Microsoft Pauses Xbox Handheld Development to Focus on Optimizing Windows 11 for Portables

Wandering through the realms of gaming gadgets, I stumbled on some tidbits about Microsoft’s handheld ventures. Or lack of, depending on how you look at it. Turns out, they’re pressing pause on their own Xbox gizmo to polish up gaming stuff for Windows 11 and Asus’ newcomer, the ‘Kennan’. Who names these things, anyway?

SteamOS has been wowing folks with its dance on Windows 11 handhelds. Remember when we dove into Lenovo’s Legion Go S? Yeah, that thing juggles both SteamOS and Windows 11 like a circus act. Sure, running SteamOS means waving goodbye to Game Pass. But if you can overlook that, it purrs like a kitten. A high-performance kitten.

So, about this Xbox handheld saga — Microsoft was tinkering with in-house toys and this Asus ‘Kennan’ deal. The ‘Kennan’ is apparently on track to land later this year, with its bells and whistles mostly ready. As for Microsoft’s own contraption, well, they’ve tucked it away for a rainy day.

Windows 11 has been the stage for many portable gamers’ dreams, but now there’s this SteamOS twist. Devices like the Legion Go S and Asus ROG Ally play host to both. SteamOS is that showoff with the performance bragging rights, while Windows 11 boasts all those neat Windows-y features.

And hey, if tech gossip tickles your fancy, you might want to catch Tom’s Hardware on Google News. Just sayin’.