Not an official announcement, but it’s probably safe to assume an Xbox handheld is in development.

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      And it’s absolutely Microsoft’s cycle. New game changer product comes on the market, they rush a half ass version out with the promise of a really good one later, half ass one flops, they scrap the whole idea because no one wants the half ass version, they fade into obscurity.

      Tablets, VR, video chat, phones

      Anyone remember this?

      • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        5 months ago

        I loved windows phone, the UI was so clear (I still use square home on android to this day), the camera app was superb and it was a very efficient operating system for low end hardware.

        It didn’t have a ton of apps but honestly I don’t know, sometimes that doesn’t feel like a bad thing for a thing I am always trying to make more into a tool than an addiction….

        Sure windows phone wasn’t going to grow rapidly for years, but it was well situated to take advantage of an opportunity in the future when apple or google stumbled and created an opening. I think for a company as large as Microsoft just abandoning it entirely was a massively stupid move. Now Microsoft has a gigantic blind spot in mobile, and they are stuck in that position.

  • mlg@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    5 months ago

    I’m assuming it’s gonna be a lame attempt to capitalize on the steam deck’s success with hope that popular DRM game exclusives will drive sales.

    Although I’m pretty sure the MSI Claw already proved that won’t work. Even if it had been good in hardware, the addition of only a few select games didn’t justify the cost or performance of windows on a handheld.

    Unless they put some actual development and research behind it, which they won’t, it’ll probably last only a few years before they have to cancel due to sunk cost and lack of game sales.

    They’d need to properly place DirectX with a clean NT kernel on some good hardware, and make a completely new (and usable) UI like Xbox without sacrificing battery power, which even the deck struggled to accomplish.

    Considering how cruddy windows 11 has been, Xbox nuking teams left & right, and MSFT throwing all their budget at AI, I just don’t see it happening.

    • TheDorkfromYork@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      I consider this comment naive. Microsoft selling a powerful arm based handheld might be extremely successful and totally viable. They have already done the rnd for x86 backwards compatibility on arm and have a close relationship with Qualcomm.

      • BaroqBard@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        5 months ago

        On top of this, I doubt many of the Steam Deck’s current competitors could have sold at a loss like Valve did (IIRC, they sold at a loss or at least pretty close to it). Microsoft, however, definitely has the spare money as a larger corp if they decided to really back the XBox/Gaming division. Price-wise, they could compete. If they’re in the same pricing ballpark, manage a reasonable quality handheld, and can promise perfect windows compatibility with games, that might be something.

  • Damage@feddit.it
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    5 months ago

    Do these other handhelds sell enough to justify all these different devices?

        • arefx@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          5 months ago

          Nah probably the deck. Switch has been out for a long time these companies didn’t start rushing to make these portables until after steam deck. With your logic why stop at the switch. Switch? TRY THE GAME BOY MY GUY

            • arefx@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              5 months ago

              That literally has nothing to do with it as evident by the fact that these handheld didn’t start coming out until after the steam deck. Switch total sales have been high for years now. This is a new trend. You’re free to think whatever you want though

  • hperrin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 months ago

    I would never buy an Xbox handheld. Why would you want a handheld that is locked into Microsoft’s ecosystem even more than a Windows handheld? You’ll get maybe ten to fifteen years out of it, then it will become a brick that Microsoft has abandoned. You will never have fond memories of playing on the Xbox handheld that you can recreate with physical hardware. You’ll never get to show your kids what gaming was like on the thing, because the authentication servers were shut off years ago, and now it is a worthless paperweight.

    • smeg@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      5 months ago

      You’ll get maybe ten to fifteen years out of it

      That’s way longer than most consoles last before the servers get turned off

      • hperrin@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        5 months ago

        Microsoft is at least good about supporting their gaming hardware for quite a while. But better than other consoles still isn’t good enough. I’ve got a computer from ~1990 that still works and can play contemporary PC games. You can bet the Steam Deck will still work in 2060.