HANDHELD NEWS – The manufacturer of the hardware project, reportedly codenamed Keenan, was previously unknown, but rumors have shed some light on that as well.

Earlier this week, we reported what Windows Central editor Jez Corden published about Xbox’s next-generation plans. These include the handheld Xbox, codenamed Keenan, and so far all we know is that a well-known PC manufacturer could be behind it. At the time, we mentioned three companies as possible manufacturers – Lenovo, MSI, and Asus. Now we know which one it is!

Tom Warren, editor of The Verge, put what he learned about the Xbox handheld project behind a paywall. In his latest Notepad newsletter, he writes that the codename is Kennan, not Keenan. According to his sources, the Xbox handheld manufacturer is Asus. Since that company has experience with the ROG Ally (and the hardware is pretty good), Microsoft’s choice is a good one, if that is indeed the truth. Understandably, the device will run on Windows, but will have an interface very reminiscent of the Xbox.

It’s supposedly part of a larger project, Bayside, which aims to bring Xbox and Windows under a single Xbox interface, regardless of which device you’re using. The Redmond-based company is working on a unified storefront, Warren says, so that game developers can easily create games for handheld PCs or console-like hardware. It’s a concept that Xbox’s vice president of gaming devices and ecosystem, Jason Ronald, hinted at at CES this year (they want to combine the best of the PC and console experience).

But after Warren, Corden took to the keyboard again and admitted that he was wrong about the Xbox handheld’s codename. He also confirmed Asus as the manufacturer and teased a possible price: $500-600, suggesting that it could be based on AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Go (Lenovo Legion Go S), which is also slightly slower than the Z1 Extreme, but more powerful than the Steam Deck’s APU.

None of this is official yet!

Source: WCCFTech