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Will Microsoft Buy Capcom? IGN Podcast

Capcom is willing to be bought out. Who is the most logical suitor? IGN's Marty Sliva, Ryan McCaffrey, and Destin Legarie discuss the possibility of Microsoft buying Capcom.

MultiConsoleGamer4016d ago

Very likely. They pretty much have to. It wouldn't hurt them much if Nintendo bought Capcom, but if Sony buys them it would be seen as a devastating blow. (Unfortunately Sony can't afford to buy a ham sandwich.)

rodiabloalmeida4016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

If Microsoft buys Capcom, Capcom games will have a hard time reaching PC gamers as Microsoft will mostly (as usually) focus on Xbox One, and that sucks.

ElementX4016d ago

MS has published a number of PC games available on Steam.

Somebody4016d ago

I fear that might be exactly what will happen if MS do buy Capcom.

gaffyh4016d ago

MS won't buy Capcom, and neither will Sony or Nintendo. If it goes to anyone, it will be a company that wants to be multiplatform focused, and mobile-focused.

ZodTheRipper4016d ago

Sony doesn't need Capcom and Microsoft wouldn't invest so much in buying them. My guess is that Konami or Bandai Namco or some other japanese company will be interested in a joint venture.

mikeslemonade4016d ago

I hope either Sony or MS buys them because Capcom has been putting out mediocre-average games that take a long time to develop since they became multiplat.

DragonKnight4016d ago

I don't think Microsoft CAN buy Capcom. I heard that only a Japanese company can buy another Japanese company.

Don't quote me on that, I just heard about that and have no proof of it.

guitarded774016d ago

@ DragonKnight

I heard that too... don't know how true it is though.

Anyway, I don't want ANY of the big 3 buying ANY 3rd party dev/pubs. It would be bad for gamers that can't afford every console, it would keep game prices higher, for longer, and it would hurt many of the franchises by cutting the audience drastically.

Of course, they could keep CAPCOM independent and still make games for all platforms. Either way, I don't want it to happen, and I HIGHLY doubt it would ever happen.

DoubleM704016d ago

Uhhmm no they want. Most games in the future will be ported over to PC. Espepcially with DX12 being on all platforms (Xbox PC mobile devices).

Furthermore I don't see Sony or Nintendo currently porting none of their Triple A games to PC.

ABizzel14016d ago

It would be good for anyone who does, but I don't see it happening from a company outside of Japan, nor one of the big 3.

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crxss4016d ago

and why does Microsoft "have to" buy Capcom exactly?

Sitdown4016d ago

Did you not read the comment you replied to? Microsoft would need to buy them simply to prevent Sony from having even more great exclusive. Microsoft would be able to increase is portfolio, while picking up IPs with established and dedicated fan base.... which at this point is something they could really benefit from.

ShadowKingpin4016d ago

Am I the only one who feels that it would be a huge loss to purchase Capcom with how terrible they have been over the last generation?

Silly gameAr4016d ago

@johndoe.

All I can say is wow. That petition is so pathetic . These people are losing their minds.

Ocsta4016d ago Show
majiebeast4016d ago

That petition is one of the saddest things i have seen.

CHB_Aries834016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

@Johndoe
Truly this has to be equally as pathetic
http://www.change.org/petit...
Who signs petitions to take exclusives away from another console?
No matter what people's opinion about the final product are, this has to be the craziest thing I have ever seen.

Kayant4016d ago

"and why does Microsoft "have to" buy Capcom exactly?" - Don't you hear MS the Xbox division has unlimited funds and can buy anything /s.... It's always funny when I see all these speculation and rumors, Last E3 we had a rumor about a big third-party exclusive which ended up being nothing or I guess maybe it was shape-up looool.

johndoe112114016d ago

@CHB_Aries83

No, actually it's not equally pathetic. Do you know why? Because unlike the one I posted the one you linked to (even though I don't agree with it) is asking to make games available for more people to play on more platforms whereas that idiotic petition I linked to is trying to take away franchises that have been multiplatform for years and make them exclusive to one device. How vindictive, spiteful and moronic do you have to be to want something like that?

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 4016d ago
johndoe112114016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

Sorry, double post.

Ryan7414016d ago

They could buy a Spam sandwich though.

marlinfan104016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

I highly doubt sony or ms is gonna buy them

truefan14016d ago

Capcom, Welcome to Microsoft. I'm liking the sound of Capcom vs Killer Instinct, imagine Akuma with an ULLLLLLLLTTTTTRRRRRAAAAAAA COMBO. Hideki Kamiya is already on board with XB1 for Scalebound, so they could bring back Devil May Cry. Dead Rising has been selling a ton on xbox consoles. The purchase would contribute to selling more xbox units in Japan. Of course adding Megaman and Lost Planet won't hurt.

Sheikh Yerbouti4016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

LOL. And I can dream of Nintendo vs. Capcom too.

Too many other companies beside the console makers would be better suited and prepared...namely another 3rd party publisher. MS has a hard enough time explaining XBox to its shareholders.

Silver3604016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

maybe not a bad deal with 56.23 million shares and stock at $16.25 to buy 51`% would cost around 466 Million depend on stock rising due to impending buyout. Question is are those ip's on one platform worth half a billion dollars?
source : http://investing.money.msn....

Blaze9294016d ago

Out of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony - Microsoft is more likely to purchase Capcom. It makes more sense for them to do so and it's not like they dont have the bigger spending wallets.

DragonKnight4016d ago

You would say Microsoft for anything other than "out of the 3 to go bankrupt."

greenlantern28144016d ago

It will most likely be a different game developer, sony won't or can't Nintendo could but probably won't. MS might but I believe they would have to partner with a Japanese company due to Japan's business laws. Could also be Amazon, Google a different unheard of conglomerate.

3-4-54016d ago

* Whoever Buys Capcom:

* If you change everything people love about Capcom, even more so than has been done already, you could swiftly devalue your purchase and ruin the name Capcom completely.

EX:

Company A buys Capcom for $300 Million

If they then, started making "iffy" streetfighter games or making Street Fighter 5 on ios, then you would have fans refusing to buy the games, and then Capcom wouldn't be worth the $300 Million you paid.

* Whoever buys Capcom needs to immediately start work on a Megaman Legends game.

Kaze884016d ago

Bought by nintendo would hurt the most! why? well the simple fact that most of capcom loyals are on xbox/ps, they already bought SF4 four times allready (and their other fighting games etc). making them buy a separate console to play SF5 would be a hard hard sale.

ExiledBlitz4015d ago

Megaman, Monster Hunter and Resident Evil all have a long history with Nintendo fans. Those franchises would be right at home on a Nintendo console.

Magicite4016d ago

If MS buys Capcom it will be death after death.

FanboyKilla4016d ago

@ multi lmfao. Ms, capcom check, proceed to checkout. Lol

Monster_tard54016d ago

If Microsoft did buy them, the only games we would ever see from them would be Street Fighter and Dead Rising and the other IP's would just keep Rare's IP's company in Microsoft's basement.

MuhammadJA4016d ago

I hope MS buys them. Hell, I'd like anyone to acquire them EXCEPT Nintendo.

ShaunCameron4016d ago

And what do you have against Nintendo?

Deadpoolio4016d ago

Highly unlikely and retarded for people to keep claiming they will....Capcom is a Japanese company and because of that and their pride a US company would not be allowed to take them over....

josephayal4016d ago

Good luck, I doubt the Japanese government would even allow it

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iamnsuperman4016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

That analogy was awful. Capcom isn't opening its front door which mean it stuff can be stolen. More like putting itself up for adoption. Looking for a new daddy

No company is going to buy Capcom. Ignoring how good their books are(which is extremely important) the cost would be way too extreme for the outcome (which would be merging capcom into the company or killing it entirely). IPs are bought when companies go bankrupt because it is extremely cheap with none of the baggage. It would be a massive waste of money for any company to do this (especially when you can bankroll the exclusives Capcom own by funding the development).

crxss4016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

Lol except capcom isn't going bankrupt. I can see some firm buying 51%. But the fact is, not many capcom games are system sellers… at least not for me. I see capcom games as a "oh nice it's on this system I already own" rather than "I must get xbox one for dead rising 3". They're better off remaining 3rd party which would make the whole idea of Microsoft buying them pointless. Maybe activision or ea

iamnsuperman4016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

"Lol except capcom isn't going bankrupt."

Which makes any company buying Capcom even more ludicrous. I was only give an example when a company would (which would be in the event of bankruptcy). I feel my point still stands (especially considering what you said). Capcom isn't a money spinner. Why would any company fork up the price for something that isn't growing substantially

UnHoly_One4016d ago

A game being a system seller is just a matter of personal taste, though. To somebody else, Dead Rising might be their favorite game series ever.

To me, for instance, last gen Dragons Dogma was probably my favorite game of the entire console generation. You can bet I'd buy whatever console Dragons Dogma 2 was exclusive to without hesitation.

And what about Resident Evil? Granted, those games aren't what they used to be, and they aren't my thing, but they always sell like hotcakes.

And don't forget Street Fighter.

Christopher4016d ago

***A game being a system seller is just a matter of personal taste, though.***

Not really. You can relate sales of software to console sales spikes during those same periods. Capcom IPs are not system sellers. They sell to existing base market persons and do not show a sign of being a high market impact value as far as the decision for someone to buy or not buy a console.

To be honest, there are extremely few IPs that are system sellers and those IPs are 99% of the time first-party titles. Otherwise, what sells a system the most now are overall combination of cost, technology, and services.

JBSleek4016d ago

Just because Capcom is in some money spinner does it mean a company wouldn't buy it that sounds ridiculous.

Companies just don't buy companies because the company itself makes money at the moment.

randomass1714016d ago

Buying Capcom also means buying whatever their financial troubles may be. It would be nice to see their franchises get redistributed to various other publishers though.

DonDon4016d ago

Capcom just needs a good parent company. Just like ATLUS, FROM Software, and Suda 51 did. All of them wanted to stay as multiplatform developers as that would bring in the most revenue while preserving their freedom. Going first party will crush their freedom like it did with RARE. I would suggest Capcom goes with GungHo, who has countless billions, is parent company of Suda 51, and From Software, and gives devs 100% free to make what they want on ANY platform they want. Will make Capcom more money & give complete freedom.

I don't know where people get off saying Konami or Namco Bandai. They may have a lot of money, but Capcom has A LOT of franchises and I don't know how much their willing to invest in all of them. But a parent company invests ahead of time, not concerned with the project--just concerned with the financial outcome. And it's that kind of hands-off approach that a company like Capcom needs. Just let them create, not be absorbed by other game companies. Let a parent company (usually majority stock holder) just give them the money they need to do what they want, so long as they return a profit back to the parent co.

All these people saying MS, Sony, Nintendo, etc don't see how Capcom would likely make less profit and would alienate fanbases. Monster Hunter on Nintendo platforms, Mega Man in new Smash Bros, Deep Down--persistent online f2p PS4 exclusive, Classic Capcom games on Wii's Virtual Console, Capcom games on PSN and soon to be PS NOW, etc are examples of how classic Capcom going first party could lead to possible lawsuits, as these other first party co's all have investments in their future projects.

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avengers19784016d ago

Well I could see them doing this, trying to secure Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and others as exclusive, but I could also see Nintendo, EA, or Activision making bids for it.
Then again maybe no one will want them... Time will tell.

OpieWinston4016d ago

Nintendo? Yes Capcom has a long history with Nintendo and they will make a shot at acquiring the rights. Do they need to? No, Capcom has plenty of exclusives and just needs character agreements to stay in place.

EA? They've got their hands full with starting up a massive amount of Star Wars IPs.

Activision? They've got WoW/D3/SC2/CoD/Destiny/Skyland ers... When they invest in an ip they go all in, and acquiring Capcom wouldn't make much sense for them. Especially after Activision dipping into their bank and buying out Vivendi on their own recently.

greenlantern28144016d ago

EA, Activision and Ubisoft are huge game publishers that own multiple developers already. Why not buy another one with established franchises. If they think they can make money they will do it.

XiSasukeUchiha4016d ago

If they wanted that Japanese support that is.

djplonker4016d ago

If they did what would happen to deep down?

xX1NORM1Xx4016d ago

I think they would have to do that as there must be some sort of contract but MS had the money to buy out most contracts I would think there is a very very slim chance MS would buy then though as it would be a very expensive acquisition and as we saw last year MS shareholders are not exactly thrilled when the Xbox division spends a lot of money but it's a double edged sword as I'm sure capcom games would bring in a lot of money for Xbox it would be a smart move as they would gain a lot of respected Japanese franchises but who knows

sinspirit4016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

Sony owns the Deep Down IP, I think, funded the project, and are working together with Capcom on the project.

Honestly, if anyone has the best chance to buy Capcom right now it is Sony because of their currently collaborating teams on Deep Down, and because they both coincide in Japan and it's drastically quicker to make plans with them or Nintendo than American companies such as Microsoft and EA.

Also..

Almost all private Japanese companies have a provision in their articles of incorporation requiring approval of the board of directors for transfer of shares. This means that the board of the target company must approve the acquisition, in addition to the board of the seller. In Japanese companies, management often makes up a majority of the board. When the shareholders have decided to sell, the management of the target company usually follows the will of the shareholders, but the theoretical risk exists that management could refuse to approve the share sale and block the transaction.

So, a giant company like Capcom likely has this provision and they basically have the right to options when it comes to who is buying them. It's not like Microsoft can simply walk in and put money down and own the company.

If it were first party then it's either Sony or Nintendo, because of their great relationship with both parties, and because they are all Japanese companies with a huge Japanese fanbase that they don't want to leave behind, because of drastic loss of sales that would occur from join Microsoft because of their drastic unpopularity in Japan. If it's third party then they have a few to chose from.

Kavorklestein4016d ago

@sinspirit
Actually, when it comes to money, IT IS that simple, Microsoft can simply walk in and put money down and own the company, if the price is right.
So could Sony, or Nintendo.

Just because there is a legal side to it, doesn't mean that money isn't ultimately the deciding factor. If Microsoft came in saying "we wanna buy you for a billion dollars" and lesser offers were being made by others, then yes, Microsoft could just walk in with a billion dollars and buy the company.

There's a lot more involved and of course I'm simplifying the process, but let's be honest, when has anything EVER really not been about Money?

sinspirit4016d ago (Edited 4016d ago )

@Kavorklestein

You completely miss the point.

What if Sony walks in with 500 billion dollars? Does this completely one sided what if situation matter? And right now Capcom has choices. They aren't going to sell to the highest bidder just because of the highest bid. They are a business, not a product. If they could sell to a better Japanese company for not much less then they will and they can chose to so long as they aren't completely bankrupt. Selling to a company that upholds their image and one they have good relation to will help their future profits.

Keep in mind the years and years that XBox has lost billions. Do you really think all the money they've spent is going to justify a huge purchase of Capcom, who is on the way to bankruptcy? It's likely that their board members won't agree to it, as good of an acquisition it is. And, they have less communication with Capcom. They also aren't profiting in their console division like Nintendo and Sony currently are, who have the full capabilities of turning Capcom around and share the same Japanese fanbase so Capcom wouldn't lose hundreds of thousands of followers.

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60°

FanimeCon 2025 | Capcom Cosplay Gathering

One of the highlights of FanimeCon 2025 was the Capcom cosplay gathering.

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8bitdigi.com
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Activision Forces Adverts into Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Loadouts

With the launch of Call of Duty Season 4, Activision quietly put adverts inside loadouts for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, sparking a backlash in the process.

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lukasmain18d ago

Putting Ads in a pay-to-play Premium title? Well done Microsoft. Well done /s This is really scummy.

jjb198118d ago

This game will never change because these sweatlords love buying up all the skins and bundles that become obsolete the following year. They're the ones perpetuating Activision's greed.

VenomUK17d ago

If Microsoft introduces adverts into its other games I hope it can do them without disrupting the immersion of the game world. So for example in the new Fable game it would look out of place if there was a billboard advertising Cadillacs.

A far better way to do it would be to have a wizard conjure a 'dream cloud' in front of your character and then in the cloud you can see the Cadillac car and see the text with price and availability and hear a booming sales voice promoting the car. That would work so well as it wouldn't be a billboard and completely, 100%, fit in with your character's adventuring in Albion. Doesn't that sound so much better?!

crazyCoconuts17d ago

@venom, or how about our of 100 farts in Albion, 1 of them has a Cadillac pop out

VenomUK17d ago

@crazyCoconuts That’s undeniably off-beat - but it could really work!

18d ago
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410°

Xbox's first-party handheld has been sidelined

Xbox's handheld ambitions continue unabated, but the focus is shifting towards improving Windows 11 for third-party handhelds — for now. The Xbox Series X 'Melrose' successor is safe, with development continuing at full pace.

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windowscentral.com
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shadowT20d ago

Is there really a market for handhelds next to mobile?

Vits20d ago

If they run the same games as the main home console, then yeah, sure.
But if they need specially tailored games just for them? Probably not, unless there isn't a home console for comparison (see Switch).

RaidenBlack19d ago (Edited 19d ago )

I am kinda low-key happy this happened.
Dont want another Series S situation (games to be designed from 4 to 12TF scale and not 10 to 12TF).
Hope PS follows suit as well. Tablet SKU sharing with console for 10th gen, will just continue the cross gen -esque development/design phase/nature.
Want a proper 20+ only TF rasterized next-gen plz (+ frame-gen and the lot).
If anybody wants to continue the cross-gen, the Series S|X, PS5 will remain for that. And Switch 2, if you gotta go even lower in the TF range.

ABizzel120d ago

Yes and No. All of the PC handhelds combined have struggled to sell 7 million units, which would be a flop for any “console”. So the market is extremely niche because of price and target market (the informed hardcore gamer / casuals aren’t picking these up).

These handheld PCs are $500 or more, and offer at best Xbox Series S performance levels, so it’s best for MS specifically to just partner with ASUS, instead of investing millions if not billions.

Sony can make their own with custom AMD hardware due to their partnership, and stronger global brand for hardware. But even then it brings the question, of being a lower resolution PS5, and what does that mean for PS6 cross-gen (likely another generation where the first 3 - 4 years are just upgraded last-gen games).

Kosic20d ago

Imagine a Wii U style console, where the tablet doesn't rely on the console it's self, you download the game on the console under the TV and play in 4k glory, then you can remote play, get some unique game features if using both console and handheld in tandem. Then you can download the games in 720-1080p to play on the go, continue your progress, and continue on the TV when you get back.

Sony could get away with this due to exclusives, and that would be a reason for sales. Look at the portal.

I can picture seeing new hardware having some sort of GPU dock, where the handheld runs 1080p, and the dock has additional hardware to bring in 4k/60 specs.

I do think handheld gaming is going to be a strong future, imagine Nintendo release a new upgraded GPU dock for the Switch 3, every 2 years. More frames, sharper graphics on the same game for an extra £150 for a dock with a built in GPU chip. Console cycles doesn't have to be renewed, just the hardware can be improved by them reselling docks to us again and again with small/yearly upgrades like mobile phones.

GamerRN19d ago

Did you just imply that Sony can make a better stronger handheld than Microsoft? You do realize we are talking about Microsoft, the tech giant, right? If Microsoft can't make one that's cost effective, Sony definitely can't...

Brand and market share means nothing when you are a trillion dollar company

ABizzel119d ago

@GamerRN

It has nothing to do with what company can do it, or what company can spend.

For anyone taking a basic business class there is a term called ROI, and Xbox home consoles are selling at an all time low, meaning their ROI on a handheld is a risk that doesn’t make sense, even if they can afford it. Businesses are there to make money and it doesn’t make sene for MS to invest in a handheld that’s a companion device when their current home consoles they’ve spent 20 years working on are at an all time-low, when they can invest with little risk with what ASUS already has to offer.

This is why Sony can build a better device, because they have less risk involved, meaning they can invest more in their own product, and they already have an exclusive partnership with AMD on creating features and hardware. So in this specific case, YES Sony can built a better handheld, due to custom hardware, customer tools, low level APIs, compared to an off the shelf product running Windows or a Window Xbox kernel =.

TheEroica20d ago

I play steam deck primarily... Don't play consoles or mobile. The deck covers it all.

badz14919d ago

@shadowT

The Switch is a handheld, so will the Switch 2. what are you on about?

Cacabunga19d ago

To run native games offline? Anytime

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 19d ago
CrashMania20d ago

Funny to see the alt already damage controlling and having a meltdown with multiple accounts in the comments already.

Sad for MS if true, a dedicated handheld would go down a lot better than a rog ally 2 with an Xbox sticker on it I think.

crazyCoconuts20d ago

It couldn't have succeeded for a number of reasons. Now they've retreated to the Windows front and trying to keep that relevant for gaming. How long before Windows Central realizes there won't be a real console successor to Series X either?

Lightning7720d ago

Except there is. That project is reportedly full speed ahead.

Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago

@Lighting77

So was the handheld until today...

Lightning7720d ago

@outside obviously not since they sidelined it and they wanna see how the Asus does. Are you saying they're gonna cancel the next console?

crazyCoconuts20d ago

@lightning - I'm admittedly trying to box you in here - Do you think the next Xbox console will have Steam on it?

Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

@Lightning

Here we go with having to spell everything out.

If I told you yesterday that Xbox was going to sideline the handheld console what would your response have been? Probably something along the lines of "I doubt that since Phil has been talking about it for some time now"

My point is just because they are "full speed" ahead now does not mean that will not change in future. As we have seen with the handheld. Do you understand what I'm trying to say now?

Lightning7720d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Box me in? No you said the same thing you've always been saying for years now. Those are the rumors to have Steam integration.

What about it

If you told me they were gonna cancel it tomorrow it would nothing more than fanboy talking points. I only wait for credible sources not what someone else says.

Also this is the handheld not a full blown new console. The Asus is yet to release and they're waiting to see how that thing does. Critical thinking is my strong suit you should try it some time if you can. But Ok cool well you hang your hat on that I guess. Main New console is gonna get cancelled even though the handheld is a different marketing device than the main the console itself.

__y2jb19d ago

I think there is a 75% chance there will not be another Xbox. There is zero reason to buy one now. No way it can possibly sell more than 10m units after Xbox went third party.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 19d ago
BLow20d ago

That's what they do. Goalposts shift like the wind.

I'm really confused on why they are making a "first party" device and also have a Rog Ally with their sticker on it. Make this make sense. How is their own device going to be any different?

Your console doesn't sell and they expect a handheld to?

RaidenBlack19d ago (Edited 19d ago )

The Rog Ally one is gen agnostic ... as you deciphered, it was to be the updated Rog Ally but just with Xbox branding. PC handheld with some Xbox features.
The handheld Xbox is/was supposed to be sharing the same gen/ecosystem with the next-gen (10th gen) Xbox. Think Series S but handheld ... it'll run the Xbox OS or whatever the next Xbox will run.
...
As for anybody wondering/confused why MS is doing another Xbox console ... coz mainly its the 10th gen of home consoles next, which started wayy back in 1972 for the 1st gen. And MS wanna be part in it, in the 10th anniversary gen of consoles. If they gotta bow out, they can't do that at 9th i.e just before 10th. They wanna stick around till the 10th or the X-th gen and check what the fuss happens.

Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago

Curious as to what excuses the spam was saying. Because prior to this news, the Xbox handheld was used as proof that Xbox is still committed to the hardware space. This handheld being scraped is not a good sign...

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Outside_ofthe_Box20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

@Spam
You can replace scrapped with pushed back if you like. It's not a good sign either way.

20d ago
1Victor20d ago

asq3= obscured: “ What’s your source on the handheld being scrapped? “
Read the article from Microsoft own website and one of your favorite quotations site when it’s something bad about Sony.
Oh BTW good luck with your next SPAM account.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 19d ago
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