A possible Xbox handheld reveal window has been narrowed by Insider

by

Key takeaways

  • An Xbox handheld device could be announced in 2025.
  • Some recent reports have suggested that the next Xbox console generation will include a handheld device, but 2025 may be too early to announce or even tease such a product.
  • The next console generation is expected to arrive in 2028.



A Xbox The handheld will likely be announced in 2025, a well-known leaker said. The claim suggests that the rumored device may not be part of the next generation of Xbox consoles but instead an extension of the current one.

Rumors have been circulating online for the better part of 2024 about Microsoft potentially entering the portable gaming market. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer also personally stoked Xbox handheld rumors in February, liking a few tweets calling for the company to make such a device.

Xbox Series X next to a large console silhouette with a white question mark on a dark green background

related to

Leaker shares new details about next-gen Xbox console

A prominent leaker suggests that the next-gen Xbox console will mark a significant shift in Microsoft's gaming hardware strategy.

According to industry insider Jez Corden, there could be some sort of announcement in the near future. Speaking during an episode of November 4 Xbox Two PodcastCorden fielded an audience question about the status of new gaming hardware that Xbox president Sarah Bond previously mentioned in 2024, which will be unveiled later this year. While the leaker noted that Bond's comments hinted at the new Xbox Series X/S models launching in October, he added that Microsoft is likely to unveil “really new hardware” sometime in 2025. The handheld variety.


Specifically, Corden cryptically stated that he sees 2025 as a good year for the Xbox to reveal gaming hardware that fits in the palm. He also rejected his co-host's suggestion that such a device—or its lineup—could be unveiled as soon as The Game Awards in December 2024, saying he doesn't expect to see any hardware at the upcoming event. And while that may indeed be the case, Microsoft has a history of making hardware announcements at third-party events. For example, the Xbox Series X/S was treated to its full reveal at TGA 2019.



The Xbox handheld may not be the next-gen console

Although Corden himself has previously claimed that the next-gen Xbox console lineup will include a handheld device, the chances of that product being rumored for 2025 are doubtful at best. This is largely because Microsoft has been perfectly consistent with announcing its past consoles about 18 months before their final market debut. If the company were to continue this two-decade pattern, the mentioned handheld device Corden would theoretically hit the market by the first half of 2027, assuming it was announced at the end of 2025.


This time frame doesn't match what Microsoft itself recently called the release window for the next generation of Xbox consoles. Amid a mid-2023 legal tango with the FTC stemming from the Activision Blizzard acquisition, the company revealed that its next console generation is targeting a 2028 release. So, if Microsoft were to announce a handheld in 2025, such an offering would likely be a streaming-only device like the current-gen console or the Logitech G Cloud.

Leave a Comment