Full-screen Xbox handheld UI is coming to all Windows PCs “starting next year”
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Summary
Valve’s Steam Deck handheld gaming device runs SteamOS, which doesn’t fully replicate the Windows gaming experience, even with the Proton compatibility layer.
Microsoft and Asus’s ROG Xbox Ally gaming handheld is attempting to provide broader compatibility with Windows games while maintaining a handheld- optimised UI similar to SteamOS.
It features a new Xbox-branded user interface on top of traditional Windows, which will be rolled out to other Ally handhelds and could be introduced to other Windows handhelds in future.
Microsoft has been exploring the idea of a Tile-based Switch-style gamepad UI since 2022, which would include optimisation for touch screens and address issues with controller support outside of games and the Steam app.
On the ROG Xbox Ally, the new full-screen interface replaces the traditional desktop-and-taskbar interface of Windows, saving system resources.
