Microsoft Might Be Making an Xbox Handheld, Here's Why We Need It

howtogeek.com:

Handheld gaming has seen massive growth since the success of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. Now rumors are swirling that Microsoft is introducing a handheld of its own, possibly called the Xbox Series P, and we’re excited.

A More Powerful Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is a Linux-based handheld gaming PC that uses a compatibility layer called Proton to play games in your Steam library. Thanks to its aggressive price point, impressive-at-the-time hardware, and compatibility with a large number of titles, the Steam Deck was pretty much an overnight success for Valve.

Despite receiving a revision with the introduction of the Steam Deck OLED in late 2023, the Deck still packs almost identical hardware to the model that debuted in February 2022. Under the hood is a custom AMD APU built on the same RDNA 2 and Zen 2 architecture found in the Xbox Series consoles and Sony’s PlayStation 5.

Considering Microsoft’s position in the console market as a device manufacturer that pushes for high-end graphics and experiences, it makes sense that an Xbox handheld would push the boat in terms of performance beyond what Valve has already achieved with the Steam Deck.

Since the Xbox ecosystem already uses AMD chips, it would make sense for Microsoft to use the company’s latest graphics and processor architecture. In early 2024, that’s RDNA 4 and Zen 5. As was the case with the Xbox, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and other projects at this scale, the silicon inside any Xbox handheld would be a custom order.

What if Microsoft can get within spitting distance of the performance seen in the Xbox Series S, albeit at a smaller and pocket-friendly resolution? Dedicated hardware for upscaling and frame generation using AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution could make all the difference.

Potentially Good for the Windows Handheld Experience

There are two routes Microsoft can go with an Xbox handheld, and one involves a fully functional version of Windows. Though we haven’t seen