The last couple of months, we've repeatedly posted rumours, fairly credible insider reports and even statements from Xbox team leaders indicating that Microsoft is currently working on a portable Xbox.
During Game Developers Conference, Polygon had the opportunity to talk to Microsoft's gaming boss Phil Spencer, who was in a very chatty mood regarding portable gaming. Among other things, he explained that his Lenovo Legion Go doesn't feel like a portable Xbox and explained that he has a whole list of things that are missing (including Xbox menus from the console and cross-saves), he added:
"I want to be able to boot into the Xbox app in a full screen, but in a compact mode. And all of my social [experience] is there. Like I want it to feel like the dash of my Xbox when I turn on the television. [Except I want it] on those devices."
But he didn't stop there, telling us that the Xbox hardware team has "different hardware form factors and things that [they] could go do", implying that they can do more than regular consoles. He then continued "What should we build that will find new players?", which certainly sounds like a portable device, before adding "That will allow people to play at times when they couldn't go play?".
Spencer also believes that one of the major problems with today's PC-based portable devices is Windows, and he says self-critically that he obviously has work to do to be able to run everything with a controller:
"The things that usually frustrate me are more Windows-based than device-based. Which is an area I feel some ownership of. Like, I want to be able to log in with a controller. I've got my list of things we should go do."
That sounds like a person who is very open and doesn't deny that there could be a portable Xbox coming from Microsoft, or do you interpret these statements differently?