Xbox lets slip major plans ahead of potential handheld launch

It's common knowledge that Xbox is planning its own gaming handheld, with experts suggesting that the new console, codenamed "Project Kennan", could come as soon as this year. Now there's further evidence to support it.

Microsoft itself has let slip a major step in the process, by posting a marketing image online that shows Steam integration within the Xbox Windows app.

Spotted by The Verge before it was taken down again, the image appeared in an official Xbox blog post. It showed a montage of devices running the Xbox platform under the tagline "Opening a Billion Doors with Xbox" and included an Asus ROG Ally – the device thought to be the blueprint for Kennan.

However, that's not even the interesting bit.

In the background is a new Xbox UI running on a TV and you can clearly see a tag for "Steam". That is a massive hint that Steam integration is coming to Xbox and there's one distinct device type that would certainly benefit.

As The Verge notes, the same Steam tag can be seen on the ROG Ally handheld.

The marketing image looks more like a mockup than a full reveal, but as it was posted by the company itself, there's no reason to doubt its validity. That it was also pulled from the post soon after suggests it was mistakenly added, and there are things in it that aren't meant to be public knowledge yet.

Sources have told The Verge that there is definitely a planned update to the Xbox app in the pipeline, and it could show you all of the games you have installed on your PC, not just those from Xbox or PC Game Pass.

That would make sense considering the leak, but it also nicely fits with a dedicated Xbox gaming handheld UI, don't you think?