handheld gaming

PC gaming’s 2025 surge is not an accident — it’s the predictable outcome of a forced platform refresh, an AI-fueled GPU boom, and a series of ecosystem choices that have pushed enthusiasts, esports players, and even casual buyers into a narrow set of hardware and software options. Background PC...

Intel’s Panther Lake looks like the most consequential mobile refresh in years, and for one crowded, fast-moving corner of the PC market — handheld gaming — it may finally give Intel the combination of performance, efficiency, and graphics features needed to seriously challenge AMD’s lead...

Microsoft has fixed October 14, 2025 as the date Windows 10 leaves mainstream support—and if you want to stay secure, the practical choice for most users is to move to Windows 11 now or enroll eligible machines in Microsoft’s one‑year Extended Security Updates (ESU) bridge. Background /...

This list of inexpensive handheld gaming accessories—from extra storage and power banks to compact docks and foldable keyboards—highlights small purchases that materially improve day‑to‑day play on Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Legion Go and other Windows handhelds, and it’s the toolkit I reach for most...

Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 arrives as a bold, expensive answer to a single, recurring complaint about Windows handhelds: the screen — and in that narrow respect it’s hard to argue with the result. Background / Overview The Legion Go 2 is Lenovo’s second-generation Windows handheld and a deliberate...

Windows Central’s informal test of Borderlands 4 on an HX370-powered mini‑PC has kicked off a useful conversation: the ROG Xbox Ally X’s Radeon 890M might — under the right circumstances — be competent enough to run Borderlands 4 at playable frame rates, but the caveats are numerous and the...

The next chapter in the handheld-PC arms race is shaping up around a deceptively small detail: how easy it is to change the storage inside your device. Recent hands‑on reporting shows Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 has made SSD upgrades more difficult — requiring battery and fan removal and a glued...

Microsoft’s new controller‑first, full‑screen Xbox experience for Windows 11 can already be enabled on existing handhelds like the ROG Ally X — and the result is a far more usable, more battery‑friendly handheld Windows experience that feels remarkably close to what console users expect...

Microsoft’s September console and platform update for Xbox lands as a pragmatic, wide-ranging refresh that stitches together better controller-first support, PC app expansion, AI assistance, and a handful of real-world conveniences — from pre-downloads and wish-list alerts to deeper Xbox PC app...

ASUS and Xbox have opened pre-orders for two new handheld Windows gaming PCs — the ROG Xbox Ally and the higher‑end ROG Xbox Ally X — promising a console‑like, controller‑first experience built on Windows 11 and tuned jointly by ASUS and Microsoft to bring Game Pass, installed PC libraries, and...

Asus and Microsoft have opened pre-orders for two new Xbox-branded ROG handhelds — the ROG Xbox Ally (base) and the higher‑end ROG Xbox Ally X — with an official on‑shelf launch date set for October 16, 2025 and U.S. estimated retail prices at roughly $599.99 for the Ally and $999.99 for the...

Microsoft has quietly turned the Xbox PC app on Windows into a genuine, controller‑friendly game hub that now discovers and launches installed titles from third‑party launchers — Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Battle.net and more — while adding a new My apps shelf for quick access to storefronts...

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 first time you boot the Xbox full‑screen experience on an OG ROG Ally, it feels like someone quietly unhooked Windows from the device and slid a console‑style launcher in its place — but the reality is more pragmatic and far more interesting: Microsoft has layered a controller‑first Xbox...

Microsoft’s Gaming Copilot has quietly moved from phone screens into full desktop overlays — and yes, that includes Samsung’s Galaxy Book Ultra and other Windows 11 laptops that meet the basic requirements. The AI assistant now appears as a widget in Windows 11’s Game Bar, offers a hands‑free...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...