The rumored Xbox handheld will be manufactured by ASUS and has a few more details that change what was initially believed, reports The Verge’s Tom Warren.
After it was reported by Windows Central that Microsoft was working to build an Xbox handheld, Tom Warren of The Verge set out to clarify some reports and add additional context.
Xbox Handheld Clarification
The new report from The Verge shares some pivotal, key bits of information that change how the Xbox handheld was once believed to operate.
“This is an Xbox” campaign promoted the idea that any device with a screen can be an Xbox.
The key things to highlight are:
- The handheld is not so much a Microsoft-made device that will be an Xbox handheld, but rather a handheld made by ASUS that aims to merge an underlying Windows OS with an Xbox-like user experience.
- Throughout the year and beyond, Microsoft’s key focus is merging the two platforms together, and we will begin to see those plans come to fruition later this year.
- The ASUS handheld is codenamed Project Kennan, not Keenan. The project aims to merge both platforms and create a unified store for both Xbox and Windows games. Thus, making it easier for developers to create games that coexist as both Xbox and PC titles. The project is still ongoing but is slated to be revealed later in 2025.
- Project Kennan has a sister-project codenamed Project Bayside. Bayside is more UX-centric, and its key distinction is ensuring that there’s an available Xbox-like UI present in all Windows menus. The end goal of both Kennan and Bayside is to have both platforms seamlessly work as one in the near future.
The full report on The Verge details more about Microsoft’s overall goal for the future of both Windows and Xbox. However, the positioning, wording, and reports indicate that Microsoft is fully diving into the idea that both Xbox and Windows can be enhanced dramatically when the best of both worlds are combined.
What This May Mean
ASUS is said to be one of the early launch partners in this effort, and with them, Microsoft can announce the new changes with an incredibly strong start. It’s known for the ROG Ally and Ally X, but with Microsoft directly working alongside the company to create the first handheld in their new initiative, ASUS could be settling into the handheld space in the best way possible.
The ROG Ally X is one of the strongest handhelds currently available.
In the world of retro handhelds, we’ve seen companies work alongside others to help mutual goals. Lenovo and Valve working together on the SteamOS version of the Lenovo Go S pushes both companies forward in their mission to create worthwhile gaming handhelds and prop the Steam platform up for handheld use.
Microsoft clearly has a huge workload in front of them for both of the household name platforms. The merging of the two of them could breathe new life into both, or it could welcome the beginning of the end for one of the two. Here, we’re hopeful for the former.
If you want to read the full report, which goes further into Microsoft’s overarching Windows and home console Xbox ideas, it can be found over The Verge.
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