game bar

Microsoft’s new handheld-focused Xbox Mode — the full-screen, controller-first Xbox experience layered on Windows 11 — is already being run on a wide range of in-market Windows handhelds, and community ports plus an Insider-channel push mean owners of existing devices can try the experience now...

Microsoft’s handheld gambit has quietly moved from concept to something you can try on your own device: a controller‑first, full‑screen “Xbox” experience built into Windows 11 is rolling out as part of the platform’s handheld work, and enthusiasts are already using the new handheld view and...

The community has already started peeling back the seams of the ROG Xbox Ally’s new “Xbox Mode,” and hobbyist modders have managed to run the console-style, full‑screen Xbox experience on a range of other Windows handhelds — a development that short-circuits manufacturer timelines, accelerates...

Microsoft’s handheld push has taken a new turn: the Xbox-style, full‑screen “Xbox Mode” that will ship as the default experience on the ROG Xbox Ally family is already appearing on other Windows 11 handhelds — in community builds and hacks — ahead of the Ally’s retail launch, forcing a rapid...

Windows handheld owners who’ve been frustrated by Windows’ desktop baggage can try Microsoft’s new Xbox‑focused, controller‑first “Xbox mode” today — without waiting for the retail 25H2 release — by enrolling in the Xbox Insider previews and switching on the compact/full‑screen Xbox UX in the...

Microsoft’s new handheld-focused Windows 11 “Xbox full‑screen” experience — the controller‑first launcher being trialed on the ROG Xbox Ally family — can be shoehorned onto older hardware like the original ASUS ROG Ally, and the early hands‑on results make clear where the performance wins...

Microsoft’s console-first pivot for small screens lands in a surprisingly usable form, and testing Windows 11’s new Handheld Gaming Mode on an OG ROG Ally shows both what’s changed and what still needs work for real-world handheld PC owners. Background / Overview Windows 11’s new Handheld Gaming...

Microsoft has quietly remapped the Xbox (Guide) button on controllers when paired with Windows 11, turning a once-single shortcut into a three-state, controller-first multitasking tool: a quick tap still opens the Xbox Game Bar, a long press now opens Task View, and a continued sustained hold...

Microsoft’s pitch for Windows 11 promised more than a new skin — it promised a gaming OS that would feel like it was built from the ground up for modern play: Auto HDR to breathe new life into older titles, DirectStorage to make load screens and texture pop-in fade into memory, and tighter Xbox...

Windows 11 Insiders on the Dev Channel are getting a small but significant usability upgrade: Dev build 26220.6682 introduces a new three‑state behavior for the Xbox (Guide) button on connected controllers — a quick tap opens the Xbox Game Bar, a long press now brings up Task View, and a...

Microsoft is quietly turning the Xbox button on controllers into a small but consequential multitasking shortcut in Windows 11: a long press now opens Task View so gamers can switch between apps and games without leaving the controller, while a short press still opens the Game Bar and a...

Microsoft’s quiet tweak to the Xbox controller on Windows 11 — making a long press of the central Xbox button open Task View while preserving a tap for Game Bar and a sustained hold to power the controller off — is small in code but large in intent, signaling a deliberate push toward...

Microsoft is testing a small but meaningful change in Windows 11 that lets the Xbox button on controllers do more: a long press will open Task View so gamers can quickly switch between apps and games, while a short press still opens the Game Bar and a sustained hold continues to power off the...

Microsoft has quietly adjusted how the Xbox/Guide button behaves when an Xbox Wireless Controller is paired with Windows 11, turning a familiar single-action shortcut into a three-state input that now opens the Game Bar on a tap, launches Task View on a long press, and still powers the...

Microsoft’s latest Insider preview quietly repurposes the Xbox/Guide button into a three‑state system control: a short tap still summons the Game Bar, a long press now opens Task View, and a sustained hold continues to power the controller off — a small UX tweak that signals a deliberate push to...

Windows 11’s latest Insider flight borrows a small but decisive interaction from the emerging generation of Windows-powered handhelds: a long press of the Xbox/Guide button on a controller now opens Task View, while a short tap still summons the Game Bar and a sustained hold continues to power...

Microsoft has quietly begun remapping the Xbox controller’s central Guide button in recent Windows 11 Insider builds so that a short tap still opens the Game Bar, a long press now opens Task View, and a sustained hold continues to power the controller off — a small input-change that signals a...

Microsoft is quietly experimenting with a small but consequential change to how the Xbox button behaves on Windows 11: a long press of the Xbox button now opens Task View, while a short press still summons the Game Bar and a sustained hold continues to power the controller off. Background /...

Microsoft is quietly turning the Xbox button on controllers into a native Windows multitasking tool: in the latest Windows 11 Insider builds Microsoft maps a short press of the Xbox button to open the Game Bar, a long press to open Task View (the system-level app switcher and virtual desktop...

Microsoft is quietly remapping the Xbox controller’s central Guide/Xbox button on Windows 11 so a short press still opens the Game Bar, a long press opens Task View, and a sustained press continues to power the controller off—an apparently small change that has outsized implications for...