Microsoft's handheld offerings are in a really embarrassing position right now. For third-party handhelds+, people are scrapping Windows 11 in favor of other operating systems, such as Steam and Bazzite, citing a better experience and in-game performance. For official Microsoft-branded handhelds... people still find that Linux does it better. Yes, Microsoft can't seem to catch a break, even on its home turf.

As such, Microsoft really needed an out before it ended up losing to SteamOS by default. Its answer was the Full Screen Experience (FSE), which turns Windows 11 into a dedicated gaming system, including redirecting all focus to everything needed for a smooth experience. And while FSE was only an Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X thing to start, it's now arriving on all Windows 11 handhelds tomorrow.

Microsoft quietly confirms that FSE is on its way to all Windows handhelds

Microsoft announced the rollout for FSE over on the Xbox Wire. You'd be forgiven for not seeing the comments about FSE, as they're tucked away within a huge blog post detailing everything that Microsoft's gaming partners are doing. However, I promise you, if you take a close look at the intro, you will find the following paragraph:

Additionally, we also announced that full screen experience—originally available on the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X—is generally available tomorrow (November 21) across all gaming handhelds currently in market. Plus, we’re expanding FSE to more Windows 11 PC form factors through the Xbox and Windows Insider programs soon.

It's a smart move for Microsoft to get FSE out the door as soon as possible. With all the evidence mounting that using a Linux-based operating system like SteamOS or Bazzite is the better choice for any Windows 11 handheld, the company really needs to move fast. It doesn't want a repeat of its Internet Explorer/Edge reputation, where people would use it purely to download Chrome or Firefox.

So, will FSE save Windows 11 handhelds from SteamOS? Maybe not yet, but it's a good first step. We've toyed around with FSE ourselves at XDA HQ, both on a handheld and on a PC, and we were pretty impressed by what we saw. However, we had the same criticism for both; while using FSE to boot games was a ton more convenient, it didn't do a ton in the performance department. Ensuring games run as smoothly and quickly as possible should be Microsoft's number one concern as it fights to prevent people from treating its operating system like bloatware.