The highly anticipated Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is still a month away, bringing exciting hardware upgrades like a new chipset and redesigned controller grips. However, my curiosity has been particularly piqued by the software side of things ever since the system was first announced in June. The vision of a streamlined Windows version optimized for handheld gaming PCs is something I’ve yearned for, and the Xbox Ally X promises to deliver just that—or at least, a close approximation.
Microsoft has confirmed that this new ‘Full Screen Experience’ (FSE) for the Xbox app will officially roll out to other Windows devices in early 2026. But what if you could dive into it right now? Good news! It’s actually possible to get the Full Screen Experience up and running on almost any Windows machine today, though it comes with a fair share of warnings and potential headaches.
Getting an Early Glimpse via Windows Insider
As detailed by a helpful Reddit user, Gogsi123, you can potentially enable this feature early by enrolling in the Windows Insider program. After downloading the Windows 11 25H2 update on the Dev channel, you might find the option to enable the Full Screen Experience under the Gaming settings. I say “potentially” because, in my own experience, this option didn’t immediately appear.
If the option doesn’t show up by default with Windows 11 25H2, there’s a more advanced method to enable it. This involves downloading a utility called ViVeTool from GitHub, executing a few command-line prompts, and making edits in the Windows Registry (regedit). I strongly advise against this unless you are comfortable with the risks, as it could potentially render your Windows installation inoperable. If you choose to proceed, meticulously following Gogsi123’s guide is essential.
Once all the steps are correctly followed, the Full Screen Experience option should finally appear in your gaming settings. Simply activate it for the Xbox app and reboot your system. Keep in mind that this is an experimental build of Windows, so unexpected issues are common. For example, when I tested it on the Asus ROG Ally X, my controllers mysteriously stopped working. Such quirks are part and parcel of early software builds.
Ultimately, my main interest lies in gaming performance. The launch of devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS has highlighted how the inherent bloat of Windows 11 can negatively impact gaming. The Full Screen Experience, however, appears to offer a significant improvement in this regard.
A Welcome Performance Boost
The theoretical advantage of the FSE is its ability to free up system resources by not loading the full Windows desktop or other non-essential features, thereby boosting gaming performance. To test this, I put it through my standard suite of handheld benchmarking tools.
The results in 3DMark were quite encouraging. In Time Spy, I scored 3540 points with the FSE enabled, a noticeable jump from 3346 points on an older Windows build. Fire Strike showed an even more impressive 16% performance increase, scoring 8306 points compared to 7187. In Night Raid, the Ally X achieved 30427 points, a substantial 20% improvement over the previous 25278. While these synthetic benchmarks are promising, real-world game testing yielded more modest gains.
For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with High settings, my frame rate improved from 35 fps to 39 fps—about an 11% boost. However, somewhat counterintuitively, both Monster Hunter Wilds and Total War: Warhammer 3 saw a slight dip, running at 22 fps compared to the previous 23 fps. This difference is within the margin of error, though technically a small decrease. Monster Hunter also felt quite jittery, though it’s not a game typically recommended for handheld gaming PCs in the first place.
Anticipate Varied Results
It’s still too early to give a definitive verdict on the new Full Screen Experience for Xbox on Windows, especially given its current unpolished state. Nevertheless, the noticeable performance improvements alone make it a fascinating development. With several new handheld gaming PCs, all sharing similar hardware, set to launch in the coming months, the ROG Xbox Ally X might gain a crucial performance edge right out of the box thanks to this FSE, at least for a few months.
For those brave enough, you can technically enable this feature on your own handheld now. It’s a worthwhile endeavor if you’re prepared for the potential challenges of heavily tweaking your device. Just be aware of the risks involved, as system instability or breakage is a real possibility. Even if you prefer to wait for a stable release, the fact that this is already available in a preview build means a fully functional version for all Windows devices shouldn’t be far off. I, for one, am eager to get it running on my living room PC very soon.