Phil Spencer confirms Xbox handheld prototypes are now being worked on, but a console is years away

• Microsoft’s gaming CEO says it is working on handheld prototypes
• Spencer says an actual handheld console is years away from release
• A handheld device has been rumored to be in the works for some time

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has revealed that Microsoft is currently working on handheld prototypes.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Spencer said that the “expectation is that we would do something” in the handheld device category and that Microsoft is now working on prototypes while still considering what it might do.

The Microsoft Gaming CEO said he has asked his team to look at the current market to develop its vision of a handheld based on what it learns.

Spencer also set expectations and confirmed an actual console is at least a few years away.

During Summer Game Fest 2024, Spencer was asked to comment on rumors of an Xbox handheld amid Microsoft’s business strategy to follow users where they are playing.

Although the Xbox boss couldn’t verify a device was in development at the time, he did say, “So we should have a handheld? I think we should have a handheld too”, but couldn’t say anything further.

In the same Bloomberg interview, Spencer also discussed Microsoft’s ongoing multiplatform push, which kicked off earlier this year, and confirmed that there are no “red lines” regarding the release of more Xbox games on PlayStation.

“I think the ball is moving in the right direction. I think this idea of open platforms, where users have more choice, creators have more choice, you see the momentum, right?”