Microsoft is reportedly working on a new handheld project after the Switch dominated sales and Sony saw surprising success with the PS Portal. Not to mention the recent rise in PC handhelds, with Valve’s Steam Deck, the ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion GO making a huge impact.
With all of these PC handhelds having shared games across Microsoft’s library, as well as having Game Pass, it does make us wonder how this new system can compete.
Based on recent reports, it would be easy to say “Microsoft should just give up” but you can never underestimate the appeal of pick up and play gaming. Like the Nintendo Switch, this handheld could benefit from being a pure Xbox-like experience with very few tweaks.
As good as the Steam Deck and ROG Ally are, tweaking games to make them run well on these handhelds can be annoying. Should this system operate like an Xbox Series console, that would be an amazing novelty to own. Various PC handheld owners are still trying to find an OS that’s better than Steam, and Microsoft’s could be the next big one if done well.
For those who don’t care much about their handheld’s operating system, having access to certain games from the Xbox 360 era would be enough for some. Titles like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey are still stuck on Xbox systems. While Microsoft handhelds can access these RPGs via Game Pass or the company’s store, the ease of buying these games on an Xbox handheld could be a selling point.
Beyond those features, the company will have to think of major reasons to keep their fans happy with a new handheld. Cross-play and cross-saves are easy options since gamers should be able to access their titles via the Xbox cloud. Having some cool colors would also differentiate the system, as only Nintendo is offering colorful handhelds at the time of writing.
Microsoft could try to hype up cloud gaming, but most PC handhelds can do it without much issue. The company’s various exclusives have also been made accessible by other handhelds that use Microsoft as their operating system, making that a hard selling point. However, the company could get away with it if their handheld looks really good.
No joke, fans in the retro handheld community will buy multiple Anbernic models because they all look different. Granted, these are much cheaper than a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, but having a visual identity does help.
We’re not saying this should be an X-shaped system or anything like that, but it would get people talking.
Simply put, Microsoft’s rumored handheld has an uphill battle ahead of it. However, the company is more than fine not being in first place as long as people buy their games. If this handheld looks good, plays well, and has a solid battery, that will be more than enough for most.
That first model better be Mountain Dew green, just saying.