The Chinese company Tencent, which is one of the largest modern game publishers and, concurrently, the only distributor of Nintendo Switch in China, has long been eyeing the portable console market.
Rumors about her branded console appeared back in 2020, but these rumors were confirmed only at the beginning of 2021 after the publication of a patent for the design of a device that would run games based on Windows. Here’s what that console looked like.
However, now we have new images of a completely different device, which, according to rumors, will become the company’s first console.
As you can see, there is no Windows button left on it, which means, most likely, we have a set-top box focused on mobile gaming.
It is possible that both consoles will see the light in the near future – one can become a competitor to Valve’s Steam Deck, and the other can compete with Nintendo Switch with direct access to all the publisher’s games and branded projects of internal studios.
There are no characteristics of either one or the second device. The expected time to enter the market is also unknown.
It is possible that these are just concepts, and the console itself or consoles are still at an early stage of development.
Nevertheless, the appearance of the first details about such a device from such a major player in the gaming world is a good sign for all fans of portable consoles.
The market has revived, which means that there will soon be even more such consoles.