Microsoft previously considered dipping its hand into the handheld device race, according to previous Xbox Chief Robbie Bach.

In a recent interview with IGN, the former head revealed that Microsoft had early plans to create a handheld device, referred to as Xboy internally, to compete with other handhelds in the market.

Bach said that he cannot remember the concept reaching the prototype stage. "There were definitely drawings," Bach recalled.

The Xboy project was considered "multiple times" by the game company giant. It was not always knows as Xboy, according to Bach, but is always referred to as, in his own words, "X something."

Despite Microsoft recognizing the need to be present in the handheld race with Sony and Nintendo, Bach said that the Xboy did not push through because of lack of focus.

"We just did not have the bandwidth," the former Xbox chief said.

Bach pointed out that focusing on the Xbox 360 at the time is a smart move on the company's end. The mobile scene is now being slowly taken over by smartphones, Bach said, which is seemingly referring to the recent success of Niantic Lab's "Pokémon GO."

"For us it was a focus issue and as it turned out strategically it was a smart decision, but that's somewhat accidental," Bach said.

In the same interview, Bach also said that the Xbox 360 was almost named Xbox 3 when it was first launched.

"Certainly Xbox 3 was actually on the list because, well, you've gotta catch up," Bach explained. "You don't want to be Xbox 2 compared to PlayStation 3. We actually talked about that."

This is notably relevant to Microsoft's penchant for skipping numbers, evidently when Windows skipped Windows 9 and went straight to Windows 10, as Gamespot previously reported.

Watch the full interview with Robbie Bach of Xbox on IGN Unfiltered.