Sony did that with the PS3 and I don’t think it made a difference.
You maybe get an extra 1% unit sold.
Xbox console have Dev mode that allows for flawless emulation and it made no difference.
Regarding the PS3, wasn’t that at a time when Steam wasn’t even cracking a million concurrent users? It’s many times larger now.
And it was before games like League of Legends and World of Warcraft took off, which you cannot get on console.
If Xbox did figure out how to make an open store approach work, then it could get more game creators and distributors bringing their games to Xbox. Perhaps even more than Playstation since so many games hit PC and mobile first.
I don’t think you can really compare when PS3 did it vs now, nor do I think dev mode that lets you play a few emulators comparable to being able to download a massive, simple functional store like Steam
Did it even have proper driver support that would allow it to run games efficiently, or was is just a basic Linux install that did the bare minimum.
Wouldn’t an open store approach make it easier for developers to skip Xbox store though? It’s a benefit to consumers because it becomes an open subsidized box but wouldn’t make business sense. Either the console prices go up so they make money on hardware or putting other stores isnt an option IMO.
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This is why I’m interested in the upcoming MSI Claw, which seems to have an Android app built in.
Not an “Xbox handheld” of course, but close enough that it would feel like one, once you set it up. And it would save me buying something like the Logitech G Cloud just for Android gaming. (I really want something with a bigger screen than my phone.)
Personally I don’t see MS doing their own handheld anytime soon. I hope they’re working on a Gaming/Xbox-mode for Windows handhelds, though. I also think we’ll see a “Designed for Xbox” branded third-party device sooner or later.
That’s probably one of the primary challenges to make such a model work.
Does Game Pass become the primary reason to gravitate towards the Xbox Store side of things with everything it has and all the ABK stuff it’s about to have?
I think it would come down to the perks of buying/playing in one store over the other. Does the connective tissue with Game Pass, rewards, and cloud streaming make it more competitive? Are there other incentives Xbox might work on to draw more folks in?
In addition, does having such an open platform allow Xbox to buy up even more IP/content to continue making Game Pass a must have even among all the other options?
My uspec stoped working properly today. Screen keeps turning on and off. Frustrating
My logic for this would be that the more open the handheld would be, the more appealing it is but if they make the Xbox OS as smooth as console and have GP front and center with big titles like CoD that most people will just stick to the Xbox OS anyway
Given the current technology limitations. I hope they settle for a 15W -720p-60fps rather than 30-45W 1080p, I’d rather have more battery and less heat than a thick noisy monster 
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Flexibility is the key. This can be achieved by software optization.
That is true. I wouldn’t also mind 1080p -60+ fps streaming
Price is also a big factor here, I wonder what kind of price range they’d be looking at
500 to 600, a little pricier than Deck (2 ?), but more powerful and ensure compatibility with Series S games, could release in 2026 and 2028 range.
100%
Most of the time I run my Ally at 12w 900p 30fps and I’ve no complaints. I get 1.5 hours in Starfield on the regular, compared to the sub-60 minutes I see talked about elsewhere. With airplane mode and energy saver turned on, I can push it further but I haven’t timed that.
If I play plugged in it obviously runs at higher specs than that, and while the difference becomes noticeable if you look for it, it’s not a big difference at all as far as I’m concerned. And definitely not worth it when playing on battery.
My estimates put it at 45 million units. Not too shabby!
That seems pricy, wonder how much that would sell. They need to at least match base Steam Deck price or even the Switch. Maybe they should just aim for Series S specs?
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What is it?
Absolutely $499 and above is too much for a handheld.
I think $399 is the sweet spot.
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Ideally it would replace Series S and have a dock as well.
I reckon £$399 is as much as I’d pay, £$350 and I’d grab one immediately.
More and I’d sit back and wait for reviews / think about it.
I do think it’s interesting as an alternate Series S. If it came to pass, their experiences with Series S/X should hopefully give them the insight to make it work.
I could imagine loads of people who would buy a series X plus a handheld just sticking to the handheld if it can be docked.
The one thing that I’d be concerned about is longevity of controls. I’d welcome something like joycons.