Windows 11’s Steam Deck-ish, streamlined Xbox gaming UI comes to all PCs in April
When Asus and Microsoft launched the ROG Xbox Ally
So called “Xbox Experience for Handheld” or “Xbox Full-Screen Experience (FSE)” depending on who you asked and when, Microsoft said it would be available on all Windows PCs at some point in 2026. That point has apparently arrived: Microsoft announced this week at Game Developers Conference that other Windows 11 PCs “in select markets” would benefit from what is now called “Xbox Mode” starting in April.
Under the hood, a PC running in Xbox mode still runs the old standard Windows, with the same capabilities as any other PC. But there are system services and user interface elements (like the standard Start menu and taskbar) that don’t launch when the system is in Xbox mode, which Microsoft says can save a gigabyte or two of RAM while allowing systems to use less power. Users can, however, return to traditional Windows desktop mode whenever they want.
Our experience with Xbox Mode on the ROG Xbox Ally X has been mixed; a Windows PC in Xbox mode is still a Windows PC, with both the broad game/app compatibility and the messiness that entails.
The seams between the controller-friendly interface and the mouse-and-keyboard version of Windows were most visible when trying to download and launch games from third-party game stores like Steam and the Epic Games Store, which typically required you to use those store apps to purchase and download games before you could launch them from the comfort of Xbox mode. We’ll have to test the update on other PCs after it rolls out to see if Microsoft has made any substantial improvements.
