Gaming on the go has been taking on a new shape in recent years. The release of the Switch and the Steam Deck have both brought larger console games into smaller consoles that tend to be roughly two iPhone 15’s in terms of volume. Outside the Switch, most current portable gaming for larger console games tends to take place on what are basically portable PCs. Xbox might be keen to add a console of their own to the current pool. Rumors are circulating again about a portable Xbox console, said to be unveiled on June 9th at the Xbox Games Showcase. According to well known leaker and Youtuber eXtas1s, the “Xbox portable” teaser will occur at some point during the upcoming show.
The best handheld game consoles of this year, according to gamesradar, were almost exclusively portable PCs or options that allowed for streaming from player’s game libraries. The Switch, which topped the list as Best Overall with its OLED version, is an outlier among its peers. If Xbox’s announcement does appear, will it be another in the ranks of portable PCs or will it offer an alternative to the Playstation Portal. In an article by gamesradar, the writer expressed hopes that this new console might be able to function independently of players already owning a current, main Xbox console. A secondary wish was to allow the use of physical cartridges. In our current streaming dominated distribution format where things can disappear permanently, the presence of physical media is a wonderful comfort. For portable consoles especially, physical cartridges allow for games to be played on the go, possibly in settings without access to internet connection.
Whichever happens, the Xbox Games Showcase is just days away. All rumors should be cleared up when it premieres. If that means a new console is on the horizon, only time will tell.