Xbox boss Phil Spencer comments on potential Xbox handheld

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer talks about the future of Xbox hardware at GDC 2024, while Xbox handheld rumors fly.

Microsoft has never confirmed it’s throwing itself in the handheld ring, yet that hasn’t stopped rumors flowing over a potential Xbox handheld device. Just last year, leaked documents suggested a first-party Xbox handheld was off the cards, yet Phil Spencer’s recent comments have yet again got the rumor mill talking.

At GDC 2024, Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke at length in an interview with Polygon’s Chris Plante. Speaking to Polygon, Spencer shared his experiences with PC gaming handhelds, and his want to make devices, like the Lenovo Legion Go feel “more like an Xbox.”

After venting his frustrations over the lack of cross-saves for games like Fallout 76 on the Legion Go, Spencer revealed that the Xbox Hardware team is considering “different hardware form factors”, which could allude to a future Xbox handheld.

“What should we build that will find new players?” Spencer said. “That will allow people to play at times when they couldn’t go play [in the past]?”

According to Polygon, Spencer further explained he has “strong feelings” about what a possible Xbox device would be like while sharing plans to improve the Xbox gaming experience on existing PC gaming handhelds.

“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”, Spencer explained during the interview.

“The things that usually frustrate me are more Windows-based than device-based. Which is an area I feel some ownership of. Like, I want to be able to log in with a controller. I’ve got my list of things we should go do”

Last year, we knew that Microsoft was considering a handheld PC “experience layer” for Windows, and Spencer’s comments could go further to suggest that we might be seeing more optimizations coming for handheld form factors in the future on Windows. As for a Microsoft Xbox handheld, we’ll just have to sit tight for any official announcements or rumors in the future.