Xbox’s ‘Handheld Mode’ Available to install on any Current Windows Handheld

As the teams at Xbox and ASUS prepare for the launch of the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X in October, the Windows team at Microsoft have pushed update “25H2” for Windows 11 for Insider Program users. It came with an unexpected surprise for gamers, that saw Xbox’s ‘Handheld Mode’ available to install on any current windows handheld.

The Xbox ‘Full Screen Experience’

I have to admit, I saw the news spreading across forums and reddit, and immediately jumped on the bandwagon, with the kind assistance and advice from XboxEra’s favourite handheld tech guru, K.Asante. Apparently, the handheld build has been available in previous Insider updates for Windows, including 24H2, but it was reportedly a lot more convoluted to get going than it is now.

The current process involved having to join the ‘Release Preview’ ring of the Windows Insider program, and then update my Windows 11 installation on my ROG Ally X to the latest available build, the 25H2 update. One little bit of 3rd party program assistance and some ‘regedit’ later, Microsoft’s Xbox Full Screen Experience was ready to go.

And yes, it is indeed a vast improvement on the traditional interface that shipped with the ROG Ally. Instead of loading into a standard Windows 11 login, Windows itself is stripped back, stopping several system processes usually required by the operating system from loading entirely, leaving around 2Gb of memory free for precious video-gaming goodness.

Now, my ROG Ally X launches directly into the Xbox Full Screen Experience, pulling in all of my games, including Steam (in addition to whatever PC store launchers and games I have installed on the device). While it’s a good approximation for what will launch on the new ROG Xbox Ally suite of devices, I think it’s missing some key features.

For one, the current ROG Ally does not have an Xbox Nexus button, meaning that to bring up the Game Bar, you’ll need to swipe in from the left to access it or reassign a button using the software.

Armory Crate, ASUS’ built-in handheld management software is not currently integrated like it is in the new suite of handhelds, meaning that bringing up the methods to switch to different performance profiles is exactly how it currently is on the device, Xbox Full Screen Experience or no.

Despite these minor inconveniences however, it is a massive improvement for gaming on Windows handhelds. The task switcher, which can be brought up by swiping up from the bottom of the screen is a literal godsend, allowing you to close out of un-needed games or applications with a press of the X button.

I can stream Borderlands 4 from my PC on the same network, or play locally installed Steam games without issue. I can load native Xbox PC games that have Play Anywhere support, and my saves sync automatically.

Can I set it up?

Eager gamers can of course try this out for themselves, and while it’s pretty simple to do, be aware that it can require some editing of the Windows Registry or installation of 3rd party applications to enable it. If you screw that up, you risk making your Windows install unstable, or in the worst case scenario, bricking it entirely, meaning a wipe and a fresh install of Windows 11. If you’re still super keen, guides on what to do and how to do it can be found over on Reddit.

More on the ROG Xbox Ally:

The XboxEra team got a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X at Gamescom earlier this year. Is this partnered device worth checking out for you, or even the average gamer? Check it out for yourself with our full ROG Xbox Ally Hands-on Preview.

We look forward to bringing you our in-depth review coverage of the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X closer to launch. Both devices are releasing worldwide on October 16th.