There was chatter of Microsoft placing out its personal handheld Xbox console; in reality, there have been rumours of it being introduced on the current Xbox Video games Showcase. Clearly, that didn’t occur, however when requested about mentioned rumours, Xbox boss Phil Spencer didn’t deny the existence of such a tool, even saying he thinks Microsoft ought to make an Xbox handheld.

In an IGN interview following the showcase, when the subject of the rumoured handheld was introduced up, Spencer bluntly mentioned, “I feel we must always have a handheld,” although rapidly refused to remark any additional than that. Though he did say with the ability to play video games regionally and offline on any such hypothetical system is “actually necessary.” This all makes it sound like an Xbox handheld is, on the very least, being strongly thought-about, if not outright within the works. If it wasn’t, you’d assume Spencer would have shot the very concept down.

There have been strategies of Microsoft abandoning future Xbox {hardware} fully due to its determination to launch a few of its first-party exclusives on different platforms. The likes of Sea of Thieves and Hello-Fi Rush at the moment are on PlayStation 5, Bethesda’s subsequent Doom sport is confirmed to be multiplatform, and there’re rumours of much more Xbox IPs following go well with, together with Halo.

And but not solely has Spencer teased an Xbox handheld, however the current showcase additionally revealed a minimum of three new Xbox Sequence X|S consoles; all of that are slated to launch later this yr. “The longer term for us in {hardware} is fairly superior, and the work that the workforce is doing round completely different type components, alternative ways to play, I’m extremely enthusiastic about,” added Spencer.

On the very least, an Xbox handheld may show widespread, and assist in Microsoft’s objective of constructing its video games extra broadly obtainable. There’s clearly a marketplace for transportable gaming, as demonstrated by the successes of the Steam Deck, the PlayStation Portal, and, after all, the Nintendo Change. When Microsoft will formally unveil such a tool and what it’ll seem like, nonetheless, are anybody’s guess.