A reliable insider has claimed that Xbox's in-house handheld has♓ been "essentially cancelled" so that the team can continue focusing on the next software platform.

One of the most surprising announcements that was m🌳ade at last week's Xbox Game Showcaꦜse was the reveal of the ROG Xbox Ally. While handhelds are all the rage right now and something that most companies seem to be chasing, it wasn't that long ago when it was reported that Xbox had "shelved"🐟 its handheld✃ that was in production.

Related
I'm Thrilled Silksong Finally Has A Release Window, But Microsoft's Focus On The Xbox Handheld Makes It Feel Like A Hollow Victory

It showed up as a footnote in a handheld sales pit𝓰ch.

3

That report made it seem like Xbox wasn't interested in working on a handheld, but the ROG Xbox ♚Ally suggested it was more interested in partnering up with someone foꦍr the project. Well, that now seems to be confirmed, as a reliable insider has claimed that Xbox has basically given⛦ up on its in-house handheld.

If You Wanted An In-House Xbox Handheld, You're Out Of Luck

The ROG Xbox Ally Will Have To Do

NEWS white Xbox logo over black background and larger green Xbox logo.

, who is one of the most trusted sources when it comes to Xbox news. In a new post detailing the announcement of the ROG Xbox A🌺lly, Warren references the recent reports of the handheld being "sidelined" recently, before saying that he's now heard from insiders that it's been "essentially cancelled" altogether.

This is apparently so that Xbox can focus on its next "software platform". Warre💦n says that he thinks we'll see next-gen Xbox hardware at some point, but that there will be devices from PC makers like Asus that will essentially be considered next-gen Xbox consoles. It's yet another turn that makes it seem like Xbox is less interested in its own consoles right now.

Warren also speculates that these handhelds are a "market ಞtest" to see where Microsoft and Xbox go next when it comes to combining Windows with Xbox. It's not clear what's going to happen to the next-generation console t🅘hat Xbox previously confirmed was in development, but it does seem like the in-house Xbox handheld is now a thing of the past in favour of these partnerships.

Next
Chrono Odyssey Is Essentially Korean New World, And That's No Bad Thing

It's about time another studio included a little bit of New World's magic in a new 🦋MMO.