- Microsoft is bringing a massive update to its Xbox Windows 11 app for its new ROG Xbox Ally handheld
- The new “full-screen experience” will help streamline gaming for handheld users with a portable-friendly user interface
- It will come to other Windows 11 handhelds in 2026
Microsoft has been looking into ways to improve the gaming experience for handheld users, after the recent reception and high praise that Valve’s SteamOS has received for its performance leaps over Windows 11 – and it looks like Microsoft has taken its first major leap in doing so.
As reported by The Verge, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will feature a new “Xbox full-screen experience” providing a streamlined handheld-friendly gaming user interface, which will also make its way to other Windows 11 handhelds in 2026. All games from other stores and applications such as Discord, Battle.net, Steam, and other game launchers will be accessible via the updated Xbox app.
It’s been a long time coming, since handheld users have longed for an improved portable version of Windows 11 for gaming, akin to Valve’s SteamOS; the idea is to create a simple start-up-and-play experience, without navigating to other launchers to find games. Essentially, this creates an all-in-one hub for gaming and removes many of the frequent Windows pop-ups and notifications.
Perhaps the biggest question is the impact it will have on performance, and whether this will match up with SteamOS or surpass it. Besides Windows 11’s drawbacks in ease of use, performance is currently the other strong appeal of SteamOS for handheld users.
Happily, Xbox’s software engineering lead, Brianna Potvin, claimed that 2GB of memory is going back into games while in the new full-screen mode – and it’s expected we’ll see further improvements by the time it’s available for the ROG Xbox Ally.
Analysis: Handheld gaming in 2026 and beyond is looking bright
With the MSI Claw A8 using AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme and the ROG Xbox Ally using the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, both slated to launch this year, it’s a strong indication that 2026 and beyond could be great for handheld gamers.
MSI has already left a strong impression with its Claw 8 AI+, showcasing efficiency with ideal gaming performance results at a 17W TDP – and it’s all possible thanks to Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V processor. Team Red’s Z2 Extreme processors (especially the AI version) are expected to challenge the Lunar Lake SoC, all while we anticipate Panther Lake and Medusa Point coming from Intel and AMD, respectively, to push things further.
Both the ROG Xbox Ally and the Claw A8 won’t be the only Z2 Extreme-based handhelds either, as we’re still awaiting the Lenovo Legion Go 2.
The more handhelds there are, the better, and I’m excited to see just how these mobile processors can go at providing high-level gaming performance.
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