Microsoft is now offering the same version of the Xbox PC app found on the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X gaming handheld for other devices. Titled the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE), the app is now available in the latest Windows Insider Preview Build, which means that a device must be running the current Microsoft OS. Owners of the MSI Claw will get direct access to the new feature today, with other OEMs launching it for their devices in the coming months.
“Designed with console-style navigation in mind, the Xbox PC app paired with the full screen experience delivers a clean, distraction-free interface for handheld gaming. You’ll get smooth task switching and optimized performance, with background processes minimized and non-essential tasks deferred—so gameplay stays responsive and uninterrupted.”
– Microsoft
The Windows Full Screen Experience is not exclusive to gaming handhelds and can be enabled using the same method to provide a similar experience when playing on an Xbox console.
Directions to enable (per Microsoft):
“On supported devices, go to Settings > Gaming > Full screen experience, then select Xbox as your home app. Once enabled, you can access FSE from Task View and Game Bar or configure your handheld to enter full screen experience on startup.”
The move to expand the Xbox gaming experience is but one part of Microsoft’s ongoing strategy with its gaming division. Xbox President Sarah Bond recently concluded meetings with partners in Asia to discuss plans for Xbox and its games, and offered insight into Microsoft’s collaboration with ASUS. Additionally, there’ve been updates on continued contracts with AMD for its custom APUs, which power both the Xbox Series X|S and Sony’s PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles. Meanwhile, some have doubted that Microsoft will continue to manufacture gaming consoles, but its President has consistently stated the company remains fully committed to new hardware development and launches.
Discussion (8 replies)
Join Discussion →I feel sorry for gaming handheld devices.
This is cool
I feel sorry for them in terms of MS support which of late has fell off a cliff into the ocean and drifting to an inter-dimensional portal, but also think its great for those wanting to have a unified UI across multiple devices. I kind of like it and may try at some point but I don't really have any "Xbox" games, just about everything I play is via GOG or Steam (and not from Microsoft).
Edit: Ironically I do have some Sony games, Spider-Man 1+2, Horizon (1 remaster and 2), and God Of War via Steam.
That is pretty much exactly what I mean.
I installed it on my original Ally Z1E and am impressed by it so far, feels like a good foundation to build off of. Just being able to control so much with only the gamepad feels like a huge step compared to the old setup (lots of touchscreen navigation).
I also believe it's still in alpha, and the users are being treated as alpha testers for the next gen Xbox experience.
Uh, dev preview is NOT required for the xbox full screen experience. You can also use it on the most recent 25h2 release channel.
Edit: I read the full post about it being 'available now' for the MSI claw, I was using xbox full screen experience on my MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM on the Claw's release day after updating to the latest release channel of Windows 11 Pro.
Yea time lines for all sorts of things are re delivered constantly to the press. Its honestly frustrating to me.
I try to catch these when I can but some definitely slip by. Meanwhile there's more than a few that I think, wait I've already heard about this, when they do come up months later.