Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed that Xbox is planning an Xbox handheld console, but it's a few years away from release.
What Microsoft has been saying about Xbox lately strongly implies that this is a Windows handheld designed to solve software and user experience problems with using current Windows handhelds. And signs are pointing toward the next Xbox console coming sooner than the next PlayStation and essentially being a PC running a console version of Windows. Some speculation on my part, but I’m not the only one coming to those conclusions.
Maybe they should focus on it quicker. Surely it cannot be that difficult to build a handheld based on how quickly Steam Deck competition hit the market within, what, a year of the Steam Deck release?
(I’m lazy and did not read the article, only the headline.)
It’ll [attempt] to make Windows less of a hinderance on THEIR handheld. If all these other Windows-based devices are now rivals, why let them benefit from hard work when you can force them out?
With any luck they actually want to bring true innovations to either Windows or Xbox. Getting support for gyros, accelerometers, back buttons or touchpads into Xinput would even benefit gaming on Linux since most games seem to default to that as a lowest common denominator.
I would prefer if gyros and accelerometers die off in controllers for gaming. Tilting and shaking the controller is not something I have ever enjoyed, except when the controller is a light gun for a game like Time Crisis or Silent Hill The Arcade.
I have used it. Played Metroid Prime 3, which is probably the best implementation of motion controls by far in any game.
I still would prefer using a normal controller with no motion controls. I would really prefer a trackball on a controller, but that likely won’t happen.
Aiming in MP3 is done through the IR pointer. I loved that game. It has the best FPS controls on the Wii. But it has absolutely nothing to do with gyro aiming.
With gyro aiming you do the large movements traditionally with the right joystick and only make micro adjustments with very small natural tilting of the controller. I thought I wasn’t using it until I deactivated it. It has nothing to do with picking up the controller and pointing it at the screen. It has nothing to do with making any gestures. An outside observer might not even notice that you’re using it.
If they released one NOW they’d probably be shooting themselves in the foot. At best they’d get mid-generational performance improvements whereas likely in the next year or two Valve is probably going to drop a true SteamDeck 2 with significant improvements. All speculation at this point, but if you’re a bean counter at Microsoft, speculation is like 90% of your job. Unless they abandon the standard console release cycle and shoot for faster iteration, they’ll want to come out absolutely swinging to compete.
Sure, but we’re talking about a handheld. Yes, performance is improving generation over generation, but in the handheld space power usage and heat dissipation are equally important. If you’ve been keeping up with recent innovations, you’ll see that generally we are making more powerful parts, but they’re getting much more power hungry for every little percent of improvement they bring in raw horsepower. So far it doesn’t look like you could even get Xbox series S performance in a handheld yet. At least not at a reasonably portable size, cost, or battery life. You could get a little better than PS4 pro performance in a handheld at present, based on what I’ve seen. Which is not a full generational leap over what’s out there.
I think they’ll be fine. They don’t need to be the most powerful. Steam Deck is weaker than Rog Ally but remains the more popular option due to a better user experience and the Switch was significantly underpowered compared to the competition but remains a popular option to other things they bring to the table.
Microsoft won’t push for an expensive handheld so anything they bring out would likely be weaker than the top end of the market. It really comes down to what other offerings they bring.
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Maybe they should focus on it quicker. Surely it cannot be that difficult to build a handheld based on how quickly Steam Deck competition hit the market within, what, a year of the Steam Deck release?
(I’m lazy and did not read the article, only the headline.)
That few years is going toward making Windows less of a hindrance on handhelds and likely not so much into the hardware itself.
It’ll [attempt] to make Windows less of a hinderance on THEIR handheld. If all these other Windows-based devices are now rivals, why let them benefit from hard work when you can force them out?
With any luck they actually want to bring true innovations to either Windows or Xbox. Getting support for gyros, accelerometers, back buttons or touchpads into Xinput would even benefit gaming on Linux since most games seem to default to that as a lowest common denominator.
I would prefer if gyros and accelerometers die off in controllers for gaming. Tilting and shaking the controller is not something I have ever enjoyed, except when the controller is a light gun for a game like Time Crisis or Silent Hill The Arcade.
Then you have never used it for aiming assistance. Still not as good as a mouse but it finally comes close.
The bad rep for movement controls comes from too many poor implementations. As long as it is subtle and meaningful it’s awesome.
I have used it. Played Metroid Prime 3, which is probably the best implementation of motion controls by far in any game.
I still would prefer using a normal controller with no motion controls. I would really prefer a trackball on a controller, but that likely won’t happen.
Aiming in MP3 is done through the IR pointer. I loved that game. It has the best FPS controls on the Wii. But it has absolutely nothing to do with gyro aiming.
With gyro aiming you do the large movements traditionally with the right joystick and only make micro adjustments with very small natural tilting of the controller. I thought I wasn’t using it until I deactivated it. It has nothing to do with picking up the controller and pointing it at the screen. It has nothing to do with making any gestures. An outside observer might not even notice that you’re using it.
The Wii controllers are no where near what gyro controllers have today. It’s not motion control, it’s an assist.
If they released one NOW they’d probably be shooting themselves in the foot. At best they’d get mid-generational performance improvements whereas likely in the next year or two Valve is probably going to drop a true SteamDeck 2 with significant improvements. All speculation at this point, but if you’re a bean counter at Microsoft, speculation is like 90% of your job. Unless they abandon the standard console release cycle and shoot for faster iteration, they’ll want to come out absolutely swinging to compete.
Not really. PS6 parts have already been selected and the chipset entered production in 2022.
Sure, but we’re talking about a handheld. Yes, performance is improving generation over generation, but in the handheld space power usage and heat dissipation are equally important. If you’ve been keeping up with recent innovations, you’ll see that generally we are making more powerful parts, but they’re getting much more power hungry for every little percent of improvement they bring in raw horsepower. So far it doesn’t look like you could even get Xbox series S performance in a handheld yet. At least not at a reasonably portable size, cost, or battery life. You could get a little better than PS4 pro performance in a handheld at present, based on what I’ve seen. Which is not a full generational leap over what’s out there.
I think they’ll be fine. They don’t need to be the most powerful. Steam Deck is weaker than Rog Ally but remains the more popular option due to a better user experience and the Switch was significantly underpowered compared to the competition but remains a popular option to other things they bring to the table.
Microsoft won’t push for an expensive handheld so anything they bring out would likely be weaker than the top end of the market. It really comes down to what other offerings they bring.