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What if Microsoft announced an Xbox One Portable?

Y

yyr

Member
TL;DR: It plays all existing and future digital XB1 games, it's as big as a Vita, it costs under $400


I figure this is a long shot, but personally, I'd buy it day one. I feel like if Microsoft is crazy enough to do this, now (or soon) would be the best time.

This would basically be Microsoft's answer to Nintendo Switch, and a potential successor to PlayStation Vita, with the biggest difference being that it would already have broad developer support, from AAA, indies, and everyone in between (outside of Japan, anyway).

Main features:
- plays ALL existing and future digital Xbox One (and backwards-compatible X360) games
- about the size of a Vita
- integrated, non-detachable controls, including L2/R2 buttons next to L1/R1
- 720p screen
- 128GB internal storage, microSD card slot
- battery life target: at least as long as Switch
- $299-399 price tag

Its biggest advantage would be shipping with a library of 1300+ titles right out of the gate, not having to rely on dedicated support from developers, and not having to worry about game droughts. Just like with Switch, you would have the advantage of being able to take your games (and saves) on the road. And the PlayStation advantage of Cross-Buy? You'd have it...not just on some games, but on ALL of them!

Obviously these disadvantages would also apply, in order of impact:
- No support for physical (disc-based) games
- Connection to Wi-Fi would be required to sync cloud saves or access Xbox Live*
- No Kinect support (not a big deal for most people)

* If you're wondering "how does this affect DRM?" I could see Microsoft allowing you to assign a single Xbox One Portable as "yours" as well as a single "home" Xbox One console. This would prevent the issue of requiring an XBL connection to play your games offline, which I'm sure would be a deal-breaker for many.

Thoughts?

EDIT: yes, this makes the broad assumption that this sort of thing is possible. But Microsoft has surprised us before. Also, I'm ambitious lol
 
A

Aztechnology

Member
It would be great if it ran windows making it a phenomenal indie machine. But that's not likely to happen.

And yes I'm aware there are other machines that fit this bill. But not who could make a machine as powerful as one of the big three for a handheld.

There's just not an incentive for them to make something like that anyway.
 
P

Phoenixus

Member
To hit that price point with that level of tech, Microsoft would have to take one hell of a loss. And with patches and hefty download sizes that the xbox one already has, an affordable micro sd card wouldn't last long at all.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
TL;DR: It plays all existing and future digital XB1 games, it's as big as a Vita, it costs under $400



What if Microsoft developed and released magical unicorns into Earth's upper atmosphere?



I'm just saying, that shit's not possible.
 
KingdomHeartsFan

KingdomHeartsFan

Member
The storage sounds like a huge issue since your proposing its digital only, and only has 128gb with micro support. Affordable microsd cards aren't nearly big enough.
 
Y

yyr

Member
JlNX said:
So very expensive? They already have one of those it's called a surface.
Click to expand...

A Surface is much larger than a Vita.

kromeo said:
It would cost a fortune to have the specs needed to play all X1 games
Click to expand...

Would it, though? We're talking about technology that's already several years old.

Note the 720p screen. It wouldn't need to hit the same performance as the original spec, especially if the games can use adaptive resolution (and many already do).
 
B

Beartruck

Member
As long as we're dreaming, I'd like if it came with a free unicorn.

Microsoft could make that system, but there is no chance it'd be $400. They'd make more money not selling it at that price.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
yyr said:
A Surface is much larger than a Vita.
Click to expand...

The Nintendo Switch is larger than the Vita.

You're not going to get an Xbox One into a form factor that's smaller than the Switch.

people are going to tell you 'itll cost a fortune'

they're wrong

it won't cost anything

because it's literally impossible
 
M

meppi

Member
x07DKqv.gif
 
4

4Tran

Member
I would think that Microsoft had gone insane. A mobile Xbox One doesn't serve their strategic interests at all. It also moves them farther from where their strengths are both in terms of development and in terms of where they've positioned their customer base.
 
T

The Greek Freak

Member
90%+ of my Ps4 time is via remote play.

Even though idgaf about any MS exclusive anymore since they ruined Halo I would pay waaaaaaaaay too much to have a better controlling/better running portable way to play third party AAA games.

I have less than 0 interest in owning a regular xb1.

A portable one? Anything under 1k and I'd buy no question.
 
Hexa

Hexa

Member
yyr said:
Note the 720p screen. It wouldn't need to hit the same performance as the original spec, especially if the games can use adaptive resolution (and many already do).
Click to expand...

That's not how this works. It'll either have to be at least the same hardware as XB1, or every game will require a patch before it works with it.
 
D

DarkConfidant

Member
I hope some Microsoft engineer sees this. XD


The Xbox One was large enough as it was. I doubt the portable iteration would be the size of the Vita, if it were to be made anytime in a next 10 years.

It'd at least be the size of the Switch and have a big ol fan&vent like the Switch does.

Basically no part of this is feasible, and definitely not for under $500.
I don't even think they'd be interested in this.
 
Fbh

Fbh

Member
As in all threads like this that have appeared since the switch came out.

Yes, I would buy the product you are describing.
No, what you are describing at the size and price that you are saying just isn't a realistic product.
 
F

funkystudent

Member
I would applaud Microsoft for being able to mess with the laws of physics if they pulled that off.


That kinda portable performance is probably 5 years away.
 
P

PantsuJo

Member
For the price of 799€, I suppose.

For instance:
GPD win is absolutely weak compared to ONE and it costs 399€, if I remember right.

So an actual portable XONE would cost a fortune.
 
Y

yyr

Member
Huge Succeeded said:
You're not going to get an Xbox One into a form factor that's smaller than the Switch.
Click to expand...

I guess I'm operating under the assumption that they'd be able to reduce the size considerably. But it also doesn't have to hit the OG XB1 performance levels, either. This is why the screen is only 720p.

Remember that MS is expanding the Xbox One platform into something that can run games on a variety of configurations.

Hexa said:
That's not how this works. It'll either have to be at least the same hardware as XB1, or every game will require a patch before it works with it.
Click to expand...

Why?

These are games essentially designed for a PC running Windows. That's what UWP is.
 
2

2+2=5

The Amiga Brotherhood
I don't know the price but it shouldn't be impossible, MS is going for scalable games, so a handheld that plays xb1 at lower resolution and settings could be possible and honestly it's what i hoped for before buying a gpd win that may be weaker than a xb1 but it can run pc games(steam, gog etc), emulators, programs etc.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
yyr said:
Remember that MS is expanding the Xbox One platform into something that can run games on a variety of configurations.
Click to expand...

Yes, and it's why this discussion does have room to go somewhere interesting.

However, you framed it around discussing an impossibility. I do expect an MS Portable, some day. It won't be an Xbox One!

What will it be? Let's say MS puts out another console

Xbox Two

and this one is built for game scaling and forward compatibility from the get-go.

so that eventually, MS can put out portable hardware that can run those same games, properly scaled down to run off of limited battery supply on weaker hardware, without having to have said hardware be physically identical or too similar to the Xbox Two, because that'd be impossible.

That's some shit that's on the cards but not quite perfect yet. MS didn't spend this entire generation with scaling and forward compatibility in mind, like they're going to next generation :p

Anyway, the Nintendo Switch has a 720p screen. Why do you think the Nintendo Switch is a relatively weak home console, weaker than the Xbox One? Do you think it's because Nintendo just wanted it that way? or do you think it's because of very real technological constraints?
 
C

Cerium

Member
What fantasy chipset would this use to achieve those graphics for $400 while maintaining a low enough power draw to be portable?
 
Y

yyr

Member
Huge Succeeded said:
The Nintendo Switch has a 720p screen. Why do you think the Nintendo Switch is a relatively weak home console, weaker than the Xbox One? Do you think it's because Nintendo just wanted it that way? or do you think it's because of very real technological constraints?
Click to expand...

It could have been tech constraints, sure. But it also could have been an issue of cost. Think about why the Switch is $299. There's a lot of crazy stuff in there, like JoyCon batteries, and HD Rumble, that we hadn't initially anticipated. All of that adds to the cost. If they were specifically targeting price point rather than hardware power, power may have been on the losing end.

Really, there's no way for us to know how much of the final product was restrained by tech limitations versus cost limitations.
 
M

Majine

Banned
A Vita-sized device, that plays Xbox One games, equal batterylife to Switch.... and at 400 bucks!?

This is a literal "It's nice to want things" if I ever saw one.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
yyr said:
It could have been tech constraints, sure. But it also could have been an issue of cost.
Click to expand...

nope. take a look at that switch teardown sometime.

Did you notice that the battery takes up a third of the Switch's footprint?
It's a giant battery. It's literally as big as it could be.
And it powers the Switch's biggest games for three hours.

If the Switch were any more powerful it couldn't be a handheld. It's not like they could have just popped in a bigger or better battery.

Xbox One is significantly more powerful than the Switch.

And that's just one technical constraint among many. Tell me about the GPU you've got in mind that'll fit into a Vita-sized handheld and run XB1-level graphics with great thermals.
 
C

Cerium

Member
OP, the Switch undocked has a maximum power draw of 8.9W.

The Xbox One S, the latest hardware revision, has a power draw of 50W, which is already half of what the original Xbox One demanded.

Leaving aside issues of economics, what you're proposing is not physically possible and won't be for many years.
 
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