The success of the Switch demonstrated that portable gaming could extend beyond what's experienced on smartphones and tablets. Playing AAA titles anywhere changed the perspective of the industry, and companies like Steam, Asus, MSI, and Lenovo have already taken steps in that direction. As this unfolds, rumors of Microsoft and Xbox doing the same are increasing, and Phil Spencer has sparked anticipation.
Phil Spencer Wants a Portable Device That Offers the Full Xbox Experience
During an interview with Polygon, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, discussed the Xbox experience on current portable devices. Regarding this, the executive made it clear that there's something that doesn't quite convince him, whether it's an Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, or Steam Deck, and that is they cannot be, as a concept and in use, a full-fledged Xbox: "I want my Lenovo Legion Go to feel like an Xbox. I brought mine to GDC. I'm on the plane, and I have this list of everything that makes it not feel like an Xbox. Are all my games there? Do all my games show up with the save files I want? For example, a game that doesn't right now is Fallout 76, as it doesn't have cross-save."
While the Xbox experience on such devices has been growing, it has a limit, as each piece of hardware has a concept for its sale and doesn't reduce to the relationship they have with the Microsoft brand. Hence, Phil Spencer believes there are missing elements that could well become a reality in a proprietary device from the brand: "I want to be able to boot up the Xbox app in full screen, also in a compact mode, I want it to feel like my Xbox dashboard when I turn on my TV."
Finally, Phil Spencer mentioned that the hardware development team led by Roanne Sones continues to brainstorm ideas to attract more users to the Xbox ecosystem and did not rule out that a dedicated portable device might be a means to that end.
Recent rumors have indicated that Microsoft is indeed considering the release of an Xbox portable, given the success such hardware has had with the public, and it would be a significant piece for their gaming ecosystem. So far, reliable sources speak of prototypes, but information about it is increasing, and the expectation is for a related announcement soon.
Stay tuned here, at LEVEL UP.
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