Fancy a Microsoft handheld gaming device? It’s not happening, sadly

Ron

Fancy a Microsoft handheld gaming device? It's not happening, sadly

Gaming may be as popular as ever, but dedicated handheld consoles have very much been in decline — gone are the heady days of GameBoy, Game Gear et al. The Xbox One is certainly the focus of Microsoft’s ventures into the world of games, but there have long been rumors of handheld console. These have now been knocked on the head by Phil Spenser who says he doesn’t “think we’ll do a dedicated handheld gaming device”.

Writing on Twitter, as noted by Neowin, the head of Xbox responded to a question from someone who asked whether there were any plans for a “handheld Xbox-One-like gaming device”. The answer will undoubtedly be disappointing to some:

But it’s not all bad news for those looking for a gaming fix on the move. Windows Phone and Surface are already very capable gaming platforms, and the possibility of controllers being launched is something that would be quite unique.

What do you think?