Microsoft's new handheld-focused, full‑screen Xbox interface for Windows 11 can already be unlocked on many in‑market Windows handhelds thanks to a Release Preview of the Windows 11 25H2 update and a handful of community-discovered switches — meaning you don't have to wait for the ROG Xbox...
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Microsoft’s new Xbox Full screen experience for Windows handhelds can already be forced onto existing devices — but early testers warn that getting it running is only the first step; making it stable, usable, and genuinely advantageous is another matter entirely.
Background
Microsoft and ASUS...
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Microsoft and ASUS have accelerated the handheld-PC arms race by shipping the ROG Xbox Ally family with a purpose-built Xbox full‑screen experience layered on Windows 11 — and, crucially, that same console‑like launcher is already being enabled on many existing Windows handhelds via the Windows...
25h2
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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...
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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...
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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...
25h2
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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...
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Lenovo's next flagship handheld, the Legion Go 2, arrives as a strikingly ambitious — and expensive — attempt to redefine what a Windows portable can be, pairing a large 8.8-inch OLED, AMD's new Z2 family silicon, and headline-grabbing battery and memory choices that put it squarely in premium...
Asus and Microsoft have taken the wraps off the ROG Xbox Ally family — two Windows 11 handhelds that marry ASUS’ ROG hardware design with an Xbox‑layered, controller‑first Windows experience — and they arrive on store shelves on October 16, 2025, positioning themselves as direct rivals to...
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The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X arrive as a decisive pivot for handheld PC gaming: ASUS hardware meets Xbox branding and a newly consolized Windows 11 experience, with both devices slated to reach stores on October 16, 2025. (press.asus.com)
Background / Overview
The ROG Xbox Ally family...
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Microsoft and ASUS have set a firm retail date for their jointly developed handhelds — the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X — and they arrive not as simple third‑party devices but as the first mainstream proof that Microsoft intends to use Windows 11 as the foundation for a console‑like...
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Microsoft’s Xbox handheld arriving as a Windows-powered device is less an endgame than the first real, public proof that Microsoft intends to use Windows itself as the foundation of a next-generation, cross-device Xbox experience.
Background / Overview
Microsoft and ASUS announced the ROG Xbox...
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The ROG Xbox Ally X I tried shows genuine promise as a portable Windows gaming platform — but its success depends almost entirely on how far Microsoft and OEMs can push Windows 11 out of its desktop mindset and into a controller‑first, battery‑smart handheld experience. (press.asus.com)...
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Microsoft and ASUS have set a firm calendar for the next chapter of handheld PC gaming: the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will arrive in stores on October 16, 2025, and launch alongside a new Handheld Compatibility Program designed to classify and optimize thousands of PC games for true...
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