- Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 preview brings the full-screen Xbox experience to MSI Claw handhelds
- Arrives before the promised ETA of 2026
- Additional support for portable devices should arrive in the coming months
It’s only been a few weeks since the launch of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally laptops, which arrived with Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) to provide an optimized console-like UI on Windows 11 for gamers. The rollout to other handhelds is already starting, 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 Xbox FSE for MSI Claw, and other portable device manufacturers will enable support for their devices in the coming months.
This comes after the initial promise of a broader FSE rollout starting in 2026, so it appears Microsoft has made faster progress than expected.
It’s worth noting that the Xbox FSE can still be used on other laptops, like the original Asus ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go, but it requires some tinkering to get up and running. Meanwhile, ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally wearable owners can immerse themselves in the experience right out of the box. And soon, that will also be the case for MSI’s handheld.
Still, it would be nice if Microsoft could bring FSE to more portable devices, perhaps multiple devices simultaneously, so that owners of these laptops don’t have to resort to an unofficial setup method (as seen in the video tutorial below from Deck Wizard).
Look
Additionally, Microsoft should consider bringing the new FSE to desktop PCs as soon as possible, because desktop gamers also want this experience in certain scenarios (particularly when using a gaming PC with the TV in the living room).
While Microsoft’s Windows 11 remains the operating system of choice for PC gamers, Valve’s SteamOS is growing at a rapid pace in terms of popularity among portable gamers.
SteamOS has been shown to provide better performance results compared to Windows 11 in a wide range of games on portable devices and leads in other UI and feature areas, particularly its quick sleep and resume capabilities, where Microsoft falls considerably behind.
Analysis: Valve’s SteamOS is just a few steps away from dethroning Windows 11
I’m about to sound like a broken record once again, but it’s clear to me that Valve’s SteamOS is only being held back by some limiting factors that aren’t under its control, and by the time those are resolved, Microsoft’s Windows 11 could be in big trouble on the gaming front.
One of those limitations is obvious, namely the limited compatibility of the game due to anti-cheat tools that do not work on Linux. Considering how popular the games are Battlefield 6, Obligations, EA Sports FC 26and Destiny 2 That’s right, there is likely a significant portion of gamers who would be willing to upgrade from Windows 11 to SteamOS, but can’t do so because they are actively playing one (or more) of these games.
I’m one of those people, and it’s incredibly frustrating that EA, Activision, and other publishers don’t make their anti-cheat systems (which aim to control online gaming) compatible with Linux, and this is actively making me use my handheld less since it appeals to me so much. Battlefield 6 on my desktop system.
I imagine that if these anti-cheat tools ever become compatible with SteamOS (and that may be a pipe dream, of course), we’ll see a enormous players switching to SteamOS from Windows 11. And I wouldn’t blame any of them for defecting.
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