In a shock replace, Xbox has begun displaying an “Xbox Handheld” emblem on some sport pages, together with Gears of War: E-Day, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and extra. To be truthful, this is not all that shocking. Xbox already signifies whether or not a sport is handheld-optimised throughout the Xbox app, however it’s nonetheless a neat graphic that makes it instantly clear the place a sport might be performed.
Now, forgive me whereas I’m going off on a barely speculative tangent, one that I also saw VideoCardz explore. Rumors have been swirling for some time about Xbox creating its personal in-house handheld, and personally, that is the machine I actually wish to see. While I recognize options like Xbox Play Anywhere, not with the ability to entry my whole Xbox library on my Xbox Ally X pains my soul each time I flip the factor on.
Honestly, I’ll be fairly gutted if that machine finally ends up caught on the again burner and by no means sees the sunshine of day, which is completely potential given the present state of the trade. Memory prices remain stubbornly high, and hardware costs in general are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, something even Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma bluntly admits herself.
Back on topic, though, Xbox being upfront about exactly where its games can be played is a nice touch. Realistically, the Xbox Handheld tag is probably just a reference to devices like the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, one of which is even showcased beneath the badge itself.
Still, seeing that label gives me some confidence that a game has been optimized well for portable hardware and beyond. It also gives me hope for those out there still rocking a Steam Deck. While Valve’s handheld isn’t officially listed, the Z2 Go powering the Xbox Ally isn’t in a completely different league, and if a game can run well on one handheld, that’s usually a good sign for optimization in general.
Anyway, let me know what you think of the new Xbox Handheld badge in the comments below, and be sure to take part in our poll below:
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