Xbox app full screen experience leaked, can run on handheld PCs with Windows 11 25H2

The Xbox Ally X isn't out yet, but Microsoft's new handheld-specific Xbox app can actually be loaded up on handheld PCs that run Windows 11 2H2.

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Windows isn't fun to use on a small touchscreen, so Microsoft created a version that's tailor-made for handheld gaming PCs. It's called the Xbox Fullscreen Experience, and it's basically a custom version of the Xbox app that can shut off non-gaming Windows functions to free up system resources. It's a lot like modern Xbox consoles--these systems also run Windows, but highly-specialized versions with tons of processes and features stripped away.

The new version of the Xbox app can be accessed right now via the Windows 11 25H2 preview build. The Fullscreen Experience can be enabled via this tutorial, but be forewarned that you'll have to get into registry files.

The Xbox Fullscreen Experience actually frees up a surprising amount of memory, at least in comparison to other software launchers. The biggest advantage--outside of things like native controller support on a PC environment--seems to be an extra 1GB or so of extra RAM that's now made available thanks to the pared-away OS. This shows that the app is conjunctive with the operating system itself.

As per usual when it comes to gaming handhelds, YouTuber The Phawx has the definitive video on the Xbox Fullscreen Experience app.

He makes an interesting point about the Fullscreen Experience's major downfall: it doesn't have a quick way to tweak system settings to prolong battery life. With some GPU and CPU tweaks, Phawx was able to get an 8-hour battery life while using the default Windows 11 OS as compared to 3.6 hours of battery life with the Fullscreen Experience app.