Key Takeaways
- Microsoft’s next-gen console lineup will reportedly include a handheld device.
- The purported portable would reportedly be offered alongside a traditional home console.
- The tenth console generation is projected to arrive in 2028.
One of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox consoles will be a handheld device, a well-known industry insider has said. This claim was offered as part of a slightly more comprehensive overview of Microsoft’s supposed plans for the present and future of Xbox.
Speculation about Microsoft eyeing a foray into portable gaming has been circulating the industry for a while now. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has even personally stoked some Xbox handheld console rumors in early 2024.
Xbox Series S Successor May Be a Handheld Console
Such a device may indeed be in the works, Windows Central’s Jez Corden reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. On September 21, the insider expressed a tentative belief that the next generation of Xbox consoles will include a handheld device. This purported portable is planned to be offered alongside a traditional home console, as per the same source. The report itself hence suggests that while Microsoft plans to deliver another dual-model lineup during the tenth console generation, its de facto Xbox Series S successor will be a handheld device rather than retaining its predecessor’s form factor.
Next-Gen Xbox Consoles Could Introduce New AI Features
Corden already shared some similar information back in May 2024, when he implied that Microsoft was working on a handheld Xbox console intended to be a “reference device” for original equipment manufacturers. The tweet containing that claim was later deleted. Corden’s other reporting on the matter saw him suggest that the next generation of Xbox hardware will have a strong AI focus, possibly by incorporating the Copilot AI assistant in some shape or form.
Microsoft Reportedly Not Planning a Direct Xbox Competitor to PS5 Pro
Today’s report also saw Corden assert that Microsoft isn’t working on a PS5 Pro equivalent. The company did recently announce a refresh of its current-gen offering in the form of a 1TB variant of the Series S, a 2TB Series X model, and a digital-only Series X in all white. But none of these devices, which are scheduled to hit the store shelves on October 15, will offer more processing power compared to their current-gen counterparts the way the PS5 Pro will.
The next-gen Xbox devices will supposedly offer the largest “technological” leap ever before seen in a single console generation. This sentiment was previously reiterated by several top Microsoft executives, including Phil Spencer and Xbox President Sarah Bond. Although the specifics of this leap remain unclear, it is plausible that Microsoft’s tenth-gen console offerings will attempt to place an even greater focus on cloud gaming. The company has been betting heavily on this technology since 2018, when it first announced xCloud, nowadays known as Xbox Cloud Gaming. According to recent projections, the tenth console generation is expected to arrive in 2028.
Xbox Series S
Released alongside the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Series S is Microsoft’s budget option for the ninth console generation. Designed exclusively for digital gaming, the Series S can run the same games as the Series X, albeit at a potentially lower resolution and frame rate.
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Original Release Date
- November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $299
- Weight
- 4.25 LBS
