IN its 20 years of existence, the Xbox brand has never had a handheld console. It is a stark distinction with direct competitors PlayStation, which has the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo, a brand that dominates the field of handheld consoles.

Things may change soon, as Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is reportedly thinking about it and the angle the brand could possibly take with developing a handheld console.

According to Spencer, the Xbox hardware team is said to be considering “different hardware form factors and things that (they) could go do”, as the team plans the future of Xbox hardware. He also explained that it is looking at two approaches when it comes to making Xbox available on handhelds, where it was a question of hardware versus software.

Concurrently, Spencer sounds well aware that the handheld market is much tighter than consoles and players may choose non-Xbox brands. For them, the Xbox boss wants to have an improved handheld experience, particularly for those with devices running Windows.

“I like the fact that Valve, Lenovo, and Asus went out and innovated in a new form factor. And I will say that when I’m playing on those devices, it almost feels more like a console than a PC — nine times out of 10. The things that usually frustrate me are more Windows-based than device-based,” he said.

Spencer’s comments come as rumours continue swirling around a potential Xbox handheld by Microsoft, which first began when leaked court documents last year revealed the brand’s plan for a handheld, and in February, Xbox president Sarah Bond teased new hardware coming towards the back end of 2024.

More information will possibly be revealed at Microsoft’s Xbox Showcase event this June.