At this year's CES, gaming handhelds running Windows were all the hype. Acer, Lenovo, MSI, and Asus have all shown off their models, ranging from 8 to 11 inches. Lenovo's latest, the Legion Go S, has two versions - one with Windows and one with Valve's SteamOS. The SteamOS version works like Valve's Steam Deck, which feels like a full-on game console running Steam software. It's easy to use and comes with a large library of optimized games.

But Windows handhelds aren't quite there yet. Microsoft has previously mentioned its interest in an Xbox gaming handheld. Yet, Windows handhelds don't feel like Xboxes. While Windows offers flexibility, it can be hit-or-miss. Custom software skins aren't as elegant as Valve's SteamOS. Microsoft's recent marketing has emphasized Xbox everywhere, but Windows handhelds lack that seamless Xbox experience. You can play Windows games and Xbox games via cloud streaming, but they aren't optimized like on Steam Deck.

This is where Microsoft can step in. Valve has shown it's possible to make an optimized gaming environment on handhelds. As Nintendo prepares a powerful Switch 2, Microsoft could benefit from pushing a better Xbox-like experience on Windows handhelds. The hardware exists, it's the software that needs fine-tuning.

Why Aren't Windows Handhelds More Like Xboxes?

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