Latest news with #handheld
Digital Trends
a day ago
- Business
- Digital Trends
You'll have to wait a bit longer for Xbox's Steam Deck competitor
For months, the rumor mill has worked overtime regarding the supposed Xbox handheld device. Now it seems like the wait could be even longer, with Windows Central reporting that Xbox has paused its own handheld in favor of improving the Windows 11 experience on third-party devices. There's been no official announcement regarding the handheld, although numerous codenames have leaked. To be clear, Xbox's Project Kennan with ASUS isn't delayed. It's the company's own internal handheld that has been placed on the back burner. While an explicit reason wasn't given, it's speculated that Microsoft wants to streamline Windows 11 performance on handhelds, especially since SteamOS outperforms Windows in most tests. Recommended Videos Windows Central's own sources reportedly indicate that Microsoft is still interested in developing a handheld, so the project hasn't been canned — just delayed for a bit. Phil Spencer first mentioned the idea of a handheld in November 2024, but he suggested it could be a while before a device landed in players' hands. The Xbox handheld had a tentative release date of 2027, but it may now be later than that. On the other hand, Project Kennan is still expected to launch later this year. Believed to be a variant of the ROG Ally, images of this handheld leaked earlier this month. The leaks showed a device with a layout similar to that of an Xbox controller, alongside a dedicated Xbox button. Alongside the images, a few specs also leaked. The handheld will reportedly use AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme CPU, boast a 7-inch 120Hz display, and come with 64GB of RAM. The non-Xbox variant is said to have reduced specs, featuring a weaker CPU. There's no word yet on how much storage capacity the handhelds might have or whether the device will feature an SD card slot for optional expanded memory.
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Secret Xbox ‘put on hold' in launch cancellation for console that would've rivalled new Nintendo & PlayStation machines
A TOP-SECRET Xbox console that was potentially due out in just two years has been shelved. New reports suggest the unannounced Microsoft machine has been paused indefinitely – with its planned launch cancelled entirely. 5 5 5 Rumours of a handheld Xbox console have been circulating for years.. And in 2024, Microsoft's Xbox gaming boss Phil Spencer confirmed that the company was prototyping the machine. It would've lived alongside the plug-in-to-your-telly Xbox Series X as a more portable option for gamers. But a new report from Windows Central warns that Microsoft has "shifted priorities" and is pausing work on the gadget entirely. Instead, the report notes, Microsoft will pour its efforts into boosting Windows 11 gaming performance. That will help Microsoft boost the Asus partner gadget Project Kennan, which is a handheld gaming machine instead built by the Taiwanese tech giant. It notes that Microsoft would still like to produce a gaming handheld in the future, but is going to spend its time RIVAL MACHINES Microsoft will be feeling the pressure from gamers to compete with its industry rivals. Back in November 2023, Sony released the handheld PlayStation Portal. This portable gadget device streams video games from your PS5 over the internet – and has a built-in controller. Hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese gaming giant Nintendo is also nearly ready to debut its next big handheld. The new Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to land in stores on June 5. It'll plug into televisions – but can also work undocked as a portable gaming device for when you're out and about. And Nintendo saw runaway success with its original Switch console, which launched back in 2017. 5 Also worrying Microsoft will be the Steam Deck, which is a handheld gaming device built by Valve. The gaming giant is responsible for the virtual Steam store, which is one of the main ways PC gamers buy and play titles on their computers. Valve's Steam Deck lets players enjoy PC games on the go, and has been available since 2022. To fend off these rivals, Microsoft has partnered with Asus to help with its upcoming Project Kennan portable device. This will be an official Xbox partnership, but it's not an in-house Microsoft product like the paused handheld machine would've been. Microsoft is still expected to release a major new at-home console in the next few years. This will be a sequel to the Xbox Series X, and could land in 2027 or 2028 – as a direct rival to the rumoured Sony PlayStation 6. The Sun has asked Microsoft for comment and will update this story with any response.
Android Authority
a day ago
- Business
- Android Authority
The native Xbox handheld has been delayed, and you can blame Steam OS
Oliver Cragg / Android Authority TL;DR Microsoft is reportedly deprioritizing work on a native Xbox handheld. Instead, it will focus on improving Windows on third-party handhelds. The native Xbox handheld was expected in 2027 alongside next-gen consoles. The handheld wars are heating up, as Steam OS is finally widely available on third-party handhelds. Early comparisons between Steam OS and Windows on the same hardware have shown a large gap in performance, with Windows' considerable overhead causing it to lag behind. Microsoft has taken note of this, and it's reportedly shifting focus to try to keep up. Yesterday, sources within Microsoft (via Windows Central) revealed that the company announced internally that it will shift priorities away from Xbox handhelds to improve the Windows experience on third-party hardware. Importantly, this will not delay the 'Project Kennan' handheld being created in partnership with ASUS. That device is still slated for release later this year, and it may be the first to feature these Windows optimizations. However, the next-gen Xbox handheld that the company has been working on will be shelved. New rumors indicate this was indeed a native Xbox handheld, and not a Windows-based device. It was previously rumored to release in 2027 alongside the follow-up to the Xbox Series X/S home consoles. This is bittersweet news for Xbox fans, as a native Xbox handheld would have featured improved backwards compatibility with games from the Xbox/Xbox 360 era. A major selling point of the Xbox Series X/S was full compatibility with the entire Xbox catalog, with improvements in framerates and graphics thanks to more powerful hardware. Steam OS is increasingly becoming a threat to Windows handhelds. The Linux-based Steam OS was designed specifically for gaming handhelds, giving it a distinct advantage over Windows. With less overhead and bloat, it outperforms similarly spec'd Windows handhelds with a much more user-friendly interface and experience. The main advantage of Windows handhelds is improved compatibility. In theory, any PC game can be played on a Windows handheld, including the ever-expanding catalog of PC Game Pass games. Windows handhelds were typically more powerful than the Steam Deck, but now that Steam OS has expanded beyond Valve's own hardware, the scales have shifted. Time will tell whether these renewed efforts to improve Windows on handhelds can make a difference. If not, Steam OS may occupy an even bigger share of the premium gaming handheld market. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Business
- Android Authority
This might be the most powerful Android gaming handheld ever, and it launches next month
AYANEO TL;DR The AYANEO Pocket S2 will feature a Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 and a huge 8,000mAh battery. It may be the most powerful gaming handheld ever released. No pricing yet, but the device will launch in mid-June, likely via a crowdfunding campaign. AYANEO is the most boutique brand when it comes to retro gaming handhelds, and it finally revealed more details about its upcoming flagship Pocket S2 model in a livestreamed session earlier today. We already knew the chipset from Qualcomm's event in March, but now the device is closer than ever to reaching your fingertips. The Pocket S2 will be one of the first handhelds to feature a Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, the most powerful of Qualcomm's new handheld-focused chipsets. So far, only the cheapest Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 is commercially available on the Retroid Pocket Classic, but we were very impressed by what it could handle on a tight budget. If the G3 Gen 3 shows similar improvements, it could be one of the most powerful Android handhelds ever launched. AYANEO also announced that it's working more closely with Qualcomm on drivers and game support. The new chipset will have the same level of game compatibility as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This was an issue with the previous G3 Gen 2 chipset, although compatibility has improved in recent months. It will also support turnip drivers out of the box, which should improve performance for high-end use cases such as Switch and Windows emulators. AYANEO Keeping all that running is a massive 8,00mAh battery. That's a big jump up from the 6,000mAh battery on its predecessor, and it should provide solid battery life, even on the highest 20W TDP setting. Despite the size of the cell, it maintains a slim 15.9mm thickness. The screen is a bright 6.3-inch 1440p IPS panel with a borderless finish on an all-glass front. The rest of the body is premium CNC'd metal, with a flat back and a new air-intake vent on the back. AYANEO claims the new model has dramatically improved cooling performance, which should also help extend battery life. A 3.5mm headphone jack makes a welcome return to the bottom of the device, next to the USB-C charging port. In terms of controls, the Pocket S2 has new medium-sized TMR electromagnetic sticks. TMR sticks use similar magnetic technology as Hall Effect sticks, but they have better precision, resolution, and battery efficiency, at the cost of a higher price. They're widely considered the next generation of sticks, although they've only been around for a few years. The Pocket S2 might be the most powerful Android gaming handheld ever released. AYANEO also briefly showed off its upcoming tablet, the Gaming Pad. It will feature the same Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 chipset and an 8.3-inch 1440P 120Hz LCD display, but no further details have been revealed as of yet. The company also stopped short of revealing pricing for the Pocket S2, but you won't have to wait long as it's slated to launch in mid-June, likely via a crowdfunding campaign. There should be considerable early bird discounts, as well as extras and accessories. One particularly interesting accessory shown in the demo is a new grip, which adds ergonomic handles to the back of the device. It can also be removed and placed on the front of the device to protect the sticks while traveling. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
The Verge
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Posted May 28, 2025 at 11:03 AM EDT 0 Comments
Andrew Liszewski Anbernic is teasing a new handheld with a sliding screen. Fans of the PSP Go who are still mad at Sony for discontinuing the handheld in 2011 may soon have a consolation prize. Following leaked renders of a mysterious new handheld earlier this month, Anbernic has shared a teaser for an upcoming device it's calling the RG Slide featuring a sliding screen. We don't know much else about the device, or what that sliding screen reveals, but a full reveal could be coming soon.
