Microsoft's long-rumored Project Kennan handheld is official, now called the ROG Xbox Ally. It's a typical Windows handheld, redesigned for a similar feel to an Xbox controller, but it's packing a special version of Windows that's been tailored for a handheld experience. This new operating system is coming to the ROG Xbox Ally first, but Microsoft isn't closing it off to just one device. It says users with other Windows handhelds will be able to install the tweaked operating system, but you may have to wait a little bit.

Microsoft is bringing the ROG Xbox Ally OS to other devices

Don't expect news this year, though

“The Xbox full-screen experience will first come to the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X, and our next focus will be updating the in-market ROG Ally and the ROG Ally X. Similar full-screen Xbox experiences will be rolling out to other Windows handhelds, starting next year," said Roanne Sones, corporate vice president of gaming devices and ecosystem at Xbox, in a briefing with The Verge. The "Xbox full-screen experience" Sones is talking about is actually Windows, but with a ton of software and services disabled to make the operating system more friendly for handhelds. It's a bit like SteamOS, but it's built on Windows.

It's not surprising to see Microsoft develop this kind of handheld-first interface. Valve is slowly rolling out SteamOS to other handhelds, and based on our testing, it's not only easier to use than Windows, it's a heck of a lot faster, too. The Xbox full-screen experience may get a performance boost, too. Microsoft says that "there is a whole bunch of Windows stuff that doesn't get loaded" in this view, ditching the desktop, file explorer, and several background processes to make the handheld experience as seamless as possible. You'll still be able to dismiss the Xbox interface and head into the Windows desktop, but it isn't loaded by default.

The Xbox full-screen experience is enabled by several updates Microsoft has made to the Xbox app over the past couple of years. In addition to compact mode, which provides a controller-friendly interface with the Xbox app, Microsoft also redesigned Xbox Game Bar to make it easier to use with a controller. These improvements have been rolling out in Windows builds for a while, and you can use them now across both desktop and handhelds. If you know the right tweaks to make in Windows, you can even achieve something similar to the full-screen Xbox experience Microsoft is shipping with the ROG Xbox Ally.

Microsoft hasn't put a strict timeframe on when other handhelds will see this, but it appears that the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X will see an update this year, or early next year. The full-screen experience is built on Windows, so hopefully there won't be too many hurdles enabling the full-screen view on other devices.