Microsoft's "Full screen experience" mode for handheld gaming PCs shouldn't officially be usable yet, but it turns out you can use it already if you're happy using a Preview version of Windows and using a third-party tool. Only problem is, if my experience is anything to go by, it might not work all too well.
There are detailed instructions on how to set it up on your Windows handheld on Reddit, thanks to user Gogsi123 (via The Verge). The basic idea, though, is to become a Windows Insider, update to 25H2, and then if you can't see the option in your Settings, you can use ViVeTool to enable the feature (some of you might remember using this tool to enable Copilot features before they officially rolled out in some regions).
When I saw the ROG Xbox Ally at Gamescom last month, Asus seemed to pin Microsoft's Xbox Full screen experience as one of the handheld's selling points. Neither Asus nor Microsoft have pretended that the handheld gaming mode would only be for the ROG Xbox Ally, but it was expected we'd only be able to see it when the handheld launches on October 16, with other handhelds sometime after that.
However, Insider builds and third-party feature enablement tools have given us an early route in. I just spent a while getting it set up, and can confirm it works. Sort of. If you struggle to join the Windows Insider program on your particular device, as I did on the Lenovo Legion Go S, you can download a Windows 11 25H2 iso (I used the dev channel version), then boot that via USB onto your handheld and (re)install Windows from there.
After doing that and some further updates, I unfortunately couldn't see the Full screen experience option in the Windows settings. So I used ViVeTool to enable the feature, along with adding a new registry key, as per the instructions on the Reddit thread. One reboot later, and the Full screen experience option appeared in the Gaming section of Windows Settings. After enabling it there, one final reboot brought me right into the Full screen experience.
I will, of course, be trying out the new Xbox mode more thoroughly, but if I can get it running as well as it did back at Gamescom when I tried it, I'll be happy. Switching between the gaming mode and the normal Windows desktop was a breeze, and all the added SteamOS-like handheld-first features and design choices seemed intuitive, at least at that first glance.
That all said, after getting everything set up, it seems Xbox Full screen experience isn't very happy on this Legion Go S. It's not letting me use my controls at all, and I can't switch between Desktop and Full screen experience modes. Perhaps some firmware updates are needed, or perhaps it's just not gelling well with the Legion Go S in particular. I suppose I know what I'll be doing with my evenings now, anyway.
In a year where SteamOS has opened up for other handhelds, it's nice to see some competition on this front from Microsoft. The real question is, if and when it works, will running everything in this Xbox Full screen experience mode improve performance and efficiency at all, or will that remain the preserve of Linux-based operating systems like SteamOS and Bazzite?
1. Best overall:
Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS ed.
2. Best budget:
Steam Deck
3. Best Windows:
MSI Claw 8 AI+
4. Best big screen:
Lenovo Legion Go
5. Best compact:
Ayaneo Flip DS
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