Microsoft’s new user interface on the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds is exactly what Windows has needed to take on the Steam Deck.
Ever since the release of the Steam Deck in February 2022, the handheld PC market has continued to grow with Windows devices like the ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go S, but they all suffer from one major problem: Windows 11 on a handheld isn’t exactly easy to navigate with just a joystick.
Given that you have to go through the regular Windows desktop to access apps like Steam, Epic Game Store, and Xbox, it becomes quite a chore to use any device running the OS, but the new ROG Xbox Ally changes that.
Xbox takes on SteamOS with new software
With the ROG Xbox Ally, Microsoft and Asus have partnered together to create a new software experience that should have been done from the start.
Instead of booting into Windows 11, the new handheld loads you directly into a full-screen version of the Xbox app. You know, the same way SteamOS sends you directly into Steam. Unlike Valve’s operating system, however, the new experience will allow you to access games from other stores as well, combining your entire PC library into one seamless app for the first time
Microsoft told The Verge that there is a “whole bunch” of processes that don’t automatically load when you boot up the Xbox Ally X as well, including the wallpaper, taskbar, and more “that are really designed around productivity scenarios for Windows.”
You’ll still be able to access the regular desktop if you need to, but those just looking to quickly play a game should see a massive improvement in performance and overall user experience with the new full-screen Xbox setup.
The new Xbox-focused operating system isn’t the only way Microsoft is coming for Valve, either, as they’re also working on a program that helps players easily identify which games have been optimized for handhelds. This is similar to SteamOS’ Deck Verified system which lets Steam Deck owners know whether or not a game will run well on their device.
It will only be available on the ROG Xbox Ally at launch, but there are plans to bring it to Asus’ non-Xbox Ally variants soon after. Other Windows-based devices will receive the update sometime in 2026 or later, but we can only hope it comes sooner than that.
A new experience without as much of the bloat and a better UI is exactly what handhelds have needed since the market began to skyrocket in growth, and we’re happy to see that it’s finally happening.
The new user interface may not put Windows and the ROG Xbox Ally ahead of the Steam Deck in overall popularity, but at least the new Xbox handhelds will finally be as easy to use as Valve’s device.
