The Truth About Xbox Series V
The Xbox Series X and Series S will be arriving next month, but many fans seem to think that Microsoft still has a few surprises up its sleeve. An image has been making the rounds on social media for the last few days that has fans in a frenzy. The image purports to show a leaked advertisement for the "Xbox Series V," a supposed handheld console from Microsoft.
There are a few reasons to believe that this image is less than legit. First of all, there's the fact the Series S has pretty much had its entire marketing campaign built around its size and cost. Xbox has referred to the Series S as boasting "next-gen performance in [the] smallest Xbox ever," so it would be pretty weird for the company to come out with something even smaller, right on the heels of the Series S. And then, of course, there's the design of the alleged Series V.
The design of the handheld seen in this image is interesting. The bottom half of the system is a chunky rectangle with all of the Xbox controller's usual buttons sort of spread out on it. It's difficult to imagine being able to play this thing and maintain a grip on it, especially when it looks like the back of the handheld is almost flat. The only part where the back seems to take on a different shape is towards the top, where full-size trigger buttons have been included behind the console's screen.
Oh, and speaking of the screen: that might actually be the least functional aspect of the design, and the clearest indicator that this image is a total fake. The screen for the alleged Xbox Series V is apparently a super thin flat screen perched precariously above the control pad. There's a small hinge at the bottom of the screen, which would indicate that the display is somewhat adjustable. However, just a quick look at how the controls below the screen are situated would seem to prove that this set-up is unfeasible. How in the world is this thing supposed to close? The thumbsticks alone would seem to prevent that. If the handheld is meant to stay open with the screen out all of the time, that would certainly make it one of the least convenient portable gaming systems of all time.
Despite all of these red flags, gamers seem to be split on whether or not they believe the image is real. The responses to the "leaked" image vary from genuine interest to utter disdain.
A fan on Twitter pointed out that pushing a handheld like this would seemingly be a backwards move for Xbox. After all, the company has been making a big push for xCloud gaming on mobile phones and tablets. Xbox even partnered with Samsung over the summer to showcase the Galaxy Note 20 as a perfect device for mobile gaming. Xbox would be putting a lot of that effort to waste by turning around and putting out its own handheld gaming device.
Some other fans are enthusiastic about the supposed Series V leak. One person expressed their hopes that PlayStation could produce a similar device. Another fan said that they would love to see a portable Xbox console, regardless of whether or not this image was legit.
Others are unsure of the image's authenticity, but hate the system's design all the same. For instance, one fan remarked that their hands were hurting just from looking at the system's awkward design, while another person tweeted, "If it's real then it looks disgusting."
What's even more odd is that this is not the first time that rumors of a third next-gen Xbox have popped up in recent weeks. Last month, an image began to circulate that seemingly showed a console that sat between the Series X and Series S in power. This console was also referred to as the "Series V." However, this Series V was depicted as looking almost exactly like the Series X, except smaller and lacking a disc drive. The implication was that the Series V was in fact an all-digital system that was more powerful than the Series S.
Microsoft never made any kind of formal statement when that picture started making the rounds, and the general consensus seemed to be that this Series V was fake. Still, it's interesting that the "Series V" title keeps popping up again and again.
So yes, it's more than likely that this latest Series V reveal is fake. It's worth noting that Microsoft has yet to respond to any speculation concerning the Series V "leak." However, it has been interesting to see how fans have reacted to the design and the overall idea of an Xbox handheld. Who knows? Perhaps the commotion stirred up by this image could inspire Xbox to try its hand in the portable console market.