Microsoft’s gaming chief says Windows is holding PC handhelds back

Portable gaming handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go run on Windows, true. But if Microsoft itself were to make such a console, it appears that Xbox, not Windows, may have the upper hand.

In an interview with Polygon, Microsoft Xbox and gaming chief Phil Spencer described how he wants portable gaming consoles like the Lenovo Legion Go or the ROG Ally to feel “more like an Xbox,” he said. But the killer quote is one that blames Windows itself: “The things that usually frustrate me are more Windows-based than device-based,” he said.

To be fair, the Xbox brand at Microsoft now encompasses both PC and consoles. If you load up the Xbox app on Windows, you can play Xbox Series X games on console — well, mostly. The overlap isn’t complete. Spencer told Polygon that he’s interested in exploring that making portable consoles more Xbox-y could include either hardware or software approaches.

So, no, Spencer didn’t announce a portable handheld Xbox console. Still, all of the quotes that Polygon included leaned in that direction. “I like the fact that Valve, Lenovo, and Asus went out and innovated in a new form factor,” Spencer said. “And I will say that when I’m playing on those devices, it almost feels more like a console than a PC — nine times out of 10.”

Perhaps that tenth time is the one breaking the immersion. PCWorld’s Adam Patrick Murray and contributor Will Smith recently hashed out the question “Does Windows suck for gaming handhelds?” over on YouTube.

Microsoft has been talking about a portable gaming device for literally decades. And a 2023 update of the Xbox app paved the way for better portable gaming. All Spencer seems to be saying is that if Microsoft were to introduce a portable gaming console into the market, it would have a choice between taking a Windows/Surface approach or an Xbox approach. And Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s gaming guru, would prefer it to come from Xbox instead.