The former vice president of Xbox sings about the aging owner Microsoft: There is no point in launching a handheld, and it should turn to the game itself

IT Home reported on May 31 that according to foreign media tech4gamers reported today, former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra publicly said that it was “meaningless” for Microsoft to launch a handheld.

Ybarra, a former vice president at Xbox, noted that it seemed out of place to continue investing in hardware development at a time when Microsoft was increasingly focused on its transformation as a game publisher. He believes that Microsoft should focus its resources on the game content itself, rather than continuing to develop the device.

Image

Some players left a message asking if Microsoft would completely abandon the console strategy. Ybarra responded that it had already happened and that “the signs were already in sight”.

Not only Ybarra, but also many voices in the industry have questioned whether there is a need to continue to launch consoles in the context of Xbox’s obvious strengthening of its position as a publisher. However, Xbox is still sticking to the hardware manufacturing route, even if the next-generation console may be a “swan song”.

Currently, Microsoft is working to bring Windows 11 closer to the integration of the Xbox ecosystem. The efficient performance of SteamOS on handheld PCs put a real strain on Microsoft.

According to a report by IT House yesterday, it was recently reported that Microsoft continues to promote the Xbox game handheld plan, but the current focus is no longer on developing native Xbox handhelds, but instead shifting to optimizing the Windows 11 system for third-party handhelds.