Zoned in

May 4, 2007

What if Microsoft released a handheld?
By: Eduardo Zacarias

In a Nintendo universe and a Sony planet, what if Microsoft decided to compete in the world of portable gaming?

With the games industry having moved on to the next-generation of consoles, it’s not hard to imagine the endless possibilities of new games and technology that continues to push gaming to new and exciting levels. It wasn’t too long ago that Nintendo was the only dominant figure that claimed a hold on handheld gaming until Sony’s PSP came along to offer some competition. With Nintendo pushing its Nintendo DS and Sony its PSP, we wonder why Microsoft hasn’t joined these two leading powerhouses by designing and marketing their own portable gaming machine.

In a time when Sony and Nintendo’s consoles were fighting for gamers’ attention, Microsoft introduced the Xbox. It was a risky move, yes, but one that quickly became an established force to be reckoned with and one that was successful enough to move on to the next-generation with much fanfare. Would it be risky for Microsoft to push a handheld of their own? Yes, but just like the Xbox the risk would probably worth it if the quality of the handheld matched that of the two consoles. The Xbox Portable (as we’ll call it here) will run into many obstacles along the way but in the end these are hurdles Sony had to go through as well. 

One major obstacle that can play against Microsoft is the already established Nintendo brand that is still dominating the handheld market despite the fact that Sony’s PSP has reduced it’s retail price from $200 to $170. Nintendo’s hold on the market doesn’t mean that Microsoft’s handheld would go the way of the Gizmondo but it means that the company Bill Gates founded should not underestimate the house that Super Mario built. All one has to do is look at the Rune, Microsoft’s very own sleek and sexy MP3 player, and how consumers are snubbing it for the Apple iPod, a product that most consumers already know and are comfortable with since it found itself on the store shelves a long while back.

Let’s say that the Xbox Portable doesn’t design its handheld with any next-gen bells and whistles such as a touch screen like the Nintendo DS or motion sensor technology like the PS3 SIXAXIS controller or Nintendo Wii Remote. It will have to rely on the ability to display graphics that would exceed the impressive graphics capabilities of the Sony PSP. What if Microsoft designed a graphics chip that was capable of displaying original Xbox quality graphics? It would definitely be a major advantage for the Xbox Portable. 

Yet a handheld (or a console) isn’t anything without the main attraction … games. Sony’s attempt to give Nintendo some competition wasn’t off to a good start since the majority of launch titles didn’t exactly push all the amazing things the handheld could do and there wasn’t a major title that had casual gamers salivating. What the Xbox Portable will need is a killer ap and all Microsoft has to do is look to their console’s exclusives, one of which is the Halo franchise. Imagine launching the Xbox Portable with a handheld Halo game that would link the events seen in Halo 3 with Halo 4. While PSP gamers have yet to get their hands on Gran Turismo Mobile, why not launch with a portable Forza game? Sure, we love the third-party offerings but in order to make a real impression on launch it’s important to bring console exclusives to the table. Imagine if the PSP had launched with a God of War title or the Nintendo DS with a Legend of Zelda game and you’ll see what I mean.

Another feature that will help sell the Xbox Portable will certainly be the Xbox 360 and new Xbox Live features. Using the USB port on the Xbox 360, the handheld could be hooked up and could, say, download games from the Xbox Live Arcade as well as trailers and shows. Imagine being able to download classics like Castlevania to memory card to play whenever you want. Let’s say you missed the latest episode of 24, why not connect your Xbox Portable to your 360 and download the latest episode? Speaking of online, the Xbox Portable would have to connect via an Infrastructure mode or Wi-Fi to play games online. Online multiplayer could even be handled similar to the Xbox Live service. Who wouldn’t want to be sitting in a café and participating in a portable Halo deathmatch tournament?

Another important factor in making a new handheld stand out is the controls and the Xbox Portable should at least outdo the PSP by adding a second analog stick. One of the biggest complaints is the fact that both the DS and PSP don’t really do justice to first-person shooters. It was interesting to see how Microsoft had made changes to the original Xbox controller (doing away with the bulk original for the Controller-S) and getting it right for the Xbox 360. Since triggers would be really out of the question, a second analog stick or nub would be something to consider.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m in love with my Nintendo DS and my Sony PSP. Both have enough titles to satisfy a hungry gamer such as myself but - if you’re like me - you can’t help but think what might happen if Microsoft did jump into the portable market. If they do decide to design and release their own handheld, I would jump in line as long as they design it with every intention of bringing the same quality we have come to love since the Xbox came into our lives.