At this point, I think it’s pretty clear what the next hardware investment will be for the two biggest gaming brands, Microsoft and Sony.
・”Nintendo Switch” has become a huge hit not only because of its rich game library, but also because of its portability.
Valve can’t keep up with demand for Steam Decks, which bring your PC library to your handheld
・New support for cloud game streaming, local play, and streaming play from game consoles announced by Verizon, Razor, and QualcommdeviceThird parties are also starting to enter, such as
The last one actually featured an Xbox logo at the end of the announcement, implying that the device could come with Xbox cloud gaming. But I think it would be wise for Sony and Microsoft, the Xbox and PlayStation brands, to start thinking about their own handhelds. I think it’s a question of “when” rather than “if”. Which one do you ride the most? I think so.
Sony ahead of its time
Sony has experience making portable hardware with the PSP and PS Vita, but given the recent resurgence of handheld game consoles, they were ahead of the curve. It seems
But even if that were the case, and even if Sony had experience in this area, I doubt if now is the time. Sony’s next big hardware investment is already happening and it’s PSVR 2, but it has a much more limited audience than potential handhelds. Yet they continue to invest.
–Handheld game machine that will be called “Xbox Series M”–
What’s more, the company is already unable to produce enough PS5s to meet demand. Adding another device on top of that is overkill. Especially when many PlayStation software for PC can be purchased through Steam Deck. It’s also less invested than Microsoft in the cloud, which is a big part of these devices.
Most likely Microsoft
It seems to me that Microsoft could start developing a handheld game console in the next few years. The Xbox mobile model, which will be called the “Xbox Series M”, will definitely be a device for playing Xbox cloud gaming titles. But I wish Microsoft would be more committed to the same things Valve is doing with Steam Deck. After all, games are ultimately best played locally, and cloud gaming is still a long way off.
While Microsoft offers the Xbox Series X and S with different tech specs for different customers at different prices, it seems most likely that such hardware will be new. Xbox Game Pass is unlikely to make it to Switch, so Microsoft will want to make its own device that can take advantage of this kind of frenzy common to Switch and Steam Deck. Sure, you can play Xbox games on regular mobile devices like phones, iPads, and newer devices like that, but what about a mobile-only Xbox? Especially if Microsoft sees that Sony is busy producing VR and PS5 and can get there first, why not be a hit.
Of course, both companies may eventually make handhelds, but I don’t see that happening any time soon in the next few years. Mobile games (and not just smartphone games) are now massive and getting bigger, and the companies that make them will develop dedicated hardware that reflects their popularity.