Phil Spencer on Xbox Handheld Rumors: 'Being able to play games locally is really important'

The 2024 Xbox Game Show gave us an update on the iteration of the new console in the form of an all-digital Xbox Series .

Today on stage at IGN Live, IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey asked Spencer to respond to rumors that Xbox is working on some sort of portable console.

“The future for us in hardware is very exciting. The work the team is doing around different form factors and different ways of playing, I’m very excited about it,” Spencer said. “Today was all about gaming… but we’ll have time to get out there and talk more about the platform, and we can’t wait to bring it to you.”

When asked if the virtual portable Xbox would be a dedicated gaming console where you can play games locally (like the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch), or a cloud-based portable device, Spencer replied: “I think the ability to play games locally is really something amazing.” Important.”

Rumors about a potential portable Xbox console have been circulating for months, and many are expecting some sort of announcement at today’s show. These rumors were fueled by a batch of Microsoft documents leaked last fall, which revealed plans for a portable Xbox. However, Spencer later came out to say that these plans were outdated.

Xbox has hinted at new hardware in the near future, with Microsoft announcing a multi-year roadmap in February that includes a next-gen Xbox console. Although neither Spencer nor any other Xbox leadership has confirmed the existence of this feature, Spencer went so far as to say what he wants from a portable Xbox in an interview with Polygon in March.

At the time, Spencer listed several features that would make the portable console “feel like an Xbox”, including access to all your games with their associated save files: “What should we build that will find new players?” “It will allow people to play during times when they can’t play,” he said at the time [in the past]?”

Elsewhere during our interview with Spencer, he talked about the recent closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks. For everything in reality He was It was announced at the Xbox Show today, check out our full recap. And stay tuned for more exclusive chat with Spencer on IGN Live.

Xbox Showcase 2024 games

Each game is on display in Xbox Showcase as of June 9, 2024.

Thumbnail source: Ahmet Serdar Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images

Logan Plant is IGN’s database manager, playlist editor, occasional news writer, and Super Ninfriendo for Nintendo Voice Chat. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.