Home windows 11 may get a ‘Handheld Mode’ sooner or later that might make it good for the Steam Deck, or certainly different moveable gaming gadgets.
This thrilling revelation comes courtesy of WalkingCat, an everyday supplier of Microsoft gossip on Twitter (as noticed by Windows Latest (opens in new tab)).
https://t.co/OWiw0f2k2v pic.twitter.com/RdSGMmhgBdApril 13, 2023
The story is that Microsoft simply held its Hackathon – the place employees get collectively to discover potential new concepts – and one mission mentioned was the ‘Handheld Mode’ particularly mentioning the Steam Deck.
The Handheld Mode – which may apply to any handheld gaming system, not simply Valve’s – would usher in a redesign of the desktop, making it a launcher-style affair (catering for varied totally different shops, not simply Steam) with an interface higher suited to a (comparatively) small touchscreen.
That would come with a greater digital contact keyboard – one which may very well be operated with the Steam Deck’s controller as nicely – together with interface optimizations, equivalent to a streamlined taskbar and higher UI scaling.
The Handheld Mode may merely be switched on and off as wanted (through the taskbar), and it might permit for the OS to be totally and globally navigated utilizing the Steam Deck’s controls.
There’d even be choices to decide on between higher efficiency or power-efficiency, which within the latter case would assist prolong battery life on the transfer for the Steam Deck.
Evaluation: Deck achieved proper with Home windows?
As you doubtless know, it’s already potential to put in Home windows 11 (or 10) on the Steam Deck (although it’s a bit fiddly, we’ve received a information right here). Nevertheless, it’s removed from a super expertise, being very tough across the edges, affected by, for instance, driver points, and plenty of thorny issues across the interface.
That is what all of the above measures are supposed to treatment, with a number of the work needing to be achieved on the interface entrance. (Most notably with the Home windows digital keyboard, which may be very flaky on Valve’s handheld, and getting the Deck’s controls to work globally with the Home windows UI – and with non-Steam video games, too). The mission leaders even point out collaborating straight with Valve on Home windows drivers for the Deck.
To summarize, this might signify an finish to most of the shortcomings with Home windows 11 on the Steam Deck proper now. Issues like video games failing to work correctly with the show, or failing to acknowledge the Deck’s {hardware} (not with the ability to entry VRAM for instance), and falling over because of this.
Whereas SteamOS is nice, so far as it goes, the Deck’s default working system has its limitations when it comes to what it may well do, and what video games it may well run. Placing full Home windows on the Steam Deck opens up issues significantly so players can, say, take pleasure in titles that anti-cheat performance at the moment scuppers for SteamOS, or video games that are wonky for varied causes with Valve’s spin on Linux. And naturally, you may run video games from no matter supply you need, and certainly Home windows apps, for that matter.
Earlier than we get too carried away with this Handheld Mode, although, we should keep in mind, that is nonetheless very early work on the thought. It’s only a idea beneath dialogue in the meanwhile, and there’s removed from any assure the mode will ever change into an possibility that’s totally realized in Home windows.
Nonetheless, it’s thrilling stuff even to listen to about this for Steam Deck house owners, and certainly for different handhelds in the identical sphere – let’s not overlook the lately revealed Asus ROG Ally, an AMD-powered system which in truth runs Home windows 11.
The emergence of Steam Deck rivals like this underlines the sturdy buzz round this space of {hardware} growth, and that’s likely precisely why Microsoft is trying into the Handheld Mode within the first place.