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

In December, it was announced that Xbox's "VP of next generation" Jason Ronald would be appearing on a PC handheld panel at CES 2025, and that's what happened last night - although nothing major was revealed for Xbox specifically.

Speaking during the ‘The Future of Gaming Handhelds’ roundtable at the show, and then in more detail to The Verge, Ronald revealed Microsoft wants to combine the Xbox console operating system with Windows, saying: "Our goal is to put the player and their library at the centre of the experience.”

The last time I tried playing games on Windows handhelds, it was a weird process. For all the flexibility of Windows and the freedom to run multiple app stores and customize however you'd like, a lot of things act weirdly and are very hit-and-miss.

Microsoft has said that it plans to bring the best of Xbox and Windows gaming experiences for handheld devices.

Xbox chief Phil Spencer has been dropping hints about an Xbox handheld for months, but what about Windows handheld gaming PCs? Jason Ronald, Microsoft’s VP of “Next Generation,” tells The Verge that we should expect to see the Windows handheld gaming experience change within this calendar year.

"Our goal is to put the player and their library at the center of the experience and not all the work that you have to do today"

While an Xbox Handheld direct from Microsoft might be a ways out, the operating system to power those changes is coming sooner than you think.