The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB GPU is a solid mid-range contender with impressive efficiency, DLSS 3 support, and good performance, but for those with an RTX 3060, it may not be a big enough jump for the $399 price of entry.
Worth going waka-waka over? Why, yes!
slow news day with the offbrand controller with a game deep into the nineteen hundreds on it
Looks pretty bad ass to me and them 199X games are still some of the best f*cking games out there.
It is all getting steamy on this week's GFN Thursday. The official and native GeForce NOW app is now rolling out for Steam Deck devices.
We also have six more games coming to GeForce NOW.
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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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
@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 =.
I play steam deck primarily... Don't play consoles or mobile. The deck covers it all.
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.
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?
@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?
@lightning - I'm admittedly trying to box you in here - Do you think the next Xbox console will have Steam on it?
@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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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...
@Spam
You can replace scrapped with pushed back if you like. It's not a good sign either way.
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.
I still don't see the point of a next-generation Xbox tbh. No one wants an Xbox now. Less than five years into this generation and Xbox console sales have fallen off a cliff. Just stick to being a third-party publisher. That seems to be working out so far.
This also counts for Playstation and Nintendo but, out of those ~30m Series consoles that's been sold, I wonder how many of them are still being actively used.
"This also counts for Playstation and Nintendo"
What if I told you that in 2023 PlayStation sold a record number of consoles and in 24 they beat their own estimates, and outside of Trumps economic destruction they were on track to sell around 110 million consoles. And software sales and subscriptions are both performing great due to good PS5 sales and a never before seen tail of PS4 owners still buying software and subscriptions.
It's not true that PlayStation is performing poorly, "certain websites" keep pushing that narrative, but it's not true.
And Nintendo has a huge number of Switches in circulation and a new console that already seems to be popular, and even if it sells slower than Switch 1 there is every reason to believe that people will keep using and buying software on the Switch 1 for many years to come, just like it's happening with PlayStation and PS4.
“What's wrong with what I wrote?“
What you wrote was stupid. Does that make it clearer?
Since nobody can tell you why you're wrong because I dunno they lack the brain capacity and you're talkin down to Sony (ppl don't like that here) or a mixture of the two. I'll tell you what's flawed about what you said because I also disagree.
It's simple. Sony still believes in selling their platform. They're platform led first vs Ecosystem led like MS that sacrifices their hard their hardware sales for Xbox name and software being every where. In turn Sony is absolutely not in by the same situation as MS not even in the same conversation when it comes to selling the platform. That's why third party and first party are tightly bonded with PS and how Sony still does buissness because again they're platform/console lead first and foremost.
There's no way there's a next-gen Xbox other than a rebranded PC. If they could get a legal way to emulate your old Xbox library on PC that's the most an Xbox gamer should hope for.
It’s not really about whether it’s legal or illegal, emulation itself is usually considered legal. The real issue is how the games get decrypted to run on an emulator. But that’s a non-issue for Microsoft since they own the encryption tools anyway.
Honestly, I agree that rebranding Xbox for PC would’ve been their best move. In fact, it should’ve been their strategy from the start. If they had gone all-in on PC early on, they could’ve dominated the market while still keeping their console business strong. They would’ve bypassed so many hurdles, like strict local laws in some Asian countries or insane entertainment taxes in Brazil. Plus, they could’ve crushed the competition just by being more available and cheaper.
But instead, they basically created a competitor to their own Windows platform and handed control of the entire PC gaming market to Valve. Huge missed opportunity.
I don't know if they can contractually create a Windows app that lets people play, say, GTA that was purchased and compiled for an Xbox. I don't know what details are in the contract to differentiate backwards compatibility from emulating to something more like a PC. That's what I mean by legal - there are a lot of 3rd party publishers that might consider that out-of-contract.
I agree though - MS never being able to create a successful store on their own damn platform has been one of the many epic f-ups of theirs.
It’s extremely unlikely that there’s anything in the contract stopping them, especially since they’ve already emulated their older devices before. Xbox One’s backward compatibility works through emulation, it basically runs an emulated Xbox 360 or original Xbox to play those games.
Also, it’s honestly ridiculous to think they’d use emulation for backward compatibility this time. Given the platform and OS, it’s way more likely they’d just use a simple compatibility layer. That kind of thing is already used by Microsoft on ARM devices, by the Switch 2, and most notably by Apple, so it’s not something that would cause any issues with publishers.
@Vits, google what's available for running a ps4/ps5 game on PC. Or Xbox One. They're EMULATORS. It's not just a simple compatibility layer because it's more than just the AMD instruction set, you've got to emulate bespoke hardware that is only present in these consoles. This is no small undertaking.
Regarding licensing, google "Why Aren’t All Xbox 360 Games Backwards Compatible"
They will 100% have a console. It's too risky not to. They have to satiate the console gamers who are subscribed to GamePass. That is the reason why they will 100% have a console next gen and probably the Gen after that.
The vast majority of conosle gamers will NEVER go to PC, or they would have already done so already. It will never happen. Sure a couple talk about it here and there, but overall it just won't happen.
The only reason, as i see it, that they would not have a conole, would be if they destroyed Gamepass and paid out all the subscribers on console and PC. Gave them back their money. But I don't see it happening. As long as they keep selling on Playstation and have GamePass they can power forward.
You have an excellent point. As of now Xbox is the only way to get GP on console. And to discontinue Xbox would be bad for them on that front.
@ outside
For sure, and if they only had GamePass on PC, then obviously that would mean GamePass wouldn't be sustainable at all. So in effect, not releasing a console would destroy GamePass as we know it. So they NEED to keep releasing consoles. Wether it be 3rd-party-made console or whatever, but there will be consoles and there will be one the gen after next.
Nah, I think that they are just stringing people along. I think in 2027 they are going to "sideline" their consoles.
PC is game pass is most successful platform and has the most growth for Game Pass in 2025, Game Pass isn't more or less profitable on PC vs consoles. The benefit for owning a platform is selling other peoples software but that doesn't seem to be the path they are pursuing, and if rumors are to be believed there are publishers out there who don't what to keep supporting Xbox if it can't sell software for them.
In fact, I think it's more likely they put a Microsoft games only version of Game Pass on Switch and PlayStation than they actually release another console.
@ lowvox
Interesting. But I believe GamePass on console is still by far the majority of GamePass subscribers and MS won't want to give that up. Because if they stop making a console, those gamers are most likely going straight to Playstation and NOT pc and MS will have to refund them their money for their GP subs. Console gamers like to game on console. The vast majority of them do and this is a fact. If they stop making consoles, GamePass won't survive. PC has growth yes, but growth from a number that is not great on it's own yet.
I think they'll make naother console with Steam access. Get them used to a gen with Steam, and then maybe, they will stop console and just hope most will move to PC. But even then, console gamers WANT to game on a console. So they'll go to playstation where there will be no GamePass and also, Sony will get 30% of any 3rd party game sold.
I just can't see them dumping console. If they did, GamePAss would not be able to survive.
"But I believe GamePass on console is still by far the majority of GamePass subscribers and MS won't want to give that up."
"I just can't see them dumping console. If they did, GamePAss would not be able to survive."
Do you know what might help them get over that?
"But even then, console gamers WANT to game on a console. So they'll go to playstation where there will be no GamePass and also, Sony will get 30% of any 3rd party game sold."
@ Raul
"Do you know what might help them get over that?"
No I really don't know. But they just can't afford (the xbox gaming division) to suddenly cut off consoles and 30 million of their customers (which a huge percentage are GamePAss subscribers). I really believe they will supply a console with an Xbox ecosystem to their fans one way or another. Maybe they can mitigate costs by getting a 3rd party to manufacture it. But I honestly believe next gen there will totally be a console and probably the gen after that.
I'm not arguing whether there will be another generation of Xbox consoles. I'm pointing out that your reasoning for your prediction—
"But they just can't afford (the xbox gaming division) to suddenly cut off consoles and 30 million of their customers (which a huge percentage are GamePAss subscribers)."
—is an assertion that is undermined by the reason you argue Xbox can't afford to not make a next gen console:
"But even then, console gamers WANT to game on a console. So they'll go to playstation where there will be no GamePass and also, Sony will get 30% of any 3rd party game sold."
You're arguing that Game Pass players on console would migrate to Playstation where Game Pass won't exist as an alternative to buying Xbox games, with Xbox receiving (around for physical) 70% of each sale.
Game Pass Ultimate: $20 / month.
Xbox is raising prices for some of their games to $80 standard edition. Let's use $50 for argument.
$50 x 70% = $35
Console Game Pass Ultimate monthly price = $20
Xbox cut of Xbox games sold on PS = $35
X = number of Xbox games bought per month on PS by Player A after migrating from Xbox
Y = sub price for a month of GP
35X = 35 x (number of Xbox games bought per month on PS by Player A after migrating from Xbox)
20Y = 20
How can they not afford to have that happen in the scenario you presented?
There are other variables that you're not considering i don't think. All those former xbox console players will now be on playstation. They will mostly buy 3rd party games. That 30% goes to Playstation. Playstation's revenue is more than the xbox gaming division and Nintendo combined. That is due in large part to 3rd party sales. It's in Sony's financial report. So 3rd party support will vanish from xbox consoles. I know revenue is not profit but we know Xbox ain't making profit anytime soon. I don't want to get into the math and my reasoning that is most likely undermined by the numbers you proposed haha ;). But I think there are more numbers to consider. I think there are just too many factors and variables to consider, and there's too much unknown information that we the public are not privy to. I am just speculating obviously. Guessing. You're most likely smarter than me lol, what is your take on what will happen? I'd like to know what you believe will happen.
When I said they can't afford, I didn't mean from a strictly monetary standpoint. Their brand. Their reputation. The loyalty from their hardcore fanbase. The millions and millions of subscribers on console that pay to play online. The refunding of all those GamePass subscribers from console. I mean I just can't see why they would ever not put out a console next gen. Lots of people seem to say, "they're getting out of the console business" and I just think that is crazy talk
I did consider other variables but wanted to keep it contained to the idea that GP subscribers moving to Xbox is something Xbox can't afford. You are correct that Sony would gain more from non-Xbox 3rd party sales with Xbox getting none of the sale where they would have taken ~30% for a 3rd party sale on their console. That's mitigated or offset by two things.
1) There is already a huge disparity in 3rd party sales between PS and Xbox, exacerbated by Game Pass.
2) Xbox loses out on their ~30% cut when a game is played on GP but not bought, and Xbox has to pay for 3rd party games on GP. GP inverts the direction of payment between Xbox and 3rd party devs so that it is Xbox paying the 3rd party devs. That's an expense they wouldn't incur without GP.
There are more variables to consider if looking at the broader argument of whether it would benefit Xbox to ditch consoles. (I don't think GP refunds would be a significant one unless they abruptly end it instead of winding it down.) I was intrigued by the narrower argument that Xbox would make a next gen console because they don't want console subscribers moving over to PS.
Some Xbox fans still trying to score points for Xbox in a lost war have have tried to cope and lash out by pretending they're now happy Xbox is going 3rd party and rallying behind talking points that state or imply that they are the real winners because PS gamers will pay full price so Xbox can give them games on GP. I know that's not what you were doing. I'm saying they have been responsible for pushing that narrative. It intrigues me because the goalposts shifted from arguing that GP is sustainable to implicitly acknowledging that it needs to be subsidized by PS gamers and assuming that MS won't start prioritizing the higher-paying customers and business model.
I can't say what will happen. I agree with what you said about unknown information and guessing. It's okay to acknowledge that and not jump on the internet to assert a prediction. Some prominent users here haven't learned that. Without going so far as to make a prediction on next gen, it's not unreasonable to look at the moves MS is making and suspect that they're moving away from manufacturing consoles, whether that's represented by a Sega style unequivocal exit or the kind of bait and switch 'technically if you look at the fine print' exiting without calling it an exit that they have the money to buy themselves and seems more their style. We don't know, but there is cause to suspect.
I knew this was never going to happen and the next console shouldn't either. Having a console will actually harm them as a 3rd party publisher. That's where their future lies. Concentrate on that.
Maybe they just knew it wasn’t good enough compared to the switch and steam deck. The uproar now about cancelling it will be less damaging to them then actually releasing it…
I think they're still trying to take on the Steam Deck (and SteamOS) by giving the Windows UI a handheld/console-like option. They've already stated that as a focus months ago - that's what they need to keep Windows in the game and protect against a possible SteamOS takeover. I think this article just says that MS isn't working on a custom Xbox handheld with some special chip set that natively plays Xbox games (not PC). I think most people already surmised that.
They should not release a 1st party hand held using widows 11. Maybe the windows 12 team will do better. Windows 11 UX / UI is shit.
An Xbox handheld would fail on arrival, as there is no market for it due to the weak position their console holds. What I want is for the existing console to become less closed by offering an optimized version of Windows with a console-like front end.
If they can give us a Steam Deck like experience with the power of the series consoles, then I would have no issues recommending their console to any gamer. This idea is to remain competitive in their multiplatform strategy.
Since the start of this generation, they have failed to realize their full potential. If their leadership envisioned making the best console of all time, they could have done it instead of buying publishers, but it seems Phil and Microsoft as a whole are not willing to make that type of investment in people like Sony did back in the PS3 days.
I commented that if the PS handled rumors are true then Xbox can't catch a break. Looks like they are getting ahead of this.
Apparently they wanna get life out of the Asus handheld and see how it performs.
No surprise there. I didn’t understand why they even tried at this point. 10+ years ago sure, it would have made some sense.
The obvious question is - since they have trouble selling consoles how are they going to sell a handheld? Obviously they realized this as well, just a bit late since it seems to have been close to being released.
Xbox Series X successor is totally safe, with development continuing at full pace
but the xbox handheld is looking like its been scraped, but they will support a windows handheld in some shape or form
This was a smart move on Microsoft's part to focus either on an optimized layer or OS that can run on any gaming handled.
8gb VRAM 🐌 lol