A reliableXboxinsider has claimed that Xbox’s in-house handheld has been “essentially cancelled” so that the team can continue focusing on the next software platform.
One of the most surprising announcements that wasmade at last week’s Xbox Game Showcase was the reveal of the ROG Xbox Ally. While handhelds are all the rage right now and something that most companies seem to be chasing, it wasn’t that long ago when it wasreported that Xbox had “shelved” its handheld that was in production.
That report made it seem like Xbox wasn’t interested in working on a handheld,but the ROG Xbox Ally suggested it was more interested in partnering up with someone for the project. Well, that now seems to be confirmed, as a reliable insider has claimed that Xbox has basically given up on its in-house handheld.
If You Wanted An In-House Xbox Handheld, You’re Out Of Luck
The ROG Xbox Ally Will Have To Do
This report comes from The Verge’s Tom Warren, who is one of the most trusted sources when it comes to Xbox news. In a new post detailing the announcement of the ROG Xbox Ally, Warren references the recent reports of the handheld being “sidelined” recently, before saying that he’s now heard from insiders that it’s been “essentially cancelled” altogether.
This is apparently so that Xbox can focus on its next “software platform”. Warren says that he thinks we’ll see next-gen Xbox hardware at some point, but that there will be devices from PC makers like Asus that will essentially be considered next-gen Xbox consoles. It’s yet another turn that makes it seem like Xbox is less interested in its own consoles right now.
The phrasing “essentially” does suggest that Xbox could bring the idea back in the future, but considering the company’s new focus on everything being an Xbox, it doesn’t seem likely.
Warren also speculates that these handhelds are a “market test” to see where Microsoft and Xbox go next when it comes to combining Windows with Xbox. It’s not clear what’s going to happen to the next-generation console thatXbox previously confirmed was in development and even recently teased, but it does seem like the in-house Xbox handheld is now a thing of the past in favour of these partnerships.
