Earlier this week, WindowsCentral's Jez Corden published a report detailing Microsoft's plans for the next-generation Xbox as well as the long-awaited Xbox handheld. As for the former, the report said a successor to the Series X is already in the works for a targeted 2027 release window.
When it comes to the latter, Microsoft is allegedly planning its own handheld system (also due in 2027), but the report also mentioned an Xbox-partnered handheld device codenamed Project Keenan due this year with the partnership of a PC OEM manufacturer.
A few hours ago, The Verge's Tom Warren shared his own (paywalled) report in the latest Notepad newsletter. First, the project's correct codename is Kennan, not Keenan. Second, his sources revealed that the Xbox handheld's manufacturer is ASUS. The device will run on Windows, of course, but it will feature an interface very much reminiscent of the Xbox consoles.
This is reportedly part of a larger project codenamed Project Bayside to unify Xbox and Windows under a unified Xbox user interface regardless of the device being used. Warren also wrote that Microsoft is working to ensure a single store for games and an easier way for game developers to create titles for handhelds, console-like hardware, and PCs.
At CES 2025, Microsoft's Jason Ronald, Vice President of Xbox Gaming Devices and Ecosystem, openly teased this concept when he said that they've worked hard to bring the best of console and PC together, drawing on their long-time experiences on both platforms, as part of their Xbox handheld efforts. Right now, Windows-powered PC handhelds don't really offer the most user-friendly experience, and Microsoft aims to address that with this initiative.
Following Warren's report, Corden wrote another article to admit that the colleague was right on the Project Kennan codename. He also corroborated that ASUS is indeed the chosen manufacturer and offered an estimate on the likely pricing: between $499 and $599. This could hint that the hardware could be using AMD's Z2 Go chipset previously seen on the Lenovo Legion Go S. The Z2 Go chipset is slightly slower than the Z1 Extreme and quite a bit slower than its larger sibling, the Z2 Extreme. However, it's still more powerful than the APU currently available in Valve's Steam Deck. The Xbox handheld would, therefore, sit somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to performance, although again, this information is not at all assured.
Stay tuned for more details.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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