Xbox is in an interesting position right now. We’ve seen Microsoft move away from console exclusivity to bring games to where players are which means going multiplatform. However, don’t mistake as the company moving away from consoles altogether. In fact, a new report suggests that a hardware release is planned for this year.
There is no shortage of rumors about the video game industry. However, some credible industry insiders can give a little insight into what’s coming our way. One of those is Windows Central Jez Corden. In a recent post, the insider noted that they learned that an Xbox handheld is in the works.
They are told it’s an OEM company working on this Xbox-branded gaming handheld. It will also look very much like it belongs to the Xbox family. With as much love as handheld devices have been getting these days, it’s not surprising Microsoft would be keen on getting in on this action. Perhaps we’ll get a good rival to the Steam Deck along with capabilities to stream Xbox games through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
However, the report doesn’t highlight the device’s internals, so it’s a mystery right now how powerful this device will be, as well as the screen size or the form factor. That said, it was noted that this device would be heading out sometime later this year, so it shouldn’t be very long before we get official details on it if this is the case.
Likewise, this wasn’t the first mention of Xbox’s plans from Jez Corden. Earlier, we reported that Xbox might have their next console ready for release in 2027. While details, much like the handheld device, are practically nonexistent, it’s believed that this new console will be more of a Windows PC prebuilt, giving developers the ability to start working on games now as they can target the specifications the new console will come packed with.
Of course, take this as nothing more than a rumor for now. We’ll have to wait and see if Microsoft opens up about any potential hardware release plans for this year.
