- Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 preview brings the Xbox Full Screen Experience to MSI Claw handhelds
- It comes earlier than the promised ETA of 2026
- Additional handheld support should arrive in the coming months
It’s only been a few weeks since the launch of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, which arrived with the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) to provide a streamlined, console-like user interface in Windows 11 for gamers. The rollout to other handhelds is now beginning, which is good to see – it just needs to be faster.
In the latest Windows 11 preview build (26220.7051) in the Beta and Dev channels, Microsoft announced the Xbox FSE for the MSI Claw, with additional handheld makers set to enable support for their devices in the coming months.
This comes after the initial promise of a wider rollout of the FSE beginning in 2026, so it appears Microsoft has made faster progress than it expected.
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It’s worth noting that the Xbox FSE can still be used on other handhelds, such as the original Asus ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go, but requires some tinkering to get it up and running. Meanwhile, ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally handheld owners can dive into the experience out of the box. And before too long, that’ll be the case for MSI’s handheld, too.
Still, it’d be nice if Microsoft could bring the FSE to more handhelds, perhaps multiple devices simultaneously, so the owners of these portables won’t have to resort to an unofficial setup method (as seen in the tutorial video below from Deck Wizard).
Xbox Full Screen Experience On ANY Handheld: Easy Setup Guide – YouTube
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Moreover, Microsoft needs to consider bringing the new FSE over to desktop PCs sooner, because desktop gamers are also wanting this experience in certain scenarios (notably for using a gaming PC with the TV in the living room).
While Microsoft’s Windows 11 is still the operating system of choice for PC gamers, Valve’s SteamOS is growing at a fast rate in terms of popularity with handheld gamers.
SteamOS has been proven to provide better performance results versus Windows 11 across a wide range of games on handhelds, and leads in other areas of user interface and features, notably its sleep and quick resume capabilities, where Microsoft lags behind considerably.
Analysis: Valve’s SteamOS is only a few steps away from dethroning Windows 11
(Image credit: Future)
I’m about to sound like a broken record yet again, but it’s clear to me that Valve’s SteamOS is only held back by a few limiting factors that aren’t within its control – and the moment they’re resolved, Microsoft’s Windows 11 could be in big trouble on the gaming front.
One of those limitations is obvious, namely the limited game compatibility due to anti-cheat tools that won’t work on Linux. Considering how popular games like Battlefield 6, Call of Duty, EA Sports FC 26, and Destiny 2 are, there is likely a significant portion of gamers who would be open to moving away from Windows 11 to SteamOS, but can’t do so since they’re actively playing one (or more) of these games.
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I am one of those people, and it’s incredibly frustrating that EA, Activision, and other publishers won’t make their anti-cheat systems (that aim to police online games) compatible with Linux, and this is actively making me use my handheld less since I’m so drawn to Battlefield 6 on my desktop system.
I would imagine that if these anti-cheat tools ever do become compatible with SteamOS – and that may be a pipe dream, granted – we will see a huge shift of players over to SteamOS from Windows 11. And I wouldn’t blame a single one of them for defecting.
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