First up, Microsoft is working with a PC gaming OEM (think ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, etc.) on an Xbox-branded gaming handheld, surprisingly slated for later in 2025 if plans are met.

Codename "Keenan," this gaming handheld will look unmistakably "Xbox" we're told, complete with an official Xbox guide button, and Xbox design sensibilities.

Given that this is a partner device, similar to Lenovo's SteamOS partnership with Valve, I expect this handheld to be more PC-oriented.

It'll most likely run full Windows, putting the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass front and center, alongside the ability to install things like Steam.

Because indeed, our sources also indicate that Microsoft's internal successor to the Xbox Series X|S platform has been fully greenlit all the way up to CEO Satya Nadella.

For now, I understand that Microsoft's next-gen hardware plans include a premium successor to the powerful Xbox Series X, alongside its own Xbox gaming handheld, and several new controller options. Tentatively, these new console devices are slated for 2027.

Thanks to the Xbox Series S, Microsoft already has a large amount of games that could be more easily ported to a handheld-type system, too.

The strong possibility that these future systems will remain backward compatible ensures that those of us who are digitally locked to the Xbox ecosystem will have a place to upgrade to in the future.

Future Xbox games will likely be Windows-oriented, hopefully with "Xbox Play Anywhere" as a default licensing model.