Xbox may already be leading the handheld console wars thanks to one feature

Handheld computers have had a long and illustrious history in the gaming world. Although several consoles technically came before it, Nintendo's Game Boy broke new ground for handheld gaming, delivering almost NES-level experiences on the go. Nintendo continued to prove itself in the handheld space with subsequent Game Boy iterations, and the company set a new bar for the entire industry with the release of the Nintendo DS in 2006. But while PlayStation has tried to compete with Nintendo in the handheld space, Xbox has been clear. But that is about to change.




After over a year of speculation and rumors, Phil Spencer confirmed in a recent interview with Bloomberg that Xbox is indeed in the process of developing a handheld device. Granted, Spencer also claimed that it would still be a few years before fans saw it on the market. But when the Xbox handheld does eventually appear, there's one obvious feature that's sure to set it apart from the competition.

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The Xbox Handheld will have an ace up its sleeve

Xbox's handheld may have stiff competition

The PDA market is undoubtedly busier than it has ever been before. The Nintendo Switch is now in its seventh year, and together with its Lite and OLED models, it has sold over 140 million units. While its hardware is objectively inferior to even the latest generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the Switch's handheld nature, high level of brand recognition, and family-friendly slant have kept it at the top of the gaming world for the better part of a decade.


As early as 2022, Valve thought they would try to create a handheld console. In the two years since its launch, the Steam Deck has been widely praised as one of the best handhelds ever made, as it can play some of the most demanding modern games with very few limitations.

The handheld market may look a little different when the Xbox hits store shelves, but it may not be by much. The Nintendo Switch's successor will be revealed next year, and Valve has already confirmed that a second generation Steam Deck is in development. So the Xbox handheld's competition might not be that different than if it launched now.

Additionally, a recent Bloomberg report suggests that PlayStation is also in the early stages of developing a new handheld console. If true, the Xbox handheld will face stiff competition when it eventually launches.


Xbox Game Pass could be Xbox Handheld's secret weapon

For the past year, Xbox has been trying to promote the concept that Xbox isn't just the console, it's anything that can run the Xbox app. Xbox Game Pass has been at the forefront of this recent marketing success, with ads often showing gamers enjoying their subscription across Xbox, PC, mobile and a host of other devices via cloud streaming.

When the Xbox handheld is officially revealed, it's extremely likely that Xbox Game Pass will be a big selling point for it, and for good reason. Putting Xbox Game Pass front and center on the upcoming handheld would be a huge boon in both the short and long term.

In the short term, Xbox handheld gamers will be able to access a vast library of hundreds of games, all at no extra cost. And with the Xbox Game Pass library running a spectrum of gaming experiences, gamers will be able to instantly test the power of the handheld console, with countless AAA and Indie games ready and waiting for day one.


In the long term, Xbox Game Pass would ensure that handheld players have an ever-changing library of games to return to. Also, even if PlayStation's handheld could take over its library of PS Plus titles, Game Pass would still have the advantage, since PS Plus doesn't add first-party games to the service on day one. And this edge will only sharpen over time, as Xbox's first-party offerings now include Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, and Activision-Blizzard.

MORE: Xbox Handheld Console Wish List

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