Asus Unveils ‘Kennan’ Handheld Teaser Days Ahead of Switch 2 Release

Whispers of an Xbox handheld have been circulating for some time now, and Asus seems to have stirred the pot further with a tantalizing teaser they shared on X, which you might remember as Twitter.

In their video, an animated robot is seen tinkering away at improvements on a terminal. Just as the upgrades are about to take effect, in come what appears to be an ROG Ally X gaming console and an ROG Raikiri Pro controller, falling dramatically beside the character. The twist? The robot seems to transform into a gaming console eerily similar to Asus’s high-end handheld devices.

Adding fuel to the speculation, the official Xbox account jumped in with a cheeky side-eye meme. While there’s no official announcement yet, this interaction might just relate to Project Kennan, a gaming handheld Microsoft is reportedly crafting alongside Asus, aiming to merge Xbox and Windows into a single platform.

Although specifics are still under wraps, the teaser hints at some enticing features for the Xbox handheld. Expect longer battery life, enhanced performance, and more storage, all wrapped up in a fresh design.

Asus cleverly timed the release of this teaser on March 31, 2025, at 2 pm EST, likely to sidestep any confusion with April Fools’ antics common among tech companies this time of year. Much like their ROG Ally reveal a few years back, this new Xbox console tease appears to be the real deal.

Interestingly, this comes just before the much-awaited Switch 2 announcement at Nintendo Direct on April 2. Coincidence? Maybe not. While Asus hasn’t thrown a lot of detail our way, the mere hint might have stirred PC and handheld gaming fans, even if it doesn’t quite sway die-hard Nintendo loyalists.

While we’re not holding our breath for a new Xbox console until 2027, the lure of an ‘Xbox handheld’ is undeniably exciting. Fingers crossed, it will natively run Xbox games and not just be a Windows 11 device dressed up with an Xbox theme.