Windows 11 is getting a full-screen Xbox mode that you can boot into

Microsoft has made its PC gaming handheld and Xbox on Windows 11 plans pretty straightforward in that its goal is to offer a seamless experience like booting up an Xbox console. In recent days and weeks, rumors of this initiative getting a release have been ramping up with word that Microsoft is partnering with ASUS to launch a new version of the ROG Ally to sport this updated version of Windows 11 designed for PC gaming.

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This image from Microsoft shows Steam games in the Xbox App for Windows, image credit: Microsoft.

Thanks to some sleuthing from Xeno Panther on BlueSky, we now have our first confirmation that PC gamers will be able to boot up Windows 11 into a full-screen Xbox and PC gaming interface that they can navigate with a controller.

The language pack for an in-development build of Windows 11 under Gaming contained references to "Boot into the Full screen experience at device startup" and "Choose your Full screen experience," which means Windows 11-based PC gaming handhelds are about to get a Steam Deck-like upgrade that is less clunky and desktop-free.

This is also excellent news for those with mini PCs or small-form-factor SFF builds connected to a TV, as you can boot straight into a full-screen Xbox interface for all your PC gaming needs. The best part is that you won't be limited to the Microsoft Store, PC Game Pass, or your Windows-specific game library, as a recent screenshot from Microsoft showcasing its Xbox App on PC included a 'Steam Library' tab.

Having a full-screen app or overlay for a Windows 11-based PC gaming handheld to access libraries and system settings is not new. Still, up until now, you've been limited to running MSI Center on an MSI handheld or ASUS's Armoury Crate on a ROG Ally. An official Xbox interface built into Windows 11 would be more like SteamOS, which boots into a full-screen Steam experience on the Steam Deck with the option to "shut down" to desktop mode for complete Linux-style control over apps and hardware.

Hopefully, we will get a deep dive into what this "full-screen experience" looks like soon. We guess it will probably get a Beta release first (or be exclusive to the new ROG gaming handheld for a while), with several updates and features added as we get closer to the rumored official Xbox PC gaming handheld launch in 2027. By that time, the Windows 11 gaming UI should be in a mature and stable state.

Of course, with Valve expanding SteamOS to more hardware and credible rumors of SteamOS coming to PC, it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out. In a couple of years, PC gamers whose libraries exist wholly or mainly on Steam could potentially ditch Windows entirely for what is widely regarded as a more stable gaming platform.