The very first thing I did once I acquired my fingers on the Xbox Ally was reboot it. I needed to see precisely how Microsoft manages to cover Home windows beneath the Xbox interface that’s debuting on these handheld units.
After a brief startup, I used to be met with the usual Home windows login immediate. However I might use the controller to enter the PIN code, an instantaneous enchancment over what’s obtainable proper now. And as quickly as Home windows 11 loaded up, the interface instantly disappeared. The Xbox PC app took over and went full-screen — and for essentially the most half, I didn’t have to go away.
I’ve spent sufficient time with Microsoft and Asus’ Xbox Ally units this week to get a greater understanding of how Home windows and Xbox are shifting nearer collectively. Microsoft has created what it calls an Xbox full-screen expertise for these new handheld units, which primarily takes over for Home windows and hides the OS away. It’s precisely what I’ve been wanting for Home windows-powered handheld gaming PCs for years now, however it nonetheless appears like a small first step in a grand next-gen Xbox plan.
The principle interface on the Xbox Ally is just like what will be discovered within the present Xbox app on Home windows 11, Microsoft’s Steam competitor on PC. This app integrates with the Sport Bar, Microsoft’s PC gaming overlay, to kind this full-screen Xbox expertise. Similar to an Xbox console, you activate this Sport Bar from a single faucet of the Xbox button, and it’s what retains you distant from the complexities of the Home windows desktop hidden beneath.
Microsoft doesn’t load the desktop wallpaper, the taskbar, or a bunch of different processes that you simply don’t want for gaming. It’s primarily not loading the Explorer shell and saving round 2GB of reminiscence by suppressing all of the pointless components of a typical Home windows 11 set up. It’s surprisingly straightforward to get again to an everyday Home windows expertise on these Xbox Ally units, although.
You possibly can exit out of the Xbox full-screen expertise by means of the Sport Bar or maintain the Xbox button all the way down to entry the duty switcher and a shortcut to the Home windows desktop. Microsoft warns that you simply’re exiting to the Home windows desktop and that it’s best to use contact or a mouse and keyboard “for the very best expertise.”
The Home windows desktop expertise is precisely the identical as any common handheld, and the Xbox staff hasn’t accomplished a lot further work right here to enhance this aspect of the Xbox Ally. You’ll nonetheless have to make use of this a part of the gadget to put in and configure Home windows apps like Discord and Steam, however as soon as they’re up and working, you’ll be able to principally keep inside the handheld-optimized confines of the Xbox full-screen expertise. It’s straightforward to hook up with Bluetooth units or Wi-Fi networks right here, and if all you’re doing is gaming, then Microsoft has nailed a lot of the fundamentals, due to the widgets within the Sport Bar.
Switching forwards and backwards between Home windows and Xbox modes is comparatively fast, however after switching into the Home windows desktop mode simply as soon as, you’ll want to totally reboot the gadget to regain the 2GB of allotted RAM. You even have the choice to maintain switching between each modes with out these efficiency financial savings.
Whereas the handheld-optimized Xbox UI on the Xbox Ally units is a good enchancment over what exists immediately, I nonetheless worry the complexity of Home windows will creep by means of throughout every day use. That is nonetheless a Home windows 11 gadget in any case, which implies there are OS updates and notifications from different apps or storefronts to put in that may break the immersion.
For instance, whereas the Xbox app takes over the left-hand swipe gesture to activate the Sport Bar, the right-hand swipe nonetheless prompts the Home windows 11 notification middle, which appears misplaced within the Xbox UI. The Xbox staff is working to enhance this, however it highlights the challenges of attempting to cover Home windows beneath a console-like UI.
There’s additionally an fascinating setting that means you’ll be capable to set one thing aside from the Xbox app because the default boot expertise on the Xbox Ally units, doubtlessly opening the door for Steam or different launchers to change into the house app right here. Microsoft wouldn’t touch upon what this setting is for simply but.
As a consequence of my restricted time with the Xbox Ally units, it’s tough to evaluate simply how a lot switching between the Home windows desktop and this full-screen Xbox expertise you’d need to do every day. If you happen to set up Steam, then Microsoft brings any video games you put in from Valve’s retailer into the library interface of the Xbox app, making it a launcher for these PC video games and maintaining you within the handheld-friendly UI. However I did play some Gears of Warfare: Reloaded on one of many demo items on the ground and observed the sport crash, leaving me with a damaged sport app window as a substitute of a extra gracious house display screen such as you see when video games crash on an Xbox Sequence X console.
I additionally ran right into a UI bug switching into the Home windows desktop, which Microsoft assures me might be fastened by the point these units ship on October sixteenth. Asus’ personal units on the Gamescom ground additionally had some bizarre bugs, together with not with the ability to use the Xbox button at instances. There’s clearly some work wanted forward of launch.
Sadly, I didn’t get an opportunity to totally check how Home windows standby and hibernation work with video games on the Xbox Ally. I like the expertise of turning my Xbox Sequence X off after which with the ability to instantly resume a sport hours or days later, and Microsoft doesn’t have the equal of Fast Resume on Home windows units.
This expertise appears like a primary step in Microsoft’s plans for the next-gen Xbox, and seeing it in motion makes it even clearer to me that Home windows might be on the coronary heart of the subsequent Xbox console. Microsoft nonetheless has an incredible quantity of labor forward to mix all the very best components of Home windows and Xbox collectively, however it’s about to ship some enhancements that may hopefully result in a gaming-optimized Home windows working system that spans throughout handhelds, consoles, and PCs.
- Microsoft is lastly bettering Home windows 11’s darkish mode. Almost a decade after a full darkish mode was launched in Home windows 10, the most recent preview construct of Home windows 11 now includes even more darkened UI elements. If you happen to’re copying recordsdata or deleting them, these file operation dialogs will lastly have a darkish mode as a substitute of light-themed immediate. Hopefully this indicators that extra darkish mode enhancements are coming with the 25H2 replace to Home windows 11 later this yr.
- Microsoft worker arrested at headquarters whereas protesting Israel contracts. Microsoft worker Anna Hattle, a software program engineer in Microsoft’s cloud and AI staff, has been arrested at the company’s headquarters during protests towards Microsoft’s cloud contracts with Israel. Hattle’s arrest was a part of 18 arrests by Redmond Police, together with former Microsoft workers who joined the protest for a second day. The No Azure for Apartheid group continues to protest Microsoft’s cloud contracts with Israel, calling on the corporate to chop ties after experiences emerged that the Israeli authorities makes use of Azure to energy a surveillance community of Palestinian telephone calls.
- Microsoft hints at “extra inexpensive” Xbox Cloud Gaming plan. Microsoft has dropped hints a couple of potential devoted Xbox Cloud Gaming plan a number of instances earlier than, however it appears like we’re getting nearer to an announcement. Jason Ronald, Microsoft’s VP of Subsequent Technology, appeared on the corporate’s official Xbox podcast earlier this week and hinted that Microsoft wants to make its Xbox Cloud “way more inexpensive” and accessible to gamers. Microsoft is at present constructing a next-generation Xbox console and cloud community, so not having to purchase Xbox Sport Move Final only for cloud gaming entry would definitely be a welcome transfer.
- Microsoft Excel provides Copilot AI to assist fill in spreadsheet cells. Microsoft has began testing a brand new AI-powered function in Excel that may routinely fill cells in spreadsheets. It’s just like the characteristic that Google Sheets rolled out in June, and lets you name up a “COPILOT” operate to generate summaries, create tables, and extra.
- Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle is heading to Nintendo Swap 2. I’ve been patiently ready for Microsoft’s first Swap 2 sport, and at Gamescom this week, the corporate introduced that it’s bringing Bethesda’s Indiana Jones to Nintendo’s latest console in 2026. It’s one of many first PC video games to require ray tracing, so it’ll be fascinating to see what Bethesda does with the Swap 2 port.
- Home windows 11 check brings AI file search to the Copilot app. Microsoft has began testing the flexibility to make use of AI to go looking by means of your recordsdata and pictures instantly from the Copilot app on Windows 11. The check is rolling out to Home windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs and lets you use extra descriptive language when conducting your search. Microsoft can be making it simpler to leap into “guided assist” classes with Copilot Imaginative and prescient.
- Microsoft Groups is getting a microphone quantity indicator. I can’t be the one one who asks “Are you able to hear me?” on a Microsoft Groups assembly, however that is perhaps a factor of the previous quickly. Microsoft is including a volume indicator to Teams on macOS and Home windows that makes it straightforward to see in case your microphone is working. This new characteristic is at present in testing earlier than it rolls out to Groups customers within the coming months.
- Microsoft’s AI chief needs to “construct AI for folks, to not be an individual.” Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has written a blog post the place he shares his considerations about AI fashions changing into too humanlike to the purpose the place folks will imagine they’re aware entities. “My central fear is that many individuals will begin to imagine within the phantasm of AIs as aware entities so strongly that they’ll quickly advocate for AI rights, mannequin welfare and even AI citizenship,” says Suleyman. “This growth might be a harmful flip in AI progress and deserves our instant consideration.”
- Microsoft and Asus’ new Xbox Ally handhelds launch on October sixteenth. We lastly acquired a date for the brand new Xbox Ally handhelds this week: October 16th. Weirdly there was no value or preorders, although. That didn’t cease Greatest Purchase from by chance itemizing the Xbox Ally at $549.99 and the Xbox Ally X at $899.99. I do surprise if Asus and Microsoft can subsidize this {hardware} a little bit additional to carry these value factors down, and we’re going to search out out if that’s attainable within the coming weeks.
- Xbox on PC is getting a highlights reel and Auto SR. Alongside the Xbox Ally launch date announcement, Microsoft additionally revealed this week that it’s bringing Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR), which makes use of an NPU to upscale video games, to the Xbox Ally X in early 2026. Will probably be joined by a brand new highlights reels characteristic that makes use of AI fashions to routinely seize gameplay moments and make them simply shareable with buddies or on social networks.
- Microsoft is bettering the sport shader expertise on Home windows. The DirectX staff at Microsoft is engaged on a new “advanced shader delivery” system that’s designed to preload sport shaders throughout obtain on the Xbox Ally units. It’s launching on these handhelds first, to make video games launch quicker and run rather a lot smoother with out stutters. It’s just like Valve’s personal efforts to enhance the shader scenario, and Microsoft says it should finally increase this to extra video games and extra units over time.
I’m at all times eager to listen to from readers, so please drop a remark right here, or you’ll be able to attain me at [email protected] if you wish to focus on the rest. If you happen to’ve heard about any of Microsoft’s secret tasks, you’ll be able to attain me through e mail at [email protected] or communicate to me confidentially on the Sign messaging app, the place I’m tomwarren.01. I’m additionally tomwarren on Telegram, in case you’d want to talk there.
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Images by Tom Warren / The Verge