The dream of PC gaming in your hands just got a whole lot closer to reality. Microsoft is rolling out its Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) to all Windows handhelds starting today, November 21st, promising a console-like interface and unified game library.
This isn’t just an update; it’s a potential game-changer for anyone who wants to take their PC gaming on the road.For months, the FSE was primarily available on the Asus ROG Ally and Ally X, leaving other handheld owners feeling a little left out. Early adopters could wrestle with registry edits and third-party tools to get a taste of the experience, but now the gates are officially open to everyone.
The Xbox Full Screen Experience is designed to transform your Windows handheld into something that feels more like an Xbox console. As the Xbox team announced , this new UX offers a streamlined, console-style navigation system, effectively hiding the traditional Windows desktop and disabling non-essential background tasks to boost gaming performance.
Imagine a world where launching games from Steam, the Xbox app, or other stores feels seamless and unified. That’s the promise of the FSE, offering a centralized game library that pulls together your entire PC gaming collection.
How to Enable the FSE
Getting started is relatively straightforward. Once the update rolls out, users will need to navigate to Settings > Gaming > Full screen experience and select Xbox as their home app.
From there, you can access the FSE through Task View, the Game Bar, or even configure your device to boot directly into the full-screen experience.
While the arrival of the FSE is a welcome step, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s still a work in progress. As it stands, the interface is more basic than Steam’s Big Picture Mode, and users will still need to dip into the Windows desktop for tasks like storage management and system settings.
The Xbox team acknowledges this, recognizing that there’s still a lot of work to do to fully optimize Windows for handheld devices. The FSE, while promising, is just the beginning.
“We’re expanding FSE to more Windows 11 PC form factors through the Xbox and Windows Insider programs.”
The ability to enable the Xbox Full Screen Experience on Windows 11 version 25H2 early through unofficial methods demonstrates the pent-up demand for this feature. Now, Microsoft is delivering a more polished and accessible version to a wider audience.
Ultimately, the success of the Xbox Full Screen Experience will depend on Microsoft’s continued commitment to refining the interface and optimizing performance. But with this latest rollout, the company is signaling that it’s serious about making Windows handhelds a viable alternative to dedicated gaming consoles. The future of portable PC gaming looks a little brighter today.
