ASUS is reportedly making Microsoft's Xbox handheld

Earlier this week, it was reported that Microsoft was planning the release of an Xbox handheld that’s set to launch sometime in 2025, and it looks like that handheld is going to be manufactured by ASUS.

In the initial report, it wasn’t mentioned who would be making this handheld gaming device, just that it wasn’t being done in-house by Microsoft and that it would be manufactured by one of Microsoft’s partners. It was also noted that the device is set to launch sometime this year, as long as everything goes according to plan. Which as of now, seems to be the case.

The report also mentioned that the device was codenamed Project Keenan. Following that report, there is now a little more information about what the device will be like, as well as who’s making it. As it turns out, ASUS is said to be the manufacturer. ASUS already has two handhelds under its belt with the ROG Ally and the ROG Ally X. This likely makes it easy for Microsoft to trust that ASUS is the right partner for the job.

The ‘Project Kennan’ Xbox handheld will be made by ASUS

With ASUS being behind the hardware manufacturing, it’s possible the device could end up looking a little like the ROG Ally family. That being said, there’s no information as of yet on what the design will be like. It is said that the device will have definitive Xbox elements, such as the Xbox Guide button. New information on the handheld comes from The Verge’s Tom Warren. In his report, Warren states that the device is actually codenamed Project Kennan, and not Project Keenan as was previously thought.

Additionally, Warren offers up some information on the design of the user interface. It will reportedly look a lot like the interface on the Xbox consoles. All while running on Windows 11. So while it will be Windows 11, the UI will feel like the UI on Xbox consoles to make things easier to navigate.

One of the major pain points with Windows gaming handhelds has been the user interface. Windows works fine on PCs because you have a keyboard and mouse. However, UI navigation doesn’t translate as well to a handheld. Microsoft is working with ASUS to make it simpler to navigate the device UI. Putting the focus on games and making it simpler to jump in and play something. It’s also said that this is part of Microsoft’s larger plan to unify Windows and Xbox.

This is something that Microsoft Head of Gaming Phil Spencer has talked about before. In addition to the Xbox-like UI, games will reportedly come from a single store. Pricing is also speculated to be between $499 and $599. This suggests that performance may be lower than that of the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X. Both of these handhelds run on the AMD Z1 Extreme.

Microsoft still plans to launch its own handheld down the line

While this won’t be a proper handheld version of an Xbox, Microsoft still apparently plans to launch such a device in the future. The current plan is to reportedly launch an in-house Xbox handheld in 2027. This is also when Microsoft is said to be planning the launch of its next-gen Xbox console.

There’s little information about Microsoft’s own handheld at the moment, though. So, those wanting an Xbox handheld will have to settle for what ASUS will be offering in the short term.

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