Xbox Handheld: rumors, leaks and specs – all the information at a glance

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We have summarized all the important information about the Xbox handheld for you.

Update from October 17, 2024: We have added new information about a possible announcement.

The rumor mill is buzzing and a handheld console from Xbox seems more and more likely. Even Microsoft no longer makes a secret of the fact that they are interested in such a device. We have summarized all the rumors, leaks and confirmed information for you.

Price and Release

Price: Official information is still pending. From the big Microsoft leak last year, it was revealed that Microsoft is planning a slim operating system for handheld devices under $100. Whether the Xbox handheld will also fall into this category is currently unclear. If the device is to calculate the games natively, then a price of 300 to 600 euros is more likely.

Release: There are indications for 2026.The 25th anniversary of the Xbox will take place on November 15, 2026. Windows Central is said to have received information from its sources indicating that Microsoft will announce a traditional console, i.e. the successor to the Xbox Series X, and a handheld console at that time.

A release for 2028 was circulated from earlier leaks.

Information that comes from Microsoft

From Microsoft itself, we know that a handheld is at least on the company’s radar and could be in the planning stages:

  • In last year’s FTC leak, a handheld is on the company’s roadmap
  • An operating system codenamed “ThinOS” is to be developed for handhelds
  • Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, revealed in the Xbox Podcast that new Xbox hardware will be introduced later this year. However, this does not necessarily have to do with a handheld.

What does the Xbox boss say?In addition, Phil Spencer has commented on a possible Xbox handheld. According to an interview with Polygon , he wants an experience similar to that on the Xbox on the currently available Windows handhelds.

  • He is said to have an extensive to-do list of things that can be improved on Windows to optimize it for handheld consoles.

  • Apart from that, he told Polygon that he sees the same creativity in the hardware team that he sees in the Xbox software team. Spencer adds that this team is also considering other Xbox form factors.

In another interview, in which he was interviewed by IGN, the head of Xbox also emphasized that local play continues to be very important to him. This could be an indication that the Xbox handheld will not be a pure cloud gaming device.

Handheld with cloud and native rendering: However, the FTC leak indicates that Microsoft is considering a device that would combine native calculations with cloud streaming. Similar functionality is already used in games like Microsoft Flight Simulator.

According to this data, the new device should even be able to display performance-hungry graphics features such as raytracing and dynamic global illumination. To do this, a combination of AI upscaling, native rendering and the aforementioned cloud streaming should be used.

The rumor mill

Prototypes have already been developed: Jez Corden, one of the hosts of the Xbox Two podcast, allegedly already knows that Microsoft has developed and tested several current handheld prototypes. According to him, these are supposed to be native Xbox consoles and not Windows devices.

In addition, the next Xbox will not be a hybrid console like the Nintendo Switch. Corden believes that the Xbox Series X will receive an ordinary successor, i.e. a stationary console, and that a handheld will be offered as a separate device.

New developer kit has appeared: A new Xbox developer kit has been registered in South Korea. In this country, a certificate is required for the use of electronic devices to ensure that they do not interfere with the radio network. Before the last Xbox consoles came onto the market, they were also certified in South Korea about half a year in advance.

This article will be continuously updated as soon as there is new information about Microsoft’s handheld. So check back regularly if you want to stay up to date! In the meantime, share with us what you would like to see in such a console and whether you would buy it.