Microsoft seems to be working on something interesting for people who own or are interested in buying one of those myriad Windows gaming handhelds that have come up in the last two years.
As reported by Tom Warren for The Verge, some footage from a Microsoft hackathon dated back to September 2022 have come up online. _h0x0d_ shared video of a small proposed Windows handheld mode. It seems that an engineer shared this video to their superiors, and they have now made it public.
The proposal actually directly addresses Windows on Steam Deck. The presenter explains that Windows can be installed in Steam Deck, but it needs optimization on the platform.
It then reviews some of the work Microsoft engineers already made. There is already a prototype launcher from which players can launch Steam, Game Pass, EA Play, and other clients. There is also a mini keyboard made for vertically oriented devices, which is how most Windows handhelds are designed.
The clip ends with mention of a global control system for Windows. Presumably, this setup would work in such a way that players would just intuitively jump into their games when using this version of Windows.
If you have been following this small world of gaming handhelds, you would know that there have been more adacious projects than the Steam Deck. Smaller companies than Valve, such as GPD, AYN, and AYA, have been launching crowdfunded gaming handheld consoles of their own. These devices are considerably more expensive than the Steam Deck, running at $ 1000 and above in price.
However, they also come with Windows 10 installed, and so can play the full range of Windows games without the extra fiddling that would be needed on the Steam Deck. They have also put in their own work to make their game controller controls work with the Windows 10’s shortcomings as a gaming device OS.
In this case, I will use the AYANEO devices as an example. In this video about the AYANEO Pro from last year, ETA Prime talks about how the extra hotkeys that have been added on top of the conventional controller inputs. These include a Windows key, escape key, and a key to bring up the keyboard. In a more recent device, the AYANEO Geek, those buttons have been streamlined, as AYA have made their own custom program to facilitate gamers’ needs called AYA Space. A single button brings up the AYA Space program, though there are still some additional buttons.
While most of these devices are too expensive, and are manufactured in low numbers, for most gamers to feasibly buy, the announcement of the ROG Ally means it won’t be very long when they will be considerably more ubiquitous.
Microsoft is really a few years behind in working on this, but obviously, if they want more people using Game Pass, and to keep using Windows for gaming, they need to make a special Windows gaming mode. Who knows? Down the line, the Surface division might muddle into this space with a gaming handheld of their own.
