I’ve been writing for more than a year about how Microsoft needs to overhaul Windows on handhelds and use an Xbox OS UI on top, keeping the complexity of the Windows desktop hid

Valve’s handheld device, the Steam Deck, wasn’t the first portable gaming PC ever created, but it is by the far the most successful. And like Steam becoming the de facto way people play PC games in 2025,

Nearly 80% of businesses and 70% of consumers plan to refresh their PC portfolio by the end of 2025—or so says Microsoft.

Jason Ronald, Microsoft's VP of Next Generation, wants to bring "the best of Xbox and Windows together" on existing gaming handheld PCs.

Just a few days ago, security researchers warned hundreds of millions of Windows users they’re at risk from a “ dangerous security fiasco .” Microsoft has now confirmed the same, proclaiming 2025 “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh.” And for 400 million users in particular, that means hitting the stores before it’s too late.

Microsoft is making a full court press to get the hundreds of millions of users still running Windows 10 to pick up a new Copilot+ PC with Windows 11.

“I would say it’s bringing the best of Xbox and Windows together, because we have spent the last 20 years building a world-class operating system, but it’s really locked to the console,” says Ronald. “What we’re doing is we’re really focused on how do we bring those experiences for both players and developers to the broader Windows ecosystem.”

The future of Microsoft's handheld gaming plans includes a marriage between the best of Xbox and Windows. That's according to Microsoft's Xbox hardware veteran Jason Ronald, who also teased that the company would have "a lot more to share later this year" on what exactly its Windows-powered handheld vision might look like.

Microsoft may be working on an Xbox handheld but it's also promising to improve the gaming experience across all Windows gaming handhelds.