New Xbox Handheld Console Can Play PS5 Games, According To Reliable Insider

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An industry insider claims that Microsoft's rumored Xbox handheld will be able to run PlayStation 5 games. Rumors of a handheld Xbox console have been circulating for years, but were recently semi-confirmed by Phil Spencer, who claimed that handheld prototypes are already in the works at Microsoft. Although it could still be some time until the console is released, players are already speculating about the potential handheld's library, and whether it'll be a remote streaming device like the PlayStation Portal, or a full-blown handheld console.

Industry insider Tom Warren weighed in on that debate in a response on X (formerly Twitter) to player concerns. Warren, a Senior Editor at reporting on developments in the Xbox and PC space, claimed that "." What this seems to imply is that Microsoft's handheld might not exactly be an Xbox — it's likely to be closer to a handheld gaming PC, not unlike the Steam Deck or the Lenovo Legion Go.

While it's unclear whether Warren actually knows this to be true of Microsoft's early handheld prototypes, or whether he's just speculating, he's got a point. Microsoft has been trending more towards the PC side of hardware development, and that trend is likely to continue in its future releases.

Warren's reasoning for the claim that PlayStation games will work on Xbox's future handheld relies on two assumptions, but both of them have a basis in fact. The first holds that any future Microsoft hardware releases will be more high-end gaming PCs than home consoles, and that is reflected in recent trends. Writing for , Warren himself cites the Series X/S' in-depth graphical modes as evidence that Microsoft is trending towards developing mini-PCs. This does set it apart from, say, most PS5 games' "" or "" settings, and brings it closer to the in-depth graphical modes commonly seen on PC.

Warren linked the article cited above in a reply to his original post on X.

Perhaps more compelling, though, is Phil Spencer's interest in making third-party PC