What If... Microsoft Had Made A Handheld Console?

BrutalGamer.com writes - "Welcome to the first article in a series of answers to video game ponderings.

What if Microsoft had decided to produce a handheld console? What if they had rivaled Sony's PSP by producing a Xbox-related handheld? What if they produced games for this console that matched the PSP's content?

Well, that's what I'm wondering.

Back in 2006, there were rumors flying around the internet that Microsoft were going to take a shot at the portable gaming market, with what would basically be a handheld Xbox. A very much plausible mock-up of the console itself was made, and gamers were salivating at the possibilities. Halo on the train? Gears of War in the car on a long journey? It certainly was something to get excited about."

[Nelson M]

As Soon as you started playin a game
Just like the 360

[shocky16]

Not.

[-x.Red.x-]

i bet it will burn the hands of the bots playing it before they see the RRoD

[Tr10wn]

Meh RRoD is old and bored you should stop using it, sounds like you don't know how to throw more sh!t on xbox, still they are selling more than sony lol

[-x.Red.x-]

E74 FTL

[a_squirrel]

lol at x.red.x

[AngryTypingGuy]

Like I said before, Nelson's a one-trick retarded pony. Not to mention a f@g.

[Natsu X FairyTail]

It's a good thing that They Dint release a Handheld console.

you guys want to know why?

because NDS was released in 2004 PSP the next year.

so this means that MS handheld would not be as popular as the others.

now maybe they can do something like that when the Next PSP and next NDS will be on the market.

[shocky16]

But to be fair - sales wise it would of flopped. Japan is much bigger to the handheld industry then the console industry.

And we all know how MS products sell in Japan. =/

EDIT: The new Zune HD works with XBL arcade so you could class that as their little handheld..

[gintoki777]

oh i know i know!

they would try to take every company nintendo and sony have! and make metal gear for there handheld also!

[a_squirrel]

We could touch the Master Chief xD

Seriously... no

[Jaces]

I don't think I'd get it due to the lack of me playing the PSP and DS. I really only use them for on the road, so having a third hand held would be a bit of a waste.

I just wouldn't have time for all 3, haha.

[kewlkat007]

Was that suppose to be a joke...come on you can't be serious

[gambare]

Then the expression "mis pantalones mucho calientes" would have a practical sense

[Etseix]

what was supossed to mean?

[Narutone66]

My pants will stay hot all the time.

[gambare]

hehe sorry, that's a joke expression used by the ones who are learning Spanish to say "my pants are hot" in this case if you keep a mini RRoD machine in your pants..... well....

[SpoonyRedMage]

It'd mean no Diddy Kong Racing, Viva Pinata or Blue Dragon on the DS?

"The PSP, for the last two years, has been the staple of portable video gaming"

Haha, no it hasn't... I'd say even the iphone has had more actual impact.

[Cajun Chicken]

...As a PHONE...

[La Chance]

The PSP is actually quite a boring machine, I havnt switched mine on for more than year now i think.

It has so much potential though...

[Model]

boring ? you must first put the umd in, browsing xmb isn't much fun

[bjornbear]

Yes gaming on it is growing like hell buts its a whole seperate market. If you wanna game, you aren't going to buy an iPhone, thats just insane.

As for the PSP being a boring machine? Well it's use also reflects the user my friend. If you haven't invested time on checking out games and emulators, you yourself are a boring person when it comes to gaming =P

I have a friend with a launch PSP and he's cosntantly got new games and stuff on that. From Work Time Fun to FF Crisis Core to TONS of emulators, to DJ PORTABLE MAX

Not to mention the up coming line up that's just SICK, makes some consoles (won't mention them for sakes of not hurting fanboy's feelings =P) gaming line-ups look like a joke.

Hell, if you haven't touched it for months, give it to someone who will give it use. Don't waste a perfectly good handheld console just becuase you lack the initiative ;)

[mrv321]

So it'll have three problems

A Microsoft OS
The problems with Zune
And the problem MS with consoles

Sounds great.

[a_squirrel]

Quote: Sounds great...
not really....

lol

[xino]

they did, I think it was called Origami so some sh... They showed the handheld and someone playing Halo on it.

[tmt345]

I wouldn't buy it.

[PotNoodle]

I can imagine how great the xbox live integration would be on it, so that would be nearly enough to sell me on a portable xbox.

However, most of all - if it had the game support, then yes, i certainly would buy one.

Love the PSP as a platform, i like the DS and would love to see what MS could do.

[ShiNe-Box-]

It would break shortly after being played for the first time.

Microsoft isn't a hardware company.

[La Chance]

The first XBOX was as solid as a rock and as silent as...I dont know but it was dead silent.

Its not a question of being a hardware company or not.

@delumine 2.3 : LOOL, oh well now I know, somebody should have told me earlier !!

@mirroredderorrim 10. : Well heres why I find it boring, I find the PSP alone out of the box without the "firmwares" (Im not sure dats the name...I forgot) not that interesting simply because the games dont appeal to me. except for god of war, MGS and 2 or 3 other games theres nothing that made me feel like playing my PSP. I use to have a SNES emulator, finished FF6 and chrono trigger and never switched my PSP back on again.

Im not trying to bash on the PSP. The lineup Sony showed at E3 for the PSP was the kind of lineup I was expecting every year for my PSP and got me excited again, like back when I first bought it.

[OtherWhiteMeat]

Are you sure you had it on???

[Rockstar]

I seem to remember the original XBox having disc scratching problems similar to the 360 (a problem I've never had with mine, knock on wood) and it's most certainly not "dead silent" but I will say this, It's not as loud as a 360 or my PS2.

[PotNoodle]

"The first XBOX was as solid as a rock"

Maybe physically, but i didn't know one person who had not had problems with their original xbox.

[cherrypie]

> but i didn't know one person who had...

I didnt know one person who didnt own MULTIPLE PS2s. I have 3. Disk scratching? Yep. Disc tray problems? Yep. Overheating/Frying/Bricking... etc etc etc? Yep.

Listen, the Xbox 360 had heat issues, but it was covered by the 3 year warranty! MS admitted, and made-right by their customers.

When my 2nd PS2 died, I couldnt even get the Sony Rep to return my calls.

Anyone who complains about the Xbox 360 didnt have to *BUY* his own PS2 and get pissed when it broke.

The current sales of PS2 are probably about 90% replacement units FFS.

[PotNoodle]

What has the PS2 got to do with this? We're talking about the XBOX.

[jerethdagryphon]

la chance

the first xbox was a pentium 3 cpu
the original nforce motherboard, or rather its direct precessor
64 meg samsung/ kingston ram
10gig western digital or seagate drive
and a custom plastic case.

nothing designed by mircosoft except the os which was windows 2k kernal

[Rockstar]

"I didnt know one person who didnt own MULTIPLE PS2s"

I've never owned more than 1 PS2

[Golfcoachh]

Because I had 4 ps1's

[GEESE]

.

[xlx-russ_92]

equals pocket hand grenade. j/k lol.

[mirroredderorrim]

Your comment is probably more boring yet. You don't even state WHY it's boring.

I love having movies on my PS3 and using my PSP to play them!

My psp can play Sega Gen, Sega CD games, SNES, NES, TurboGrafix, Mame, Neogeo,GB, GBA, PS1 games, it's own original IPs, movies, music, browsing, skype, gps... boring?

Lmao. I'm a launch owner with all 3 models, and I have gotten CFW for 8 of my friends, done by a guy I know in Northern California. (cause many of my friends live there, far from me)

I disagree with you, La Chance. The PSP is showing it's potential as I type this and has much more to spare after I am done.

Bubble, though. I see you're low.

[vx]

hahahhahaa

[Eiffel]

Okay to be honest. They shouldn't Nintendo has a strong hold on the handheld market. As Sony has proved that newcomers just can't touch the surface of what Nintendo has done with handheld market. Another thing I don't understand why people are on about Microsoft can't do hardware. So they rush the 360 and that is the one thing people hold strong in their in head. Yeah it was "RUSHED" now if they had taken time with it. Can you say the same thing? If I do recall the original Xbox was built like a damn iron beast. And had less issues unlike Sony's PS2 Disc errors. Given the chance and time Microsoft could make a really good portable. Don't generalize things based on past mistakes. You look like a douche doing it.

Oh and I'm using a MICROSOFT mouse one hardware device by Microsoft that has lasted longer than any of my logitech mouses. Why? because they did not rush.

[jerethdagryphon]

original xbox is a p3 pc made with rocksolid companys pats designs that were solid and relaible

[bjornbear]

They only came in 2 consoles ago and haven't had half the success Sony had with their 1st two consoles.

Sony could risk a portable because they made enough impact to be recognised as a gaming company, therefore the PSP would stick

MS aren't only not even half way through the life cycle of their 2nd console, but it hasn't gained as much impact as Sony did when they came in (it isn't trolling, its just kinda true =/ esp w Sega being laid off)

I believe, next gen of consoles (circa 2014 - 2015) when MS comes out w a new Xbox, then i believe it will be a good time to hit with a portable as well =)

If they do release one? Yea I believe it'll be interesting. However the portable gaming market has never really had more than two successful ones at a time if you think about it...so what will happen? I don't know, but not this gen IMO

[Mr_iClu7ch]

I will buy it Day ONE!

[kaveti6616]

It will break, DAY TWO!!

[Amplitude]

Stfu. I hate people like you, it obviously would NOT break the day after you get it.

Obviously, if you were to buy a portable X-Box you'd get excited and want to play with it the day you get it, right?
Well that my friend, is the day that it would break. Day one. Not day 2.
Get it right next time. God. >.>

[kaveti6616]

Geez, take a chill pill. You can't hate people you don't know.

[Amplitude]

Sarcasm my friend, sarcasm... "Well that my friend, is the day that it would break. Day one. Not day 2."

Ha. Sorry if it came off rude. xD

[Henry Cain]

You would need a 3yr warranty.

[Alcohog]

Too bad it would probably burn a hole in my pocket; literally.

[ublender]

BSOD on the go!

[Eiffel]

BSOD is a hardware issue. Of which Microsoft's software is on other companies machines. So technically the portable would have to be of another companies and have whatever software Microsoft has implanted upon it.

So that does not work.

[mirroredderorrim]

Fair enough, La Chance. Fair enough.

You gave a good response. Someone give him a bubble. He's about to become extinct.

[thrashermario]

a hand held say good bye to handheld exclusives they will start bribing makers insted of making their own, they will try to steel pokemon and moster hunter, like always M$ steeling others glory.

[aueslander]

Hmm, it took Final Fantasy from Nintendo and Metal Gear from nintendo, so you cant say sony never did what MS has done and is doing right now.

[bjornbear]

The PS1 has CD which increased the flexibility of both devs to do what they wanted to do with their games.

Sony never stole anything, they kind of almost went to sony on their own will =)

So i think he still packs a point....

[mastiffchild]

That's true and definitely something that people tend to get wrong round here. Koj left because of the storage possibilities of CD over carts and FF went the same way. Had Nintendo not backed out on Sony they would've kept them, no?

The situation is not anywhere near the one MS have manufactured this generation where they really needed the third party support which they got by rushing out shoddy hardware(to give devs the ONLY HD console at the time to make for)which we paid for-til they were forced into the extended warranty(which only covered certain issues and sometimes even those that could have been caused by RROD, or the same problems, weren't fixed free)and after the other consoles arrived they had to open the cheque book to get the likes of Capcom onside.

Nothing wrong with that(except rushing the hardware out in an unacceptable state-yes PS2 was fragile but nowhere near the 360's league, not by anyones stats)as they would've been dead and gone in the console game without it but it's true nonetheless. I don't see why it's out of order to do it-Sony could have bought the exclusivity surely? SE were out of order to those gamers who bought PS3 after SE saying for years that FF was staying PS3 exclusive and then changing their minds, not MS though, it's up to them to look after their gamers and console isn't it? And to then not give ANY games to their fans on PS3 was really bad PR AND business from SE-not to mention the crap games they then foisted on 360 owners-in fact I guess SE are just having a bit of a phase where they can't do the right thing at all('cept handhelds).

An MS hendheld would have been far worse selling than even PSP, imo, as the Japanese really do drive that industry even now. MH and Dissidia sales are incredible out there. I'm niot even sure the margins are there that would interest MS even these days.

[DailyAddict]

... it'd be the first handheld to suffer from RROD
... it'd be the first handheld that required you buy all accessories separately and overpriced (mini wifi adapter)
... would be the first handheld to have a yearly subscription to connect to xbox live over wifi.

All jokes aside, I've wondered the same thing, but I'm not sure. Microsoft can't even get its accessories in the line of affordability and the 360 (despite what you want to argue) isn't exactly a pinnacle of hardware perfection. Aside from RROD and E71 it's made poorly with the cheapest parts available in the world. Sliding disk tray, Microsoft? Really? It feels cheap, looks cheap, is cheap. Xbox Live and games is really what made it successful because looking at it from just a hardware standpoint it's pretty awefully built.

And yes, I have a 360 actually play it more than my PS3, but that doesn't change the fact that the 360 is built with pretty low standards of hardware and I would imagine MS would treat a handheld the exact same way. The only thing MS has built with any sort of quality is Zune. Everything else has low standards and are meant to be made as cheap as possible so that MS can profit immediately.

[Knightofelemia]

The market is popular with the Nintendo DS thats the big boy on the market and for the right age catagory, Sony is second because of the features it has and the fact you can use it with the PS3, and the Iphone can do online. Microsoft would have to add something neither of these companies have and honestly I am not a big handheld fan. If the handheld that Microsoft makes is intergrated with the 360 and XBL I might buy one but if it dies will it get the nickname the Red Brick Of Death. If Microsoft would do more with the Zune add more applications to it and intergrate it with XBL and the 360 it could be a good handheld system for the price.

[cherrypie]

LIVE is the killer feature that MS will deliver in it's handheld.

[mastiffchild]

Cherrypie-how many handheld gamers are gonna fork out for Live? You spend most handheld gaming time in places with NO internet connection(one of the reasons that remote play and other PSP features aren't huge sales points for Sony). Live would HAVE to be free for handhelds(won't happen) and even then when you hardly ever use a handheld online(compared to offline usage)would it be a big selling point?

Don't see why it would be and they'd have to bundle in a headset like with the 360 to even try it wouldn't they? Without one where's the massive reason not to get a PSP/DSi? They both have games that run fine online(qwhen you're somewhere you can connect)and in DS case even better than the home console has!

[kaveti6616]

Microsoft needs to make their current console a solid experience before they can expand that experience. Right now, MS needs a boatload more developers. First Party and Second party. After that, they can think about making a handheld. Halo Kart might actually happen. I wouldn't mind. Splinter Cell portable, Viva Pinata portable, Forza Portable, and all of that. It's not like it won't happen eventually, but right now MS needs its gaming division to concentrate solely on making the 360 a perfected experience.

[cherrypie]

The Xbox 360 is the leading HD console on the planet. It is burying the PS3 in the marketplace.

They should launch release a Zune HD with Slide-out controls (think Sidekick or PSPGo type "slide")

They should do this on Launch Day with the Zune HD. The **ONLY** thing the Zune-Game HD would need is controls and LIVE support. Nothing more.

And it would be a *MASSIVE* success.

[kaveti6616]

Bravo, you really wowed me what hyperbolic exaggeration. Burying the competition and what not. Microsoft's competition is both the Wii and the PS3 now, considering Project Natal. And as you probably have been reading sales data during much of your leisure time, you may have noticed that the Wii is indeed burying the 360. And the 360 is only ahead of the PS3 by 8 million consoles. A swing of 8 million consoles can occur from just a price cut. So, if Microsoft wants the 360 to remain ahead of the competition, Microsoft would do better to concentrate on building the 360's library of exclusives and acquiring first party studios with all the money you think they should spend on launching a handheld.

[MriownBOTH]

i don't know..... i bought zune psp ds....no iphone(not a gaming machine..aphone w limited lame games

all in all id probably buy one

ooo i bet it'll have to analogs....i wish psp had that..some games on psp are just so annoying....just for that one reason.

[SYSTEMS-at-WAR]

If Microsoft made a hand-held console there would be a pile of knock-offs following their most popular games like Halo and such and then MS would attempt to buy rights to Mario on their hand-held to dminate the hand-held war as well. ROFL! "Mater Chief... Meet Mario."

[MriownBOTH]

like sony with the psp

god of war - a awesome game
ff
gta
socom...

god you make people look bad

[Pootangpie]

besides it's good for nintendo there DS handheld is makeing even more money since the PSP is giving it competition they may plan on it next gen but if they decided to release one now it would be way too late to try to compete with the PSP and DS

[GameOn]

So much hate in this thread.

[OhReginald]

.

[d_dogg2007]

LOLL!!! Thats hilarious is that the original xbox controller loll! That handheld would be like walking around with a live grenade. Watch your nads boys its gonna burn right through your underwear.

[gumgum99]

It would be pretty interesting if they did. I doubt if it would make much of a difference though..

*looks at DSi*

*theme song starts playing---> http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[AuToFiRE]

mobile ring of death or would you just call it paperweight

[ArcticWolfUK]

if microsoft releases a handheld with 2 analogues i reckon it'll sell well. sony are dumb for not doing it

[keysy420]

too many handhelds for another one

[a_squirrel]

It would be so white, it would blind!

[Obama]

I have an image that the day that it is launched, the US would have multiple bombings reported as terrorist attack, and CNN will report that numerous bots have been destroyed by the deadly WMD.

[devilhunterx]

Mini hand gernades!!

[gameman]

hat Microsoft can do it cause they are hardly handling one console in the market unlike Sony three consoles and they are doing just great

[All Time Greatness]

haha Sonys doing just great? You do realize they are in dead last in EVERYTHING they are competing in with gaming, right?

Xbox is winning.

[i_zamorak_i]

most likely not to happen,
and if they did would they have games for it?

oh ya kiddie games...

[josephayal]

IMAGINE THE RROD IN UR HANDS!! OUCH

[vTuro24]

it would burn your hands off

[AngryTypingGuy]

I haven't owned a handheld since the original black and white Game Boy. They've just never interested me.

[omgwownoobs]

lolz

EDIT: but it would come with a 5 yr warranty and if it burns your house down you can always just sue ms thats the style these days :D, btw i took my stock out of them a lonnngggg time ago after vista and bill left its nothing but corporate slobs that think they know what they are doing

[Mothman]

It would most likely be dirt cheap and it's cooling system would most likely malfunction causing severe burns. Not to fear though, microsoft would cover the skin transplant in their extended warranty now acting as a life insurance.

[gameman]

wether you like it or not bot sony is handling 3 systems in the same time and you know that one of them is the most successfully system in the history of video games and the handhold is also doing great it sells like cakes every where the last but not least the ps3 witch is also doing well considering that it has double the price of your stupid 3fixme also let me remind you that sony will have a fourth system (PSP GO) and so what does that make you think??? that sony doing horrible ??

ha ha too bad for you bot sony is still having the biggest share of the cake and Microsoft only have he remains

note :

the problem is most of the bots where a ps2 players and they know very well that without sony we will not see the games as it is today unlike the 3fixme the only trying to copy sony in every way in the games in the style everything well they sure managed to take the 10 year old kids this i have to say