Xbox Mode has been available on Windows 11 PCs for almost a week now, and it doesn’t seem to be going as smoothly as fans would like. So, I’d like to take this time to go over what’s working, what isn’t, and what the community has discovered so far.
Before we get into all that, I should say that, as someone who’s had an Xbox Ally X for a fair few months now, I’ve basically had access to Xbox Mode for a while. Previously known as Xbox Fullscreen Experience, it’s essentially the Xbox app running in a forced full-screen environment, with reduced background tasks designed to help improve performance.
However, in my own use, I’ve typically not enjoyed the experience all that much. That said, I’ll do my best to keep a fair approach here and instead prefer to use Winhanced, something I'm also doing a write-up of currently.
Online, users have had issues with the rollout of Xbox Mode, something Xbox said would happen in phases. However, it’s still confusing, given that some users report being on KB5083631, which should include Xbox Mode, yet the feature still does not appear for them.
If you’re on KB5083631, Xbox Mode should appear under Settings > Gaming > Xbox Mode. However, due to Microsoft’s gradual rollout, some users still can’t access the new mode despite having KB5083631 installed.
Over on Reddit, users have been complaining about this, with one user stating: “I updated three PCs and do not see it in settings on any PC,” and many other users are in agreement, stating: “'I’m still not seeing the Xbox mode in gaming settings after a week+, is it only available for certain devices/regions?”
It seems as though the confusion around the rollout is currently the biggest issue. However, another issue, or potential issue rather, is the underwhelming boost in performance many users were hoping for, as testing online has shown only very minor gains. Certainly, it’s not the kind of increase that makes Xbox Mode worth enabling purely for performance reasons.
XDA Developers, who tested Xbox Mode, also found the experience to be “glitchy,” something I can personally agree with after spending time with Xbox Mode on my Xbox Ally X. Whether it’s awkward navigation issues, UI elements randomly popping in, or the occasional crash, the experience still feels rough around the edges, though crashes at least haven’t been particularly common in my use.
I previously spoke about my issues and thoughts on the Xbox Ally X, where I went into much more detail about my frustrations with the software experience overall.
Now, if for some reason you do want a workaround to force-enable Xbox Mode on Windows 11, you can use a tool called ViVeTool, which enables the hidden feature. Windows Latest covered this in-depth, providing a detailed guide on how to enable Xbox Mode manually using the third-party tool.
I’ll be the first to admit that Xbox is currently on a bit of a roll, and even Windows, with its K2 initiative, is giving people a lot more reasons to feel optimistic and even excited about the future of Microsoft’s consumer-facing products.
However, I do understand why people are frustrated here. Microsoft has arguably reached a boiling point with what consumers will tolerate, so even a slow rollout of a feature like this can annoy and irritate fans who were genuinely excited for it. Yes, Microsoft said this would be a phased rollout, but for many people, that explanation just doesn’t feel like enough anymore, especially for a company that has faced drama after drama in recent years.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m trying to keep a level-headed approach to all this, as I generally prefer to be a glass-half-full kind of guy. I’d rather be optimistic than constantly grumpy, which is probably something I get because I’ve somehow managed to remain a Halo fan after all these years, oh how I do love self-burning myself and my favorite franchise.
I want to see Xbox and, yes, even Windows succeed, and despite the current issues, I still prefer both over the competition. Xbox continues to make great hardware, and despite constant calls for the “year of Linux,” every time I’ve personally tried Linux, it’s felt like a bit of a hot mess compared to the out-of-the-box Windows experience.
Still, it’s clear Microsoft is feeling the pressure, and changes are coming. Despite the slow rollout of Xbox Mode, the feature is on the way, and I do hope Microsoft can start minimizing some of the weird red tape around these releases, as things like painfully slow rollouts can be frustrating for fans who simply want to try the features being advertised.
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