Gamescom 2025 is happening right now, and at the Xbox Booth I had a chance to go hands-on with Microsoft's new handheld gaming mode for Windows 11, running directly on the upcoming Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. The company first announced that it was working to improve gaming on handheld PCs earlier this year, and this week is the first time the public has been able to try out these new optimizations.
On Windows 11, Microsoft is building in a new "home app" feature that lets you set an app as a "launcher" in place of the traditional Windows desktop. This setting exists in the Gaming section of the Windows Settings app, and offers the ability to set the Xbox app as the default home experience that you see when you boot into the system.
