The next Xbox dashboard could have been spotted - and it seems designed for a handheld

A laptop, tablet and phone running Sea of Thieves through Xbox Cloud Gaming
(Image credit: Microsoft)

A recent YouTube video from Top Gear has potentially given us our first glimpse at the next Xbox dashboard and it looks like it would be a perfect fit for mobile devices.

As spotted by VGC, the unfamiliar UI appears in a video about the Verne robotaxi, an upcoming autonomous electric vehicle from a new company founded by Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac. It is only visible for a few moments and appears on the car’s 43-inch display. You can see it for yourself below.

Rimac Robotaxi! Bugatti CEO’s ‘Verne’ Ready To Take On Tesla - YouTube Rimac Robotaxi! Bugatti CEO’s ‘Verne’ Ready To Take On Tesla - YouTube
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It all looks a little bit like the interface of a video streaming service, with large panels that display the titles of games alongside some basic cover art. In the video, we see The Finals, Fortnite, and Halo Infinite all visible on the display. There is also a lot of the same information and buttons that you would find on the current Xbox dashboard, including a summary of your achievements, the option to resume your most recently played game, and the ability to view challenges.

It’s not entirely clear whether this has all been designed specifically for the car, or if it will be part of an upcoming update rolling out to everyone. There’s also a chance that it could be a separate version of the interface designed for specific devices, such as cars, mobile phones, or even a potential handheld games console.

Rumors of a dedicated Xbox handheld have been swirling for months now, with some predicting that it could have been revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9. Although this didn’t happen in the end, Xbox head Phil Spencer has still been very clear that he thinks the company should have a handheld console. He has also shot down the idea that any handheld system would be a streaming-only peripheral like the PlayStation Portal, stating that local games are “really important”.

We’ll have to wait and see whether this turns out to be an early sign of what’s to come. This is purely speculative, but we really wouldn't be surprised if a handheld console with this UI, or something very similar, is revealed in the coming months.  

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Dashiell Wood
Hardware Writer

Dash is a technology journalist who covers gaming hardware at TechRadar. Before joining the TechRadar team, he was writing gaming articles for some of the UK's biggest magazines including PLAY, Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX. Now, when he's not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.