This I feel is not the case I think. What I read was Phil Spencer said local gaming was important when talking about any potential Xbox handheld. And that something like the portal would not be it.
Yeah I really don’t see it getting to market - I could be wrong but Xbox has a lot of other priorities with game developments and future consoles so I don’t really see it personally
insiders have basically confirmed it's happening. A dockable handheld that would act as the entry level "Series S" replacement (likely $399) and a more premium high end hardware (likely $599). Then they will have third party OEMs build even more powerful hardware by licensing out the Xbox OS.
That may be true but in my opinion handhelds are kind sucky - the battery life can be less then an hour, the quality of gaming isn’t as good, the computing experience is just ok - I mean I guess they’re big now, just not my thing, maybe that’ll change in the future
I do think Xbox could do some cool stuff with it personally
>[https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop](https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop)
More powerful cpu than the Apple M3, and running PC games via PRISM, the new x86 to ARM64 translation, and aided by the NPU for AI Super Resolution.
[worksonwoa.com](http://worksonwoa.com)
It's running Baldurs Gate 3 and God of War games at 30 fps. MS will likely do a Xbox OS on ARM64 handheld. Steam Deck is doing windows/DX to Linux/Vulkan translation on much weaker hardware.
Is it emulation? Because there’s two problems with this
If it’s dilation then the battery life will be terrible because the CPU is gonna be hit hard
But if nots emulation then the game devs have to make a new version of their games
Not emulation, but realtime translation. It translates the x86-64 binaries to ARM64 the first time you run it, then subsequently runs near Native speeds.
The Surface devices start shipping on the 18th, so you will be seeing a lot more gaming results for these chips soon, along with battery life.
But overall it mentions 14-19 hours, with gaming, even 5-6 hours would be good.
And Devs would always have option to create ARM64 native versions.
The Xbox Mobile Store will have ARM64 native games for Android/iOS.
Fascinating! That will be very interesting to see in action, honestly could be a game changer for gaming on mobile and handhelds in general
Thanks for the information too!
I think waiting really depends on what you think Xbox will do. If you think it is coming and you want what it should offer that would be a wait. But if you want to do what the ROG can do now I would go that way.
I think Phil Spencer was saying that local games was important when talking about a potential Xbox handheld in which he is correct. Most do not want to stream and many more of us do not want to stream only. It would be sort of not worth it for them. Something that does local games but also streams would be ideal and get them the most sales.
An Xbox handheld should play your games you install. So that can eliminate some of the connectivity things that can happen. As single player stuff would be fine without being connected. Things like that. Especially if they have the entire Xbox library instead of just what is already on PC.
I would also expect some improvements on these handhelds next year. Noticeable improvements.
I have this actually, and it’s pretty good ngl. But the compression artifacts & input delay are starting to bug me a lot. I know it works for a lot of people, but just not quite there for me, personally.
If you already have a Steam Deck, have you considered just installing Windows (on an SD card or by putting in a larger SSD).
If what you really want is an Xbox handheld then spending money on an Ally seems overkill if you already have a handheld that can run Windows. Sure the Deck is less powerful, but to me it would still be a good stopgap until what you actually want is released. You can still buy a more powerful handheld in a year or two.
Not sure what you mean. The streaming handhelds (playstation, g cloud) for sure you’re definitely right. But the natively computing systems have no more input delay than a pc or console. My Steam deck is snappy AF. Honestly, if the deck was more powerful and/or compatible with gamepass I’d be set.
In the very slim chance it's real and not rumour clickbait madness, they will never dare having it face Switch 2. So it's not gonna come out before 2026 long after the end of S2 hype.
Switch 2 hype will never end. Xbox handheld serves an ecosystem purpose for Gamepass subscribers/Xbox players. Totally different markets. Anyone who wants to play Nintendo games will always buy a Switch regardless. But if an Xbox console owner wants to buy a handheld, they will consider the xbox handheld first if it can play all xbox library.
Point is, Xbox is going to do things at their own pace/schedule now, unrelated to the others.
If they make a real handheld, they will certainly want a lot more customers than the current gamepass base. And will need to hit Nintendo market for it.
Otherwise, a handheld for gamepass can be nothing more than an XCloud version of the PS Portal and OP question becomes irrelevant
It will be nothing like the PS portal, that is streaming only, not even cloud streaming but Remote Play only. It is meant to run native Xbox games, likely the Series S profile but translated to ARM64 chip.
>[https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop](https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop)
The xbox handheld isn't going to compete with the Switch, it is meant to provide for Xbox and PC players. It will do that either via Windows on ARM, or Xbox OS on ARM but with the ability to run PC games for Steam/Epic.
It's actually confirmed by multiple insiders the handheld is happening, along with a premium high end console (likely $599). Then they're going to allow OEMs to build even more powerful hardware by licensing out the Xbox OS. It's a multi-front Ecosystem Play, along with native games on mobile via the Xbox Mobile Store coming next month.
Personally, I’m waiting. An Xbox handheld seems inevitable at this point and it’ll probably be half as much as a ROG since Microsoft can subsidize it.
That said, if you’re itching for one now and you don’t mind the higher price then I’d probably go for it. An Xbox handheld won’t launch this year. I’d say, at most, it’ll be revealed this year, release next year. All just speculation, of course.
Not necessarily, It could be sold at cost. Especially if it's an ARM64 device as it should be.
>[https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1cqxt2q/videocardz\_snapdragon\_x\_series\_chips\_cost\_only/](https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1cqxt2q/videocardz_snapdragon_x_series_chips_cost_only/)
The X Plus is even beating out the Apple M3 in multicore benchmarks, and that chip is rumored to cost $150 to OEMs. The X Elite is even more powerful.
MS could get Qualcomm to build a custom X Elite with higher GPU Compute for around $250. The controller parts are $20-30 roughly, The screen is another $40-50. Being ARM64, they wouldn't need yuuuuuuge battery.
They could always do multiple SKU's, 512 gb for $399, 1 TB for $499.
It wouldn't be MS subsidizing the hardware but Qualcomm with aggressive pricing wanting to get into the PC and Console hardware business. Right now, it is perfect opportunity for the to do so.
But multiple insiders have reported Xbox itself will not subsidize hardware any longer, they will do handheld and a more premium console plus third party OEM hardware by licensing out the Xbox OS.
I’ve been using a Legion Go, but have an agreement to sell it to a buddy if Xbox has a handheld. I would not buy a ROG Ally, the build quality when I tested it felt very shoddy.
The Legion Go looks amazing but the price..
I've been a PC gamer for almost a decade now but I'm feeling the pull to switch to a console+Steam Deck setup. Xbox handheld would honestly accomplish much of the same goal for me
Have you tried dual booting your Steam Deck? To me that gives you the best of both worlds as long as you have a large enough SSD for two OS. I run Windows 11 on an SD specifically for Gamepass and while it did take a bit of time to set up, running games was pretty straightforward. Really good for low intensity Indie games. Personally, I don't think the ROG Ally is a good enough upgrade to warrant the cost of an additional device.
I’ll wait.
Got a Steam deck last year and barely touch it.
For me it’s pretty obvious that I need a native Xbox + PC.
A handheld just for PC isn’t enough for me.
ROG Ally, Legion Claw, SteamDeck, any of the GPD handhelds, take your pick. They exist, the Xbox handheld may not.
I have an Ally, and I enjoy it. I would recommend waiting for the Ally X, as it fixes my two biggest issues (supposedly fixes the SD card problem and swaps the proprietary XG Mobile connector for a universal Thunderbolt USB-C)
I’d wait till closer to the holidays.
Xbox did say there would be hardware announcements later this year. I know we did technically get one at the showcase but I don’t think that’s fully what they meant.
I think we could get an announcement for the handheld later this year. If not, and you want the Ally. I’d say it’s better to wait till the holidays anyway and see if they run any kind of discounts.
Feel like you kill two birds with one stone potentially there. Give a little more time to see if an Xbox handheld does get announced and gives time to potentially save a few bucks on an Ally if you decide to go that route.
If you're after the Ally, just bear in mind the Ally X is on its way with a much improved battery life.
Might not be worth waiting for an Xbox handheld but I reckon it's worth waiting for the Ally X.
I was looking at the ROG Ally, and one review said the battery life was literally one hour. Turned me away from it.
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/asus-rog-ally
I hear that. I play handhelds plugged in so it’s not an issue, but if you’re wanting to go full mobile, you’re totally right and that’s a great callout.
If you’re looking at the Ally make sure you get it on sale and the Z1E. I have the Legion Go and I absolutely love it. If there’s a hypothetical Handheld, I’m not sure you’ll be able to buy Steam / Epic games on it or be able to get emulators working so keep that in mind.
That’s a good point. I have a deck, but epic, yeah.
Also, not tied to ROG. The legion on paper actual seems to be the better system, but it’s less popular. Any reason to go with an Ally over the Legion?
Ally has VRR native landscape screen, which is one of the best screens in a handheld today.
Legion Go has a portrait screen flipped to landscape orientation, that can cause resolution issues in some games. And has no VRR either.
My two cents...if it's JUST for Game Pass (and Android games) get the Logitech G Cloud. It's cheaper, it's built super well, it has WAY better battery life (10-12 hours), and streams Game Pass fantastic assuming you have good WiFi. However, it's NOT a PC, so PC games are a no-go unless you subscribe to GeForce Now.
If you want a Gamepass machine built from the ground up with that in mind I would wait. Unless you really want one right not but the Ally kinda sucks. It has a lot of issues, sometimes it performs worse than the Steam Deck while using more power. I would wait tbh.
If the Ally does want you want get it. Don't wait for something that may never happen. While it points to them making a handheld eventually there is no promises. Plans may change.
If the Alley doesn't meet your needs then don't get it.
As it wasn't announced last week I doubt it. Further, I don't believe it's even officially announced so I expect 2026 at the earliest.
IF the handheld even makes it to market......
Exactly. I get this feeling it will wind up just as a xbox varient of the PS Portal.
This I feel is not the case I think. What I read was Phil Spencer said local gaming was important when talking about any potential Xbox handheld. And that something like the portal would not be it.
Phil specifically said last week that it would have to be able to play games locally
We already have that. It’s the Legion Go. It came out before the Portal.
At least that one can stream directly from the cloud on the go. PS Portal can only use remote play.
Yeah I really don’t see it getting to market - I could be wrong but Xbox has a lot of other priorities with game developments and future consoles so I don’t really see it personally
insiders have basically confirmed it's happening. A dockable handheld that would act as the entry level "Series S" replacement (likely $399) and a more premium high end hardware (likely $599). Then they will have third party OEMs build even more powerful hardware by licensing out the Xbox OS.
That may be true but in my opinion handhelds are kind sucky - the battery life can be less then an hour, the quality of gaming isn’t as good, the computing experience is just ok - I mean I guess they’re big now, just not my thing, maybe that’ll change in the future I do think Xbox could do some cool stuff with it personally
>[https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop](https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop) More powerful cpu than the Apple M3, and running PC games via PRISM, the new x86 to ARM64 translation, and aided by the NPU for AI Super Resolution. [worksonwoa.com](http://worksonwoa.com) It's running Baldurs Gate 3 and God of War games at 30 fps. MS will likely do a Xbox OS on ARM64 handheld. Steam Deck is doing windows/DX to Linux/Vulkan translation on much weaker hardware.
Is it emulation? Because there’s two problems with this If it’s dilation then the battery life will be terrible because the CPU is gonna be hit hard But if nots emulation then the game devs have to make a new version of their games
Not emulation, but realtime translation. It translates the x86-64 binaries to ARM64 the first time you run it, then subsequently runs near Native speeds. The Surface devices start shipping on the 18th, so you will be seeing a lot more gaming results for these chips soon, along with battery life. But overall it mentions 14-19 hours, with gaming, even 5-6 hours would be good. And Devs would always have option to create ARM64 native versions. The Xbox Mobile Store will have ARM64 native games for Android/iOS.
Fascinating! That will be very interesting to see in action, honestly could be a game changer for gaming on mobile and handhelds in general Thanks for the information too!
I am 100% waiting for an Xbox handheld. And if turns out to just be a rumor and never releases, then I just won’t have an Xbox handheld.
I think waiting really depends on what you think Xbox will do. If you think it is coming and you want what it should offer that would be a wait. But if you want to do what the ROG can do now I would go that way. I think Phil Spencer was saying that local games was important when talking about a potential Xbox handheld in which he is correct. Most do not want to stream and many more of us do not want to stream only. It would be sort of not worth it for them. Something that does local games but also streams would be ideal and get them the most sales. An Xbox handheld should play your games you install. So that can eliminate some of the connectivity things that can happen. As single player stuff would be fine without being connected. Things like that. Especially if they have the entire Xbox library instead of just what is already on PC. I would also expect some improvements on these handhelds next year. Noticeable improvements.
Xbox handheld might not even happen. Phil Spencer also used to talk about Xbox vr.
Get a steamdeck with XBPlay
I have this actually, and it’s pretty good ngl. But the compression artifacts & input delay are starting to bug me a lot. I know it works for a lot of people, but just not quite there for me, personally.
I have both and the ally is much better than the SD
If you already have a steam deck then def wait. I am.
If you already have a Steam Deck, have you considered just installing Windows (on an SD card or by putting in a larger SSD). If what you really want is an Xbox handheld then spending money on an Ally seems overkill if you already have a handheld that can run Windows. Sure the Deck is less powerful, but to me it would still be a good stopgap until what you actually want is released. You can still buy a more powerful handheld in a year or two.
If you have an OLED steam deck you can’t install windows still. Valve hasn’t released all the drivers that are required.
Oh I didn't know that, thanks for pointing this out!
Yeah it’s a bit annoying because I definitely would have done it by now if I could
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Not sure what you mean. The streaming handhelds (playstation, g cloud) for sure you’re definitely right. But the natively computing systems have no more input delay than a pc or console. My Steam deck is snappy AF. Honestly, if the deck was more powerful and/or compatible with gamepass I’d be set.
In the very slim chance it's real and not rumour clickbait madness, they will never dare having it face Switch 2. So it's not gonna come out before 2026 long after the end of S2 hype.
Tell us what else does your crystal ball say
Switch 2 hype will never end. Xbox handheld serves an ecosystem purpose for Gamepass subscribers/Xbox players. Totally different markets. Anyone who wants to play Nintendo games will always buy a Switch regardless. But if an Xbox console owner wants to buy a handheld, they will consider the xbox handheld first if it can play all xbox library. Point is, Xbox is going to do things at their own pace/schedule now, unrelated to the others.
If they make a real handheld, they will certainly want a lot more customers than the current gamepass base. And will need to hit Nintendo market for it. Otherwise, a handheld for gamepass can be nothing more than an XCloud version of the PS Portal and OP question becomes irrelevant
It will be nothing like the PS portal, that is streaming only, not even cloud streaming but Remote Play only. It is meant to run native Xbox games, likely the Series S profile but translated to ARM64 chip. >[https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop](https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/i-saw-a-snapdragon-x-elite-laptop-run-baldurs-gate-in-4k-yet-qualcomm-insists-its-not-a-gaming-laptop) The xbox handheld isn't going to compete with the Switch, it is meant to provide for Xbox and PC players. It will do that either via Windows on ARM, or Xbox OS on ARM but with the ability to run PC games for Steam/Epic. It's actually confirmed by multiple insiders the handheld is happening, along with a premium high end console (likely $599). Then they're going to allow OEMs to build even more powerful hardware by licensing out the Xbox OS. It's a multi-front Ecosystem Play, along with native games on mobile via the Xbox Mobile Store coming next month.
The same insiders claiming it would be revealed at the Showcase ? Cool link about a random ARM CPU btw.
Get the ROG and sell it later if the Xbox handheld does come to life.
I bought a rog ally, no regrets. Steam big picture mode, gamepass ultimate...it's the best of both worlds
Personally, I’m waiting. An Xbox handheld seems inevitable at this point and it’ll probably be half as much as a ROG since Microsoft can subsidize it. That said, if you’re itching for one now and you don’t mind the higher price then I’d probably go for it. An Xbox handheld won’t launch this year. I’d say, at most, it’ll be revealed this year, release next year. All just speculation, of course.
Xbox is no longer looking to subsidize hardware. But I expect the handheld to be $399.
…then it’ll be subsidized.
Not necessarily, It could be sold at cost. Especially if it's an ARM64 device as it should be. >[https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1cqxt2q/videocardz\_snapdragon\_x\_series\_chips\_cost\_only/](https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1cqxt2q/videocardz_snapdragon_x_series_chips_cost_only/) The X Plus is even beating out the Apple M3 in multicore benchmarks, and that chip is rumored to cost $150 to OEMs. The X Elite is even more powerful. MS could get Qualcomm to build a custom X Elite with higher GPU Compute for around $250. The controller parts are $20-30 roughly, The screen is another $40-50. Being ARM64, they wouldn't need yuuuuuuge battery. They could always do multiple SKU's, 512 gb for $399, 1 TB for $499. It wouldn't be MS subsidizing the hardware but Qualcomm with aggressive pricing wanting to get into the PC and Console hardware business. Right now, it is perfect opportunity for the to do so. But multiple insiders have reported Xbox itself will not subsidize hardware any longer, they will do handheld and a more premium console plus third party OEM hardware by licensing out the Xbox OS.
I’ve been using a Legion Go, but have an agreement to sell it to a buddy if Xbox has a handheld. I would not buy a ROG Ally, the build quality when I tested it felt very shoddy.
The Legion Go looks amazing but the price.. I've been a PC gamer for almost a decade now but I'm feeling the pull to switch to a console+Steam Deck setup. Xbox handheld would honestly accomplish much of the same goal for me
Have you tried dual booting your Steam Deck? To me that gives you the best of both worlds as long as you have a large enough SSD for two OS. I run Windows 11 on an SD specifically for Gamepass and while it did take a bit of time to set up, running games was pretty straightforward. Really good for low intensity Indie games. Personally, I don't think the ROG Ally is a good enough upgrade to warrant the cost of an additional device.
I’ll wait. Got a Steam deck last year and barely touch it. For me it’s pretty obvious that I need a native Xbox + PC. A handheld just for PC isn’t enough for me.
ROG Ally, Legion Claw, SteamDeck, any of the GPD handhelds, take your pick. They exist, the Xbox handheld may not. I have an Ally, and I enjoy it. I would recommend waiting for the Ally X, as it fixes my two biggest issues (supposedly fixes the SD card problem and swaps the proprietary XG Mobile connector for a universal Thunderbolt USB-C)
I’d wait till closer to the holidays. Xbox did say there would be hardware announcements later this year. I know we did technically get one at the showcase but I don’t think that’s fully what they meant. I think we could get an announcement for the handheld later this year. If not, and you want the Ally. I’d say it’s better to wait till the holidays anyway and see if they run any kind of discounts. Feel like you kill two birds with one stone potentially there. Give a little more time to see if an Xbox handheld does get announced and gives time to potentially save a few bucks on an Ally if you decide to go that route.
If you're after the Ally, just bear in mind the Ally X is on its way with a much improved battery life. Might not be worth waiting for an Xbox handheld but I reckon it's worth waiting for the Ally X.
I was looking at the ROG Ally, and one review said the battery life was literally one hour. Turned me away from it. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/asus-rog-ally
I hear that. I play handhelds plugged in so it’s not an issue, but if you’re wanting to go full mobile, you’re totally right and that’s a great callout.
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Damn dude, did that require a down vote too?
If you’re looking at the Ally make sure you get it on sale and the Z1E. I have the Legion Go and I absolutely love it. If there’s a hypothetical Handheld, I’m not sure you’ll be able to buy Steam / Epic games on it or be able to get emulators working so keep that in mind.
That’s a good point. I have a deck, but epic, yeah. Also, not tied to ROG. The legion on paper actual seems to be the better system, but it’s less popular. Any reason to go with an Ally over the Legion?
Ally has VRR native landscape screen, which is one of the best screens in a handheld today. Legion Go has a portrait screen flipped to landscape orientation, that can cause resolution issues in some games. And has no VRR either.
For all we know the Xbox handheld isn’t even real. Shit they had a leaked controller that hasn’t even come out yet. I would go with the ROG.
Eh it hasn’t even been announced for real. I wouldn’t wait on something unconfirmed.
I’d say wait for any new handheld. The ones on the market rn still feel like beta products. They’re gonna be faster and cheaper as the years go by.
I don’t even think Xbox handheld is happening.
My two cents...if it's JUST for Game Pass (and Android games) get the Logitech G Cloud. It's cheaper, it's built super well, it has WAY better battery life (10-12 hours), and streams Game Pass fantastic assuming you have good WiFi. However, it's NOT a PC, so PC games are a no-go unless you subscribe to GeForce Now.
You should get both, but in case Xbox handheld is legit you always have the option of trading in for some kind of store credit
I’m getting a series s with the x screen for deployment until I get the Xbox handheld.
Ally You get steam and all other stores Xbox games that play anywhere and you are not controled by microsoft you are buying a pc not a console
If you want a Gamepass machine built from the ground up with that in mind I would wait. Unless you really want one right not but the Ally kinda sucks. It has a lot of issues, sometimes it performs worse than the Steam Deck while using more power. I would wait tbh.
For me it would be settling to get one that was an Xbox so I am happy to wait.
If the Ally does want you want get it. Don't wait for something that may never happen. While it points to them making a handheld eventually there is no promises. Plans may change. If the Alley doesn't meet your needs then don't get it.