Xbox’s Handheld Pushed Aside In Favour Of Project Kennan
Though it’s still some ways out, Microsoft might be benching their first-party handheld to instead focus on the third-party Project Kennan.
We’re not entirely sure what Microsoft’s plan currently is, but we’ll likely find out during their showcase next month.
In what can only be described as what is becoming a classic Xbox move, the company seems to be shifting focus from its own first-party products to put all its attention on the third-party handheld, Project Kennan. Critics of the platform will no doubt find this par for the course, but most will likely be watching to see what unfolds from this supposed plan.
As we already know, Project Kennan is currently deep in development in partnership with ASUS, with a planned release for sometime this year. Swapping time and resources to the third-party device is likely to try and guarantee a release for later this year, probably to ensure it ships in time for the holiday period.
This new update comes via Jez Corden of Windows Central, who says the current goal for Microsoft is to get Windows 11 into a more stable state for third-party handhelds - like the Kennan. The push to ensure everything is running fine for the Kennan’s release is most likely to focus on having Game Pass good to go out the gate.
Microsoft is also seemingly hard at work on the next-generation Xbox, which is set for around 2027, if things go according to plan, though they have not officially confirmed anything just yet. My guess would be that the focus is on having Project Kennan launch later this year in a bid to catch up on the PC handheld market, followed by the NextBox for 2027, and finally the first-party handheld for sometime after that hits the shelves.
It remains to be seen what Xbox is up to, but we might not be waiting too long for more insight into their plans, with the Xbox Games Showcase on June 8th. Will you be tuning in to see how things play out? Let us know in the comments.
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