Rumour: Xbox Expected To Join Switch 2 With A New Handheld This Year

Update [Thu 13th Mar 2025, 3:55am]: The Verge has chimed in with some new information claiming Xbox is partnering with ASUS (known for the ROG Ally series) on its first gaming handheld due out in 2025. As previously reported, it would be powered by Windows but “more closely resembles what you’d find on an Xbox”.

Windows Central has followed this up suggesting the device will launch as soon as this Summer and could end up being around the $499 – $599 price range (thanks Pure Xbox for the heads up). The same outlet advises readers to take all of this with a “grain of salt”.

This would reportedly be followed by a first-party Xbox handheld for “native gaming”, with a supposed “2027 launch window”.

Original Story: The Switch 2 is just around the corner and according to a new report it could be joined by a new Xbox handheld “later in 2025”.

A new ‘exclusive’ from Windows Central claims Microsoft is partnering with another company to deliver a PC gaming OEM “think ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, etc” and something “similar to Lenovo’s SteamOS partnership with Valve“.

This product, codenamed ‘Kennan’, is expected to look “unmistakably Xbox”, be “more PC-orientated” and will apparently come complete with “an official Xbox guide button, and Xbox design sensibilities”. It would run on Windows and put the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass at the forefront of the device, with the ability to install other programs like Steam.

This same exclusive also notes how this is just a warmup for Microsoft – further claiming Xbox will release its own dedicated gaming handheld at some point in 2027. Microsoft has already confirmed plans for a new console system and handheld, so we’ll let you know if we hear any significant updates.

Keep in mind this latest update is a rumour and Microsoft hasn’t made any announcements about releasing a new handheld device this year.

Xbox has already mixed up its strategy in recent times – confirming it will be bringing more games to more platforms in the future. This began in 2024 with the arrival of Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded and Pentiment across platforms like PlayStation 5 and Switch.

Going forward, Xbox has promised the return of Call of Duty on Nintendo platforms, and Microsoft’s Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently mentioned how excited he was about the Switch 2 and the tech giant’s plans for multiplatform releases.