Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said late last year that an Xbox gaming handheld was years away. However, that doesn’t mean other OEMs are not working on building one with the approval of the Redmond software giant. According to The Verge’s sources, Microsoft is working to unify Xbox and Windows as a single platform, and Asus is one of its launch partners for this effort. As for the OEM, it’s working on Project Kennan — the codename for a gaming handheld that will likely benefit from Redmond’s efforts with the possibility of launching this year.
Aside from the hardware that Asus is building, Microsoft is also working on Project Bayside, a framework built to standardize the Xbox user interface across different devices. This will run the gaming handheld that Asus is building and is based on Windows but with an Xbox skin on top. Both Kennan and Bayside seem to be a part of Microsoft’s effort to integrate the best of Xbox and Windows.
