Support NeoGAF

[RetroGamingUK]

Having a partnership with hardware that you'll be competing with in a few years seems like a really odd choice.

The most interesting question is what will the 2027 handheld be running that's different from the partnership devices?

There’s no certainty that Microsoft will produce their own handheld.

Hardware was very much a Ballmer thing…

- Xbox console
- Zune
- Windows Phone (Lumia)
- Surface
- Microsoft Band
- HoloLens

…these were all initiatives that started when Ballmer replaced Gates as CEO in 2000. These are all either failed or failing products.

Satya Nadella seem very keen to take Microsoft back to the Gates era of being a software only company.

We could see a bunch of Windows 12 handheld and desktop gaming PCs that, if they meet certain criteria, will bear an Xbox logo in future.

One criteria will certainly be an Xbox logo button that directly take you to the Xbox app dashboard.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Wait, holup, lol.

So this is an OEM partnership and it only plays PC games, with NO native Xbox games?

Tom wrote, "Keenan is part of PC gaming handheld work with OEMs, like Microsoft's VP of Next Gen told us at CES"

So it's PC only and not even playing Xbox games natively, just the PC ports of those games? Also OEM(s) fucking PLURAL? Is this even a device or is this more of an outreach program to the current PC gaming handheld makers to help them make the systems work better? A "PC Gaming Handheld" would be a thing, "PC Gaming Handheld Work" is an outreach program. Will there actually be one single device to buy coming out of "Keenan"? Sounds to me like it is more of an outreach program. A fucking nothingburger.

Why is Jez trying to hype this shit? Why not just get a steamdeck if you want a handheld PC that has support....if this isn't even an Xbox then I don't even know what the fuck. How can they keep getting away with it?

 

[PauloRoberto]

Wait, holup, lol.

So this is an OEM partnership and it only plays PC games, with NO native Xbox games?

Tom wrote, "Keenan is part of PC gaming handheld work with OEMs, like Microsoft's VP of Next Gen told us at CES"

So it's PC only and not even playing Xbox games natively, just the PC ports of those games? Also OEM(s) fucking PLURAL? Is this even a device or is this more of an outreach program to the current PC gaming handheld makers to help them make the systems work better? A "PC Gaming Handheld" would be a thing, "PC Gaming Handheld Work" is an outreach program. Will there actually be one single device to buy coming out of "Keenan"? Sounds to me like it is more of an outreach program. A fucking nothingburger.

Why is Jez trying to hype this shit? Why not just get a steamdeck if you want a handheld PC that has support....if this isn't even an Xbox then I don't even know what the fuck. How can they keep getting away with it?

Easy... MS wants to transform this whole portable gaming pc market as a XBOX market, like xbox = any kind of portable gaming pc (n typical MS behavior, I'd add). Stupid? IMHO, absolutely.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Easy... MS wants to transform this whole portable gaming pc market as a XBOX market, like xbox = any kind of portable gaming pc (n typical MS behavior, I'd add). Stupid? IMHO, absolutely.

Haha, sounds to me like they want to pretend they got a new handheld coming out this year but really they are just starting work on making big picture mode native to windows. It boggles the mind in many ways, like why are they this late adding gaming features to windows, and how bad are they with communication, like come on, really? This whole thing has been so poorly communicated.

 

[PauloRoberto]

Haha, sounds to me like they want to pretend they got a new handheld coming out this year but really they are just starting work on making big picture mode native to windows. It boggles the mind in many ways, like why are they this late adding gaming features to windows, and how bad are they with communication, like come on, really? This whole thing has been so poorly communicated.

Poor comunication is a stable of MS since i don't even know when... what is strange is the fact that this market (portable gaming pcs) is super niche and absolutely scatered between a LOT of devices.

 

[yurinka]

Wait, holup, lol.

So this is an OEM partnership and it only plays PC games, with NO native Xbox games?

Tom wrote, "Keenan is part of PC gaming handheld work with OEMs, like Microsoft's VP of Next Gen told us at CES"

So it's PC only and not even playing Xbox games natively, just the PC ports of those games?_

Xbox hardware is dying, so pretty likely there won't be next gen Xbox 'consoles'. MS already have their XBO and Series games ported to their PC store, no need to run Xbox games natively.

They could add a Xbox OG and 360 emulator to run the games supported in their consoles and problem solved.

Also OEM(s) fucking PLURAL? Is this even a device or is this more of an outreach program to the current PC gaming handheld makers to help them make the systems work better? A "PC Gaming Handheld" would be a thing, "PC Gaming Handheld Work" is an outreach program. Will there actually be one single device to buy coming out of "Keenan"? Sounds to me like it is more of an outreach program. A fucking nothingburger.

Pretty likely what MS will do is to introduce a handheld+tv friendly Xbox UI/mode for a future Windows update or version. And chase / support all 3rd party PC manufacturers use it, particularly those who make PC handheld or consolized PCs, and maybe to give them a Xbox stamp or logo for the box of those devices that achieve certain HW specs.

Basically their own Steam Machines, this is the future or Xbox. Pretty likely they'll take one of these 3rd party handheld PCs and one of these consolized PCs made by Asus or Lenovo to use it as reference for the devs and marketing.

Poor comunication is a stable of MS since i don't even know when... what is strange is the fact that this market (portable gaming pcs) is super niche and absolutely scatered between a LOT of devices.

The focus of MS pretty likely will be to sell games and Windows, not hardware. So the more 3rd party manufacturers join this instead of Steam OS, better for them.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

So it's PC only and not even playing Xbox games natively, just the PC ports of those games? Also OEM(s) fucking PLURAL? Is this even a device or is this more of an outreach program to the current PC gaming handheld makers to help them make the systems work better? A "PC Gaming Handheld" would be a thing, "PC Gaming Handheld Work" is an outreach program. Will there actually be one single device to buy coming out of "Keenan"? Sounds to me like it is more of an outreach program. A fucking nothingburger.

Microsoft are done with the console market and the subsidised console business.

Microsoft’s future in gaming looks like this…

- Publishing Microsoft Studios, Bethesda and Activision games on as many platforms as possible

- Running a marketplace to buy and run games on PC

- Streaming games on PC and mobile (this is how backwards compatibility will work)

- “Xbox” brand can be used by OEM hardware that meets all the below criteria

1. Runs Windows
2. Has a physical “Xbox” logo button
3. Powerful enough to play most modern games

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Wait, holup, lol.

So this is an OEM partnership and it only plays PC games, with NO native Xbox games?

Tom wrote, "Keenan is part of PC gaming handheld work with OEMs, like Microsoft's VP of Next Gen told us at CES"

So it's PC only and not even playing Xbox games natively, just the PC ports of those games? Also OEM(s) fucking PLURAL? Is this even a device or is this more of an outreach program to the current PC gaming handheld makers to help them make the systems work better? A "PC Gaming Handheld" would be a thing, "PC Gaming Handheld Work" is an outreach program. Will there actually be one single device to buy coming out of "Keenan"? Sounds to me like it is more of an outreach program. A fucking nothingburger.

Why is Jez trying to hype this shit? Why not just get a steamdeck if you want a handheld PC that has support....if this isn't even an Xbox then I don't even know what the fuck. How can they keep getting away with it?

Yeah some have been saying for a bit now this is just a Windows machine so what's the point of it?

 

[Orbital2060]

I like the idea but I need to see what it actually does. If it has any differentiating factors from other handhelds, fx some Xbox related features.

Having access to Xbox games and Steam library could be pretty neat.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

I like the idea but I need to see what it actually does. If it has any differentiating factors from other handhelds, fx some Xbox related features.

Having access to Xbox games and Steam library could be pretty neat.

This is the big question mark

I wouldn’t be surprised if the “Xbox games” are basically just the ones available on the Windows Xbox store (Play Anywhere games).

Games you bought for your old Xbox consoles are likely either going to be streamed or just a case of keeping your old hardware.

What are the repercussions with third party publishers regarding games they made for console, would they all agree to just let MS suddenly put them on PC?

 

[jm89]

Wait, holup, lol.

So this is an OEM partnership and it only plays PC games, with NO native Xbox games?

Tom wrote, "Keenan is part of PC gaming handheld work with OEMs, like Microsoft's VP of Next Gen told us at CES"

So it's PC only and not even playing Xbox games natively, just the PC ports of those games? Also OEM(s) fucking PLURAL? Is this even a device or is this more of an outreach program to the current PC gaming handheld makers to help them make the systems work better? A "PC Gaming Handheld" would be a thing, "PC Gaming Handheld Work" is an outreach program. Will there actually be one single device to buy coming out of "Keenan"? Sounds to me like it is more of an outreach program. A fucking nothingburger.

Why is Jez trying to hype this shit? Why not just get a steamdeck if you want a handheld PC that has support....if this isn't even an Xbox then I don't even know what the fuck. How can they keep getting away with it?

So it could be a pc handheld with them pushing windows store for you to buy games and the ability to install steam?

That is gonna end up like a wet fart if so.

 

[jm89]

This is the big question mark

I wouldn’t be surprised if the “Xbox games” are basically just the ones available on the Windows Xbox store (Play Anywhere games).

Games you bought for your old Xbox consoles are likely either going to be streamed or just a case of keeping your old hardware.

What are the repercussions with third party publishers regarding games they made for console, would they all agree to just let MS suddenly put them on PC?

My guess they leverage cloud gaming to allow playing your games you purchased on xbox on this device.

 

[mayham2199]

Microsoft are done with the console market and the subsidised console business.

Microsoft’s future in gaming looks like this…

- Publishing Microsoft Studios, Bethesda and Activision games on as many platforms as possible

- Running a marketplace to buy and run games on PC

- Streaming games on PC and mobile (this is how backwards compatibility will work)

- “Xbox” brand can be used by OEM hardware that meets all the below criteria

1. Runs Windows
2. Has a physical “Xbox” logo button
3. Powerful enough to play most modern games

If they really push streaming as keeping your bc I’ll laugh my ass off.

 

[Zannegan]

I wonder if they'll go for detachable controllers a la the Switch or make it a straight handheld like Steam Deck. If detachable, I wonder what, if any, Switch 2 features they'll spring for: magnetic attachment, the mouse sensor (which I know exists elsewhere), etc.

I kind of feel like they'll go for a unibody design but have a dock and launch their new controller alongside the handheld.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

My guess they leverage cloud gaming to allow playing your games you purchased on xbox on this device.

Will every third party allow that though?

When they sold you that game, it was only for use on Xbox consoles. They opted out of “Play Anywhere”.

This is where it gets messy, which is why Microsoft are being smart about being so fucking vague.

 

[jm89]

Will every third party allow that though?

When they sold you that game, it was only for use on Xbox consoles. They opted out of “Play Anywhere”.

This is where it gets messy, which is why Microsoft are being smart about being so fucking vague.

Yeah i guess it depends what the third parties signed up to.

I think ms might be running games off xbox hardware in the cloud and maybe that's what the third parties signed up to? Idk.

Sony seems like they did that, as they are always adding games to the cloud.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

Yeah i guess it depends what the third parties signed up to.

I think ms might be running games off xbox hardware in the cloud and maybe that's what the third parties signed up to? Idk.

Sony seems like they did that, as they are always adding games to the cloud.

Indeed they did

That’s how you were able to play old PS3 games on PS4 and PC, but it was a subscription service and only provided PS3 games that publishers approved.

This isn’t a technology issue, playing x86 Xbox games on future x86 hardware shouldn’t be an issue, it’s whether or not publishers allow it. Backwards compatibility between generations of consoles is one thing, mass dumping every console game on PC store is another.

 

[saintjules]

main character syndrome

Jez would do well in r/iamthemaincharacter

 

[saintjules]

Wait, holup, lol.

So this is an OEM partnership and it only plays PC games, with NO native Xbox games?

Tom wrote, "Keenan is part of PC gaming handheld work with OEMs, like Microsoft's VP of Next Gen told us at CES"

 

[lughnasadh123]

There’s no certainty that Microsoft will produce their own handheld.

Hardware was very much a Ballmer thing…

- Xbox console
- Zune
- Windows Phone (Lumia)
- Surface
- Microsoft Band
- HoloLens

…these were all initiatives that started when Ballmer replaced Gates as CEO in 2000. These are all either failed or failing products.

Satya Nadella seem very keen to take Microsoft back to the Gates era of being a software only company.

We could see a bunch of Windows 12 handheld and desktop gaming PCs that, if they meet certain criteria, will bear an Xbox logo in future.

One criteria will certainly be an Xbox logo button that directly take you to the Xbox app dashboard.

Unlikely would be the safe bet with their current trajectory away from consoles altogether but there's still a chance even if as a...well, "last ditch effort" sounds more desperate than I'd intend. Yet also...yeah, kinda that. Definitely seems to be a lot of smoke there it's worth speculating aboutnot to mention a lot of fun. Personally I'd love to see them pull off a miracle that let's them stay in the hardware biz for those who don't want to leave it.

 

[Physiognomonics]

"We don't have any mid-gen console with ML and RT. Please don't buy a PS5 Pro and wait for our next Xbox that will be released alongside PS6."

This is pitiful.