Xbox chief Phil Spencer recently sat down with Bloomberg for an in-depth interview about the current state of Xbox and where the brand is headed in the future.
Let’s just get this out of the way now.
Don’t expect any surprise handheld gaming hardware announcements anytime soon. While Spencer admits that the company is tinkering with handheld hardware ideas, something is still being determined. After all, the handled market has exploded in popularity recently, with the Nintendo Switch being the most popular handheld in history. Asus is already on its second generation with the Ally X, so it would only serve Microsoft to at least think about it, but something has yet to be promised or even on the roadmap.
The Xbox chief said the company is working hard to improve the existing Xbox app, admitting that the experience should be better, especially on handheld devices. Right now, the app is the focus. Spencer also hinted that Microsoft might not be done with gaming acquisitions, as they may be looking at options in Asia.
As for the Xbox game store, we haven’t heard much in a few months. For now, Spencer says the project is on hold while the Xbox team figures out how to make the store stand out among the competition, i.e., the Apple and Google online stores. Microsoft is facing an interesting balance, as consoles seem to be becoming more expensive and more PC like. The focus is to get the titles in as many accessible places as possible it seems.
Should Microsoft go back to it’s roots when it comes to software and just produce/publish games? Maybe turn the hardware responsibilities over to other OEM’s? Drop it in the comments!
