Handheld Gaming
The latest Handheld Gaming coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X: Windows Handheld Gaming Revolution
The handheld gaming market is about to witness a seismic shift as ASUS and Xbox join forces to launch two groundbreaking Windows gaming devices. The ROG Xbox Ally and its premium counterpart, the ROG...
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X: Microsoft's Official Windows Handheld Gaming Devices
Microsoft and ASUS have officially entered the handheld gaming market with the announcement of two new Xbox-branded ROG handheld devices—the ROG Xbox Ally and the premium ROG Xbox Ally X—with...
Xbox PC App's Aggregated Gaming Library: A Unified Hub for Windows Gamers
Microsoft has quietly transformed the Xbox PC app into a comprehensive, controller-first gaming hub that aggregates installed titles from third-party launchers like Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, and...
Microsoft's Xbox Full-Screen Mode Boosts Handheld Gaming Performance by up to 20% — Here's How to Try It
Early testers of Microsoft’s upcoming “full-screen experience” for Windows 11 are already seeing double-digit performance gains on handheld gaming PCs. Synthetic benchmarks jump by as much as...
Windows 11’s Console-Style Handheld Mode Is Already Playable—Here’s How to Try It
Microsoft’s controller-friendly Xbox full-screen experience for Windows handhelds is no longer exclusive to the upcoming Asus ROG Xbox Ally. A recent Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview build now lets...
You Don't Need a New Xbox Ally to Get Its Console Experience—Windows 11 Has It Built In
Microsoft’s Xbox handheld ambitions are no longer locked behind new hardware. A feature-laden build of Windows 11—currently rolling out in the Release Preview channel—includes a full-screen,...
Microsoft's Console-Like Xbox UI Is Already Running on Windows Handhelds—Here's How
Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox mode for Windows handhelds—a full-screen, controller-first interface designed to transform devices like the ROG Ally into console-like gaming machines—has already been...
Microsoft's Xbox Mode for Handhelds Is Available in Preview, Showing Real Memory Savings
Microsoft today unlocked a console-style experience for Windows handhelds that delivers measurable memory savings—and you can try it right now, months before the official 25H2 release. By joining...
Testing Windows 11’s Handheld Mode on OG ROG Ally: Real Battery Gains, but Switching Gets Taxing
The original ASUS ROG Ally can run Microsoft’s new Handheld Gaming Mode, and the results are more than just a cosmetic skin. Testing on an OG Ally shows the feature frees up system memory, extends...
Xbox Controllers on Windows 11 Gain Task View With a Long Press in New Preview Build
A new Windows 11 preview build is giving Xbox controllers a long-press shortcut to Task View, addressing a key gap in gamepad navigation as Microsoft gears up for a wave of handheld gaming PCs. Build...
Xbox App Update Unifies Steam, Epic, GOG Games on Windows 11
As of September 15, 2025, the Xbox app on Windows 11 no longer limits its library to Game Pass titles. A new update rolling out to all users adds an Aggregated Gaming Library that surfaces installed...
Xbox App Becomes Universal Launcher on Windows 11—Steam, Epic, GOG Games Now in One Place
The Xbox app on Windows 11 is no longer just a glorified Game Pass launcher. In a move that reshapes the PC gaming landscape, Microsoft has reimagined the app as an aggregated hub capable of...