CES 2025 has seen the launch of latest handheld gaming consoles, such because the Lenovo Legion Go S and the Acer Nitro Blaze 11. Whereas there is not any signal of Microsoft’s rumoured gaming handheld, a senior govt dropped a touch of the corporate’s plans to enhance the consumer expertise for Home windows-based consoles that might arrive as early as this 12 months. The corporate upcoming enhancements might see the normal Home windows desktop parts and take a backseat, in favour of an interface designed to be used with controllers.
In an interplay with The Verge at CES, Microsoft VP (Xbox Gaming Gadgets & Ecosystem) Jason Ronald mentioned that the corporate was trying to deliver enhancements that have been developed for consoles to PCs and the hand-held gaming sector. He added that the Redmond-based firm was trying to “mix” the Xbox and Home windows experiences.
Operating Home windows on a gaming handheld is usually a irritating expertise
“I’d say it is bringing the perfect of Xbox and Home windows collectively, as a result of now we have spent the final 20 years constructing a world-class working system, but it surely’s actually locked to the console,” the chief advised the publication.
We have reviewed a handful of Home windows-based gaming handhelds at Devices 360, and probably the most widespread complaints we have had is expounded to the working system. Home windows nonetheless lacks an optimised UI for smaller screens — most handheld consoles have a 7-inch show — whereas you can too run into requests to put in drivers and may also be disturbed by system notifications.
Then again, Valve’s SteamOS gives a way more intuitive expertise that appears like a miniaturised model of bigger, standard consoles. It additionally works very easily on the corporate’s gaming handheld, the Steam Deck.
On Home windows-based handhelds, customers are at present restricted to utilizing their Sport Move subscription contained in the Xbox app, which has been up to date with improved assist for these gadgets.
Ronald advised The Verge that Microsoft is engaged on enhancing the expertise of utilizing Home windows on gadgets that use controller buttons, as an alternative of a mouse. He additionally identified that plenty of the corporate’s know-how for the Xbox might be included into Home windows, as the corporate’s console was constructed on the identical working system.
Players may not have to attend for very lengthy to see all of those enhancements arrive on handheld gaming gadgets, in keeping with the chief, who advised the publication that bulletins associated to adjustments to Home windows for smaller gadgets are anticipated to reach later this 12 months.
It is at present unclear whether or not these enhancements can be out there on current gadgets, or whether or not solely upcoming fashions — equivalent to the Lenovo Legion Go 2 — will arrive with an improved interface. We are able to count on to listen to extra particulars of the corporate’s plans to deliver the Xbox expertise to Home windows within the coming months.
Catch the newest from the Shopper Electronics Present on Devices 360, at our CES 2025 hub.
