HANDHELD NEWS – Contrary to earlier rumors, new information suggests that Microsoft’s handheld console will be powered by a custom low-power AMD APU.

On the NeoGAF forums, Kepler_L2—a reliable AMD insider—commented on Microsoft’s yet-to-be-announced handheld platform. He stated that a custom low-power AMD APU will be at the heart of the device. However, other Xbox-branded devices might use different APUs from various manufacturers, such as Lunar Lake or Panther Lake from Intel, Zen 2 Extreme from AMD, N1 from Nvidia, and X Elite 2 from Qualcomm—an Arm-based chip that had previously been rumored. Intel seems to be falling out of favor, with even MSI switching to AMD for its new Claw.

While it was expected that Microsoft would stick with AMD for its next-generation systems, including the handheld, a recent job listing suggested that some upcoming Xbox hardware might shift to Arm architecture. While this would make sense for handhelds due to Arm’s energy efficiency, it would also raise compatibility issues with existing software. Moreover, losing access to much of the Xbox game library would run counter to Microsoft’s current strategy of making its games available on as many devices as possible.

A switch from c86 to Arm wouldn’t make much strategic sense either, so both Sony and Microsoft are expected to continue relying on AMD technology for their next-gen hardware.

Since the actual Xbox handheld is likely still years away, the first step in Microsoft’s portable strategy will likely be the previously mentioned Xbox-branded device—Project Kennan. Images have already surfaced showing the Asus ROG Ally with an Xbox button. Unsurprisingly, it will run Windows and feature an interface that mimics that of an Xbox console. It’s expected to launch later this year.

Source: WCCFTech, NeoGAF