- Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 preview brings the Xbox full-screen experience to MSI Claw handhelds
- It comes sooner than the promised ETA of 2026
- Additional portable support is expected to arrive in the coming months
It’s only been a few weeks since the launch of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, which arrived with Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) to provide a simplified console-like user interface in Windows 11 for gamers. The rollout to other handhelds is starting now, which is good to see – it just needs to be faster.
In the latest preview build of Windows 11 (26220.7051) in the beta and development channels, Microsoft announced the Xbox FSE for MSI Claw, and other handheld manufacturers are expected to enable support for their devices in the coming months.
This follows the initial promise of a wider ESF rollout from 2026, so it appears Microsoft has made faster progress than expected.
It’s worth noting that the Xbox FSE can still be used on other handhelds, such as the original Asus ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go, but requires some tinkering to get it up and running. Meanwhile, ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally handheld owners can dive into the experience right from the start. And before long, this will also be the case for MSI’s pocket computer.
Still, it would be nice if Microsoft could bring FSE to more handhelds, perhaps multiple devices simultaneously, so that owners of these laptops don’t have to resort to an unofficial setup method (as demonstrated in the video tutorial below from Deck Wizard).
Look on it
Additionally, Microsoft should consider bringing the new FSE to desktops sooner, as PC gamers also want this experience in certain scenarios (including using a gaming PC with the TV in the living room).
While Microsoft’s Windows 11 remains the operating system of choice for PC gamers, Valve’s SteamOS is growing rapidly in popularity among portable gamers.
SteamOS has been proven to deliver better performance results compared to Windows 11 across a wide range of handheld games, and leads in other areas of UI and features, including its sleep and quick resume capabilities, where Microsoft lags significantly.
Analysis: Valve’s SteamOS is just a few steps away from dethroning Windows 11
I’m about to sound like a broken record once again, but it’s clear to me that Valve’s SteamOS is only being held back by a few limiting factors that aren’t within its control – and once those are resolved, Microsoft’s Windows 11 could be in big trouble on the gaming front.
One of these limitations is obvious, which is limited game compatibility due to anti-cheat tools that won’t work on Linux. Given the popularity of games like Battlefield 6, Call of Duty, EA Sports FC26And Destiny 2 Yes, there is probably a significant portion of gamers who would be willing to upgrade from Windows 11 to SteamOS, but can’t do so because they are actively playing one (or more) of these games.
I’m one of those people, and it’s incredibly frustrating that EA, Activision, and other publishers don’t make their anti-cheat systems (which aim to control online games) compatible with Linux, and it’s actively pushing me to use my handheld less since I’m so attracted to Battlefield 6 on my desktop system.
I imagine that if these anti-cheat tools ever become compatible with SteamOS – and this may be a pipe dream, admittedly – we will see a huge players moving to SteamOS from Windows 11. And I wouldn’t blame any of them for defecting.
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