Microsoft’s Xbox app for Windows has quietly evolved into a single‑surface launcher that pulls installed games from Steam, Epic, GOG, Battle.net and other PC storefronts into one “My Library” — and with the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds arriving in October, the timing could reshape how many Windows...
Microsoft has quietly reworked the Xbox app on Windows 11 into a genuine one‑stop hub for PC gaming, and the implications reach well beyond a refreshed launcher: the app now aggregates installed titles from multiple storefronts, lets you launch non‑Microsoft games without opening third‑party...
achievements
age gating
aggregated gaming library
aggregated library
ai assistant
anti-cheat
app
arm prism
battery life
battle.net
beta rollout
cloud continuity
cloud gaming
competitive play
controller
cross device sync
cross-device play
cross-store
drm
drm anti-cheat
epic games
epic games store
galaxy book
game bar
game hub
game pass
gaming
gaming copilot
gog
gog galaxy
handheld gaming
insider
insider program
launcher fragmentation
launcher handoffs
launcher orchestration
metadata gaps
microsoft store
mini mode
multi-store
multi-store gaming
multi-store launchers
my apps
my library
one-stop launcher
overlay
performance
personalization
play history
privacy
privacy telemetry
regional rollout
resume and jump
rogally
samsung
screen analysis
screenshot analysis
screenshots
second screen
steam
storefronts
ubisoft connect
voice mode
windows 11
windows 11 gaming
windows game bar
xbox
xbox app
xbox insiders
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...
accessibility
controller
controller mapping
feature rollout
game bar
gaming
handheld gaming
insider preview
multitasking
oem partnerships
power off
rogally
task view
windows 11
windows insider
xbox button
xbox button mapping
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...
accessibility
controller mapping
feature rollout
full-screen-exclusivity
game bar
handheld gaming
insider program
oem partnerships
press-duration
rogally
task view
telemetry
third-party remappers
three-state-mapping
windows 11
xbox button
xbox controller
Microsoft has quietly repurposed the Xbox button on gamepads when used with Windows 11 Insiders: a long press now opens Task View while a short press still launches the Game Bar, and a press-and-hold continues to power down the controller — a small but practical tweak rolling out to Dev and Beta...
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...
accessibility
beta channel
cfr rollout
controller
dev channel
feature rollout
game bar
handheld gaming
insider
insider preview
rogally
task view
windows 11
xbox button
xbox button mapping
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...
accessibility
accessibility windows
bluetooth
controlled rollout
controller
devbeta
developer tips
full screen
game bar
game mode
gaming
gaming hardware
handheld gaming
insider
insider program
microsoft gaming
multitasking
oem partnerships
power off controller
rogally
system navigation
task switching
task view
telemetry
third-party remappers
windows 11
windows handhelds
windows update
xbox button
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 /...
accessibility
controller
game bar
input mapping
insider preview
long press
multitasking
press
rogally
short press
task view
windows 11
windows handhelds
windows insider
xbox button
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...
accessibility
bluetooth
controller mapping
dev channel
feature rollout
game bar
gaming
insider preview
rogally
task view
windows 11
windows handhelds
windows insider
xbox ally
xbox button
Microsoft’s push to make Xbox the gaming platform that follows players across consoles, PCs, and handhelds is now measurable—and exposed by a practical problem: some of the biggest publishers still aren’t playing ball with Xbox Play Anywhere, and that gap risks turning Microsoft’s cross-device...
anti-cheat
cross buy
cross save
cross-device gaming
cross-platform
dev center
developer economics
game pass
handheld gaming
id@xbox
indie developers
microsoft store
pc storefronts
publisher adoption
rogally
steam deck
windows handhelds
xbox ally
xbox app
xbox play anywhere
Microsoft has quietly opened the gates: Windows 11 version 25H2 is now available to testers in the Windows Insider Release Preview channel as a small, fast enablement package that flips features already staged in the 24H2 servicing branch — which means you can install the 2025 annual update on...
ASUS’ quietly posted promo that details the Xbox Ally family’s so‑called “Zero Gravity” cooling system has pulled back the curtain on one of the most consequential engineering problems for modern handheld gaming PCs: how to keep a dense, hot APU comfortable and quiet in every orientation while...
asus
battery life
cooling
fin density
firmware
fluid dynamic bearing
handheld gaming
heat pipes
independent reviews
orientation
rogally
surface temperature
thermal management
top exhaust vent
windows handhelds
xbox ally
zero gravity
Helldivers 2 can be launched and played on a Steam Deck, but the reality is far messier than a simple “works” or “doesn’t work” label — performance is uneven, requires compromise, and Arrowhead’s leadership says formal handheld support isn’t a near-term priority while the studio focuses on...
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...
ai upscaling
asus
battery life
game bar
game pass
handheld
handheld compatibility program
handheld gaming
handheld market
microsoft
nintendo switch rival
npu
rdna 3.5
rogally
ryzen z2
steam deck
thermal performance
windows handhelds
xdna npu
Microsoft has quietly confirmed that the new Windows 11 handheld-focused gaming enhancements — the Xbox full‑screen experience and associated handheld optimizations — will not be limited to the new ROG Xbox Ally family, and reporting now points to existing Windows handhelds, including the MSI...
asus
console-like ui
controller-first-ui
deck-verified
driver update
game bar
handheld compatibility program
handheld gaming
intel lunar lake
legion go s
memory optimization
msi
msi claw
oem partnerships
rogally
steamos
windows 11
windows performance
xbox full screen experience
The first hands-on benchmarks for the ROG Xbox Ally X suggest ASUS and Microsoft’s high-end handheld may have hit a rare sweet spot: substantial generational GPU gains, sensible power draw, and cooling that keeps temperatures well below what many larger devices produce under stress.
Background...
Title: Microsoft’s new “My Apps” tab in the Xbox app for Windows: what it changes for handheld PCs and every PC gamer
TL;DR
What it is: “My Apps” is a new tab inside the Xbox app for Windows that aggregates third‑party gaming apps and utilities in one controller‑friendly place. Think...
ayaneo
battle.net
controller first ux
epic games store
game bar
gaming
gaming services
gog galaxy
handheld controller
launcher aggregation
lenovo legion go
multi-store launchers
my apps
onexplayer
performance optimization
privacy
rogally
steam
windows handhelds
xbox app
Xbox’s PC app is getting a major usability push for PC and handheld gamers with a new “My Apps” hub that collects browsers, utilities, and rival storefronts in a single launcher inside the Xbox PC app — a move designed to make the Xbox app the central home for everything you play on Windows. The...
aggregated library
anti-cheat
app installer flow
controller
cross-platform
ecosystem
game discovery
handheld gaming
handheld optimization
multi-store launchers
my apps
os security
play history
privacy
rogally
third-party stores
unified launcher
windows 11
xbox app
xbox insiders
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...
80wh battery
amd ryzen
auto sr
console like ux
game bar
game pass
gaming
handheld compatibility program
handheld gaming
lpddr5x 6400
m.2 ssd
npu
pc library on handheld
rogally
ryzen z2
shader delivery
switching modes
thermal performance
windows handhelds
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...
ai features
ally x
asus partnership
auto sr
console like ux
cross-device gaming
game bar
handheld compatibility program
lpddr5x
memory optimization
npu
rogally
ryzen z2
shader delivery
shader preloading
windows 11
windows handhelds
xbox app
xbox handheld