Xbox Co-Creator Thinks Microsoft 'Really Should' Have Made An Xbox Portable

never too late to start

@Ashadelo We like your thinkin

They have the Surface team that designs the laptops, tablets and smartphones (Duo), just make an Xbox Surface with dedicated buttons! I'm sure that it would be as popular or more than Series S|X.

As much as I would have liked a Handheld Xbox "back in the day" but considering the content draught on X1 having two separate systems with seperate libraries would have been bad.

Now Xbox is doing the whole two hardware formats thing that they are going to have to support till the end of the generation there is an opportunity there. I'm sure it would be expensive that performance in handheld form but it would address the library concerns and allow MS to quietly rebrand the S has "home version" of the portable system (like that PSP TV) allowing devs to slowly drop features for it if needed (like Bualders Gate 3's splitscreen) and allow them to introduce a better replacement for the S down the line.

If it doesn't allow you to download gamepass games to play locally without data i don't see it being successful. They need to sort out the DRM and have like a weekly requirement to connect online to validate your game.

I’d buy a portable system with game pass that can play the games well without cloud streaming anytime.

Although I enjoy using the backbone with my phone thus far. Annoyed that I can only play gamepass games. I own The Long Dark and now I cannot play it since the removal from GP. It hurts man. I would love a full fledged hand held. Thinking about steam deck or the Asus one coming out. Depends on price.

Im here for it if they make one. I would gladly play some Diablo 4 in bed on a handheld. I used to love my switch but the Nintendo limits started to creep in and i just want Nintendo to come out with more powerful hardware and better services and controls. If they do they get my money also. But a Xbox Handheld with GP would be fun, not sure it would set the sales charts on fire, but it would have a following.

Seems like a handheld Xbox would be easy for Microsoft considering their line of Surface tablets. All they would need to do is create one with integrated controls essentially, and put an Xbox OS on it.

@JayJ Exactly! It would be like the portable version of Series S.

@Banjo- Yeah, I'd buy one no questions asked!

I'm just thinking that maybe Microsoft doesn't want to compete with the Steam Deck? There is a lot of crossover, but it would be nice to have a Microsoft alternative. All this competition would undoubtedly force Nintendo to try harder as well.

Getting another version of every game to run on a portable is a tall order. Some developers already hate that the Series S is a requirement. A portable would not go over well.

Sony rumors showed us how poorly a streaming based handheld is received by fans.

Does anyone own the Logitech cloud streaming device? If so, how is it? I contemplated a purchase, but the cloud streaming scares me off.

Honestly not think there is big enough audience to support an Xbox portable. Can really see it have decent launch then novelty wearing off and people no longer buying or playing it.

Would be nice if they had a music streaming service and movie/ show to combine with game pass and a shopping store app for Microsoft products ….. they really need to push anime shows and bug bugdet movies no cheesy films like the halo work they did

Maybe purchase tidal and a film company like lionsgate … sony owns Crunchyroll idk why Xbox didn’t beat them too it if they want to reach the Japan market

@AgentLA
I don't own the logitech but streaming gamepass on the steam deck works surprisingly well for me. If you have good internet I bet the cloud streaming will work well on logitech.

I honestly think there is room and potential for a Xbos Series P[ortable]. Just make it optional, but make it have Smart Delivery. Basically, dont allow developers to make Series P only games, any Series P game needs to run on Series S and X, just not the other way around. Many games dont need the huge horsepower of the Series X, or even the Series S, and could simply run on portable hardware.

Basically any 2D game, and many simplistic 3D games (or hell, any game that is also on Switch) could work native and portably.

Combined with Smart Delivery and Cloud Saves, players could jump very quickly from portable to TV play.

Again, just don't let anyone sell Series P only games, force Smart Delivery only games, and allow retroactive support (a game that launched only on X|S could after the fact offer a P version.)

Oh also, no physical media. Just go digital. They did it with the Series S, they can get away with it on a portable.

@AgentLA I got one recently, its fine but the controls dont have the finesse of a first party xbox controller. Its not bad, not by any means, but still would much prefer something with the feel of an actual Xbox controller to it.

Its also nice that it is an android device and I can eventually configure it with emulators and get to download Play Store games.

So far only used it to remote play a bit of Ghost of Tsushima and play some Fallout 3 via Game Pass. Thanks to Cloud Saves, its a breeze to jump between playing the game natively on my Series X, or play handheld when I cant be sitting in front of my TV.

Edit: I would suggest you test cloud streaming first yourself. You can do it right on your computer with any controller, or on your phone. Play something whatever, for long enough, to get an idea if your personal internet connection is good enough. Streaming, sadly, is a very hit and miss experience, might work for some and not for others. Sometimes its one's ISP, sometimes its just the modem, or someone else in the house downloading large files.

So before investing, test it over a period of time to see if it works for you.

To be more specific, I mean a real handheld console, not a streaming device. Something like Steam Deck, that is quite popular considering is not massively distributed and sold. An Xbox Surface or Series P. It would run Windows 11 like Xbox, obviously, and have the same UI as Xbox One and Series S|X. If Steam Deck can run current-gen games, why wouldn't Xbox Surface? I know it wouldn't be cheap but a streaming device could be every tablet and phone. They could also release an Xbox Surface Cloud as the cloud-only version. Xbox has free cloud save for everybody so that always helps.

MS is actually in a very good position to do so. If they base their handheld on series S, all infrastructure is already in place. In fact I was convinced that series S wasn’t just to have a cheaper console, but to have whole lower spec/low power platform to go with. Not only they’d be able finally compete in Japan, but also compete with Steam (where they can undercut hardware cost by software sales, unlike purely hardware manufacturers). Not sure how feasible it is, considering tech and cost, but it’s helluva more doable than PS5 handheld for example, which won’t be possible until next decade or so.

@Sebatrox if you have an iPhone try the Backbone. That’s really good. Works on Xbox and Playstation too. Only compatible with iPhone tho.

@Tharsman

Thanks for the response. I have used the cloud, mostly to test it at home on a Series X and a One S, and it has been hit and miss on both. Some days it works very well, other days it stutters quite a bit. So if I should expect the same experience, I will have to pass for now, which is no big deal.

@Somebody

Thanks!

@AgentLA Another thing to consider, due to its size I think the app defaults to a lower resolution than your computer might, and that might improve performance. I think you can force the browser/PC client to run at lower resolution, if you want to test if that works more consistently..