According to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, the highly anticipated Xbox handheld is “several years out” and only exists in prototype form, so what should we make of last week’s news that actually, we may see a handheld later on this year? Leaks are suggesting that Microsoft has put together some kind of OEM device proposition, with Asus lined up to produce the first ‘Project Kennan’ handheld. In my opinion, expectations from this device should be tempered and we should think of it more as one further step down the road that’ll see Xbox merge in some way with Windows – a significant undertaking, but a crucial one that needs to be proved out and battle-hardened before next generation hardware arrives in the next few years.
So, looking towards the device expected in the near-future, what should we hope for? For me, the question is this: has Microsoft created its own bespoke OEM handheld design that the likes of Asus, Dell and Lenovo can license? Or is the Xbox connection software only – a work-in-progress Windows OS variant that puts the Xbox Store front and centre, with the only hardware flourishes consisting of an Xbox guide button and other design cues?
The former is potentially more exciting: it would represent a baseline design for a handheld that we should expect to be capable enough of seeing out the current console generation. There may even be some potential for a custom processor, just as Valve uses for Steam Deck, but hopefully more powerful. As impressive as the Deck is, there can be challenges in running the most demanding triple-A titles on it – especially when the PC port itself may be of a poor quality. Unverified leaks suggesting a $500 price-point may suggest a lower-end Z2 processor. The Z2 Go is the best fit here, with hardware underpinnings similar to the Ryzen 7 6800U, which we looked at two years ago. I’d describe this as ‘OK’ but would hope for something better – the existing Z1 Extreme in the ROG Ally is a class apart, while I’d expect even more from a tailor-made custom chip.
- 00:00:00 Introduction
- 00:00:38 News 1: Xbox-branded Windows handheld reportedly in development
- 00:19:36 News 2: Death Stranding 2 gets release date, new trailer
- 00:30:23 News 3: 9950X3D launches with impressive performance
- 00:46:43 News 4: Elder Scrolls Oblivion remake rumoured
- 00:55:51 News 5: AI Aloy prototype debuts in leaked footage
- 01:09:19 Supporter Q1: Have we underestimated PS5 Pro’s ML performance?
- 01:19:31 Supporter Q2: Is Nvidia betting on a big gaming performance increase for the 60 series?
- 01:26:47 Supporter Q3: Could the PS4 survive indefinitely as a platform?
- 01:31:30 Supporter Q4: How should we understand generational leaps for PC gaming?
- 01:36:10 Supporter Q5: Will the Series X become a sought-after retro console?
- 01:40:55 Supporter Q6: Could you produce videos showing carefully tailored experiences for certain graphics cards?
- 01:46:56 Supporter Q7: Is Nvidia’s focus on proprietary tech helping or hurting PC gaming?
Perhaps more likely though is an off-the-shelf AMD design with proprietary Xbox stuff coming from software and design language only. And at this point, probably more important than the specific hardware is getting the user experience right on PC: Microsoft needs a fully featured interface that’s competitive with SteamOS that removes all of the pain points PC users face: games from all stores need to be integrated into one seamless interface, while at the same time putting the Xbox Store front and centre. Windows updates and driver updates need to be handled for the user with no fuss and without leaving the new UI. On top of that, some kind of alternative to Linux/SteamOS’s Gamescope is required for accessing PC-style features from a console-like interface.
This may sound relatively painless – and of course, manufacturers like Asus have their own solutions already – but this is far more difficult than it sounds. The big success of SteamOS is that the front-end does everything that’s required and although the Linux desktop is there, there’s absolutely no need to ever use it. I’ve reviewed many, many PC handhelds and in all cases, a USB hub with keyboard and mouse is required at various points to get the device set up and maintained. Microsoft also needs to grab the bull by its horns and overcome some of the fundamental shortcomings of Windows 11 itself: like shader compilation stutter, which is that much worse on lower power handhelds compared to more capable desktop PCs.
I’m expecting whatever Microsoft comes up with to be in some kind of beta or work-in-progress state, simply owing to the sheer scale of the task ahead of it – but there are other strategic elements in play: Lenovo has a SteamOS device available that essentially sees Valve’s Linux-based operating system running on a standard AMD processor – the Z2 Go. Without coming up with an alternative, Windows cannot compete with Steam Deck or the range of SteamOS third party devices that will hit the market. We’ve yet to go hands-on with the Lenovo SteamOS device, but we have used another SteamOS alternative a great deal: Bazzite, running on the Asus ROG Ally – and it’s simply excellent. It retains everything you’d want from SteamOS, including Gamescope. It taps into the extra horsepower of the ROG Ally’s Z1 Extreme. It even supports the Ally’s VRR display. Perhaps more to the point, it has Fossilize – a good effort in minimising shader compilation stutter. All things being equal, it’s important for Microsoft to get into the handheld market sooner rather than later simply from a competitive standpoint.
However, beyond that, there is one more crucial component to the Windows/Xbox ‘merger’ that is required: the ability to bring your Xbox digital purchases over to what is, after all, an Xbox. In essence, we are talking about backwards compatibility of all prior Xbox hardware to run on Windows. Bearing in mind that the majority of this consists of OG Xbox and Xbox 360 software layers for devices that already run on x86 processors paired with Radeon graphics hardware, this should work fine.
Where there may be challenges is in the third party Xbox Series library – the horsepower simply isn’t there in a handheld to run even Series S games. In this scenario, PC versions of those games using Xbox Play Anywhere will work fine, but how third-party current-gen versions will work would be a hurdle to overcome. Beyond that, there’s an even bigger question: if the strategy is as ambitious as making every PC an Xbox, what are the chances of users being able to bring over their existing console purchases outside of the Play Anywhere initiative to Windows? It sounds like a licensing nightmare.
The first order of business is obvious though: a unified launcher that allows access to the full library of PC games while putting the Xbox Store and Game Pass libraries front and centre. More generally, that crucial, fully-formed Xbox interface and minimal intrusion from standard Windows 11 would go a long way. The Kennan device would take point with this endeavour, but a subsequent Windows install for other handheld and even desktop PCs would be welcome. There are numerous other challenges to overcome – not least PC handhelds’ lack of efficiency compared to Steam Deck – but even so, I’m fascinated to see how this upcoming collaboration with Asus will pan out and how the software will evolve over time until the next generation consoles – and presumably the ‘real’ Xbox handheld – arrive.
