Microsoft’s Xbox console hardware sell-through continues to decline quarter over quarter, but the company remains fully invested in competing with Sony and Nintendo in the realm of gaming hardware, according to a new report that claims an Xbox-branded handheld will be released as early as this year, while a premium, next-gen console (i.e., a successor to the Xbox Series X) is currently targeting a 2027 release.
Here’s what sources are saying about the new handheld, per the report that was published today regarding Xbox’s new hardware plans:
Microsoft is working with a PC gaming OEM (think ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, etc.) on an Xbox-branded gaming handheld, surprisingly slated for later in 2025 if plans are met. Codename “Keenan,” this gaming handheld will look unmistakably “Xbox” we’re told, complete with an official Xbox guide button, and Xbox design sensibilities.
And here’s what’s been said of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console and new Xbox controllers, the former of which has reportedly been fully approved by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella ahead of its 2027 release:
Microsoft’s internal successor to the Xbox Series X|S platform has been fully greenlit all the way up to CEO Satya Nadella. For now, I understand that Microsoft’s next-gen hardware plans include a premium successor to the powerful Xbox Series X, alongside its own Xbox gaming handheld, and several new controller options. Tentatively, these new console devices are slated for 2027.
“Microsoft’s new controllers have direct-to-cloud connectivity from what I’ve been told, and more intelligently allow players to switch them between different devices,” Windows Central’s Jez Corden noted in his report. “Xbox well and truly remains all-in with hardware.”