Expected, but still kind of shocking to hear it.from this news:
Goodbye to Xbox: Microsoft confirms that its portable console will be a Windows PC, and it will be released this year
Adiós a Xbox: Microsoft confirma que su consola portátil será un PC con Windows, y saldrá este año
Microsoft ha confirmado oficialmente que está trabajando en una consola portátil, pero no será una consola Xbox, sino una consola Windows estilo Steam Deck.computerhoy-20minutos-es.translate.goog
Xbox Series... M?
- Thread starter Frenetic Pony
- Start date
tbh I'm not sure what to believe, whether that's a headline thing or it is true. If it's true, that's quite the statement.
cheapchips
Veteran
That article or translation strips context that the original Verge article had. Microsoft are not releasing their own hardware this year. It's about improving Windows handheld gaming and bringing it closer to the Xbox experience.
Never heard of that website, so maybe that's fake news.
Alright, that makes a lot more sense. Fake headline bullshit
they are usually reliable, from what I read there from time to time, but they seem to have gotten the idea from another site and go with it. I wouldn't believe MS is leaving consoles. Maybe the traditional model somewhat..., yes, but not fully.
cheapchips
Veteran
Yes - although it is clearly Xbox's direction to blur the lines between Xbox/Windows, this year it just means improvements to Windows on third party handhelds.
Whether those are dramatic or more lipstick on a pig, who knows at this point!
hope the focus on a portable hybrid Xbox or working on a Windows OS tailored for gaming and pure optimisation has a positive effect on some of my favourite devices like the 2025 GPD Win Mini.
The GPD Win has usually been my favourite kind of portable device 'cos it includes a very elegantly hidden keyboard -well, at least the GPD Win 4-, it has imho the correct screen size, and it doesn't weigh much.
If we had a Windows OS optimised for gaming I'd certainly try to get a GPD Win Mini 2025 as soon as possible. It's not that I am in a hurry though but I've always very curious about similar devices.
It looks very small compared to other handhelds. (it's the rectangular thiingy sitting on top of one of the typical hybrid portable consoles)..
The GPD Win has usually been my favourite kind of portable device 'cos it includes a very elegantly hidden keyboard -well, at least the GPD Win 4-, it has imho the correct screen size, and it doesn't weigh much.
If we had a Windows OS optimised for gaming I'd certainly try to get a GPD Win Mini 2025 as soon as possible. It's not that I am in a hurry though but I've always very curious about similar devices.
It looks very small compared to other handhelds. (it's the rectangular thiingy sitting on top of one of the typical hybrid portable consoles)..
while I shared this news in a different thread, I found the quoted text below quite interesting. How this handheld is influencing the market.
www.pcgamer.com
'PC development has skyrocketed,' GDC survey finds: 80% of developers are now making games for PC, more than double the number working on PS5 or Xbox games
Interest in PC game development is higher than ever.
Xbox next-gen console reportedly targeting 2027, with handheld device due this year
Microsoft is reportedly preparing to release its next-gen Xbox Series X/S successor in 2027, with its much-rumoured han…
www.eurogamer.net
Xbox next-gen console reportedly targeting 2027, with handheld device due this year
very interested in this Keenan device, BUT only if it allow mods, Steam, etc, and it's easy to use. I don't want to fiddle that much on a handheld tbh.Xbox next-gen console reportedly targeting 2027, with handheld device due this year
Microsoft is reportedly preparing to release its next-gen Xbox Series X/S successor in 2027, with its much-rumoured han…Xbox next-gen console reportedly targeting 2027, with handheld device due this year
They would need to customize Windows to solely focus on games, not to use resources that it doesn't need like a Printing service, ActiveX service, Bitlocker service, Criptography service and all that stuff no one wants or needs.
They could also help modders publish their content in games, or partner with nexusmods and the like to make it as easy as possible to add a valuable mod to a game. That would make a big difference... some kind of global Workshop where the user doesn't need to do a thing to install a mod but just "subscribe" to it and it works from the get go. Best of both worlds, but I doubt MS would ever do that
They could also help modders publish their content in games, or partner with nexusmods and the like to make it as easy as possible to add a valuable mod to a game. That would make a big difference... some kind of global Workshop where the user doesn't need to do a thing to install a mod but just "subscribe" to it and it works from the get go. Best of both worlds, but I doubt MS would ever do that
Dominik D
Regular
Windows is extremely modular, even if it doesn't look like it to the end user. A lot of components can be disabled through unattended install process. At least since Vista there's a concept of Core with layers of stuff on top that can be enabled or disabled during the build process. The only issue I see here is: why would anyone pay for a Windows license that doesn't have all of the basic Windows features like printer access? Special N, K, and KN editions were just a cost to develop and test with no benefit to users.
well, they could use some kind of sandboxed VM for those wanting all the Windows features, so they keep the security in check.
gave the article a second read and.... Whoever posted the photo of the article is a joker.Xbox next-gen console reportedly targeting 2027, with handheld device due this year
Microsoft is reportedly preparing to release its next-gen Xbox Series X/S successor in 2027, with its much-rumoured han…Xbox next-gen console reportedly targeting 2027, with handheld device due this year
Many people who wouldn't touch a gaming PC with a stick have bought the Steam Deck because they think it's a console, and it acts as such.
That would unite a lot of people, both PC gamers who could finally have some target specs, for example that in a game you get Xboy Medium, Xboy High, etc, to choose from, and console players very simple options that are transparent to them.
And it would help to sell more Windows, which is what is underneath.
Then, if you want productivity, you can run full-fledged Windows in sandbox mode in a VM and there you can use the Print xD service, and everything else you want, and more, also it should be shown in a transparent non intrusive manner for those who want to play and make the most of their PC's resources.
If they do it right, they would have a winner on their hands, but they have to show tangible advantages, or benchmarks - a vanilla Windows 11 vs Windows 11 Gaming - that show how much performance and efficiency you gain by removing things that are not necessary for games, thus the product doesn't fall in the "it doesn't add value to a PC gamer" category, 'cos if you don't do it right it could be in no one's land, nor cattered for console gamer nor for PC gamers, because they think that what they have is fine.
But if you get it right it can make gaming a breeze universally.
Also, the benchmarks could be very interesting to see, maybe most traditional PC gamers and people would migrate to a Windows gaming platform if the performance gains are tangible and know they won't lose the productivity when they need it.
Dominik D
Regular
Citation needed. I don't know a single person with Steam Deck who isn't a PC-first gamer. That doesn't mean they are the only consumers but I doubt your "many" claim is valid. It runs your Steam library - console-ish or not, that's the appeal.
I can confirm this, I regularly read from people who consider Steam Deck a console and specifically refer to it as such.
well, it surprised me, as for the citation, I just know a man and a woman who are a couple and they know a lot about consoles and only use consoles to play and they purchased a Steam Deck thinking it was a console. They are 100% console gamers and wanted to have another console.
I've talked about them several times in the forum:
Digital Foundry Article Technical Discussion [2024]
Not having a closed platform makes the console business unsustainable. They can just as well abandon it
forum.beyond3d.com
Xbox Business Update Podcast | Xbox Everywhere Direction Discussion
This is just what I expected. All the outrage for nothing. :) This is a good decision on these 4 games.
forum.beyond3d.com
