Microsoft Prepares a Steam Deck Rival: Windows 11 Testing a New Gaming Interface for Handhelds

Microsoft is working on a specialized interface for handheld gaming PCs, as revealed in the latest Windows 11 test builds. The goal is to improve system navigation via gamepad—an issue faced by devices like the ASUS ROG Ally, where the traditional Windows UI remains clunky.

System language files reference new settings such as Gaming_GamingPosture_ChooseHomeApp, which suggest users will be able to select a startup screen. This could mean a choice between a full-screen gaming mode resembling the Xbox Dashboard and the standard Windows desktop. Additional tweaks include button remapping and easier access to tools like performance monitoring, all integrated into an upgraded Game Bar.

These changes are part of Microsoft’s broader strategy to tailor Windows for portable gaming, with hints that ASUS is developing a hybrid device under the codename Project Kennan. Similar developments could also shape a future Xbox handheld console.

For now, Valve’s Steam Deck remains the gold standard in this segment, thanks to its gamepad-friendly SteamOS. But Microsoft, in collaboration with hardware manufacturers, aims to create a unified ecosystem spanning PCs, consoles, and handhelds.

If this experiment succeeds, it could shake up the market, where Steam Deck’s dominance is largely due to its seamless OS. However, these features are still in early development, and there’s no official word on when — or if — they’ll make it to a public release.