Microsoft’s new Game Bar Compact Mode could actually make Windows 11 worth using on gaming handhelds
Microsoft is testing a new compact mode to hopefully make the Game Bar in Windows 11 (and 10) easier to use and navigate on smaller screens and Windows handheld devices like the Asus ROG Ally Xand while using a controller. In addition to a simplified Game Bar layout, it includes a redesigned Home widget, which displays all the games currently running on your device and games you’ve recently played.
The Game Bar is a central place in Windows 11 where you can easily manage your gaming settings, including audio settings and capturing gameplay for streaming. If you’re an Xbox Insider (which is similar to the Windows Insiders program, which lets users test future features and provide feedback, but is specifically focused on Xbox console updates and gaming experiences), you can sign up to try out Compact Mode. Once you’ve done that, you can enable it by Game bar and to the Settings widget. Here, in the General section, you can use the ‘Compact mode‘ option by flipping the switch.
Better navigation, more control with compact mode
Once Compact Mode is enabled, you can interact with widgets (interactive tools that provide real-time information and quick access to gaming-related functions) and navigate through content more easily and quickly – for example, you can use a controller to switch between widgets using the left and right bumpers (LB/RB). The upgraded Home widget displays currently running and recently played games, and allows you to quickly open commonly used game launchers such as Xbox, Steam, and EA Play.
You can now quit games from the Home widget, allowing you to select and click the game to close it instead of having to quit from within the game or navigate to your desktop. Other new menu items, such as the Resources widget, let you monitor which applications are using your device’s resources and quickly close them to improve performance. You can also browse and open installed widgets directly from the Widget Store by opening the widgets menu.
A major handheld gaming push from Microsoft
This update shows that Microsoft is looking to improve the performance of Windows 11 on non-traditional PC devices, such as the growing number of PC gaming handhelds. It seems that this could be a significant improvement for the Xbox app on Windows.
Devices like the ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go run Windows 11 as their operating system, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Windows 11 isn’t ideal for these devices.
The operating system is designed to work on laptops and PCs with larger screens and mouse and keyboard controls. On handhelds with smaller screens and only gamepad controls, Windows 11 can feel clunky and frustrating, especially when compared to SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system that was built specifically to run on the Steam Deck handheld. These improvements to Windows 11’s Game Bar could make the OS much more suitable for handheld devices – especially important considering there are rumors that Valve allows SteamOS to be installed on non-Steam Deck devices.
If you want to try out Compact Mode sooner rather than later, you’ll need to join the Xbox Insider Program (which is free to do). This will give you early access to new features and updates, and allow you to share your thoughts and feedback to help improve the experience. You’ll need to sign up for the Xbox Insider Hub App from the Microsoft Store and then sign in with your Microsoft account.