience on a handheld and Game Pass. If subscriptions are flat-lining is this really the way forward for the industry? I actually think Microsoft knows they can’t just rely on Game Pass which is why they’re branching out and sucking in all other revenue streams from their games.

They’re branching out onto PlayStation and everything else they can. They’re providing an Xbox experience for their fans that have been with them since the original Xbox. That’s something they’re loyal to providing an experience for. But at the same time, I actually think that they’ve realised that Xbox is more than one device. It’s not about competing anymore in an aggressive gaming industry where PlayStation and Nintendo are very much kings. That however doesn’t make everything Xbox does irrelevant. But what it does mean is that Microsoft can no longer approach the industry like they used to. They’ve had to try a new approach and this is something that they’re going all in on.

The interesting thing will be how they get third-parties to get onboard as Game Pass is quite frankly cannibalising any software momentum on the Xbox platform. That next Xbox generation from a hardware perspective and how much a reinvention it is will be telling the next generation. It’s very much a scenario of placing all your deck on the table and saying ‘all in’ not knowing what else is at the table.