Microsoft may have accidentally revealed clues to Xbox handheld with Xbox UI update preview
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One of the major bugbears for users of Windows-based handheld devices is in fact Windows itself. Microsoft has previously announced plans to bring a new user interface for those devices. Now we may have just caught a glimpse of what it looks like.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced plans to combine: “the best of Xbox and Windows together” for handheld gaming devices like the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. An official blog post provided a first look at what users can expect, which appears to include Steam games.
The blog post initially showed an image with multiple different devices using the new UI. One of these included the Xbox UI on a TV, with a label clearly marked ‘Steam'. Though harder to see, the same label was also visible on tablet and handheld versions of the UI. The handheld given as an example here is the ASUS ROG Ally, though we already know that Microsoft is working on an Xbox-branded handheld.
The label has since been removed
Once The Verge inquired about this, the image was quickly removed from the official blog post and has been replaced. According to The Verge, the image looked like a mock-up rather than a capture of the UI in use. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have said that Microsoft is still in the relatively early stages of development, so this image may not be indicative of the final product.
One of the main draws for Steam is the appeal of having all your games in one place. If Xbox can replicate this level of convenience, this will be a positive for handheld users who are often frustrated by multiple different game launchers. Xbox head Phil Spencer has previously hinted at plans to roll storefronts such as Epic Games Store and Itch.io to Xbox consoles.
The UI mock-up does add an extra dimension to rumors of what Microsoft is working on with its Xbox-branded handheld device, perhaps this new UI is a hint at what is to come.
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