Microsoft may have been developing operating systems for decades, yet the Redmond colossus still hasn’t cooked up an OS that feels great to game on. 20 years ago, the House That Bill Built conquered the console market with the Xbox 360. Despite that short-lived spell of class-leading success, booting your favourite titles on one of the best gaming PCs through Windows often remains a chore two decades on.
Full disclosure: I initially didn’t mean to go on an anti-Windows 11 rant, as I wanted to delve deep into my impressions of the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) — Microsoft’s answer to finally fixing playing games on Windows. Alas, such is the pain of downloading new updates on Microsoft’s latest OS; a night of failed testing misery quickly put paid to that idea.
First launched on the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally last month, Xbox FSE quietly rolled out on all Windows-based handhelds on November 21. A few days later, it was then made available on rigs and the best gaming laptops, provided you’re a Windows Insider member.
Tom’s Guide Jason England described Xbox FSE as a “stellar UI to navigate.” I’m guessing this is partly because it reduces Windows 11’s overall background power and performance overheads to allow for more responsive interactions with launchers like Steam and the Epic Games Store. I’ll just have to take Jason’s word for it, because try as I might, I can’t get the damn thing to work.
I’ve been using Windows 11 for years now, and there are almost always rough edges in day-to-day usage
Most of the time, I don’t have many issues updating Windows 11. Sadly, this was not the case when trying to download the snappily titled “Windows 11 Insider Preview Feature Update (26220.7271).” The latest Insider build is required to test drive Xbox FSE ahead of its full launch on Windows PCs, laptops and tablets, and oh boy, is it a pain to get working.
Despite being hooked up to a 1GB full-fibre optic connection, both my gaming PC and Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) took a veritable Ice Age to download the update. I’m pretty sure I could have skimmed “War and Peace” in the time it took to install on my two main gaming devices. When it comes to downloading apps or games from the Windows Store or key updates via the settings menu, Windows 11 is about as swift as a heavily sedated sloth.
After multiple restarts, Xbox FSE kept refusing to play ball. The three main methods of switching to this UI involve either hitting the Windows + Tab keys, Windows + F11 or by accessing it through the Windows 11 Game Bar overlay. And to my complete lack of surprise, not one of these shortcuts worked for me.
Part of the problem was that I was accessing the update through Windows Insider’s dev channel — an enthusiast-level tier that Microsoft freely admits has “some rough edges and low stability” — so I can partly accept the early FSE teething pains. The trouble is, I’ve been using Windows 11 for years now, and there are almost always rough edges in day-to-day usage.
Win-d’oh!
Even if you’re lucky enough to have built the coolest gaming PC ever that houses an RTX 5090, top-tier hardware can’t entirely solve Windows gaming woes. I’ve been using Microsoft’s operating systems since the dreaded days of Windows Vista, so I’m dealing with a shedload of OS-based PTSD. I’d wager that over that time period, I’ve endured hundreds of random crashes and infuriating instances of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
It’s not just that gaming on a Windows system often feels about as stable as driving an 18-wheeler across quicksand. Instability issues and constant grating updates are things you’re eventually forced to get used to if you want to play the best PC games at frame rates far higher than even the PS5 Pro can manage.
Regardless of how many updates Microsoft drops, though, Windows 11 still delivers a somewhat cluttered UI, especially when you dive into its menus. The Windows Store is a hideous beast blighted by slow downloads. I constantly find Copilot repeatedly sneaking back into my taskbar, no matter how many times I uninstall it, while HDR on many PC games feels borked compared to how PS5 and Xbox Series X handle High Dynamic Range content.
That last annoyance really grinds my gears. Despite owning one of the best gaming monitors — the glorious Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 — blacks often don’t look inky enough on my display. This is an even more glaring issue for older games that need to rely on Windows Auto HDR; a feature that still doesn’t look right years after release. To this day, I constantly find myself in the Nvidia Control Panel tediously tweaking brightness and contrast sliders to fix black levels in titles.
Unreliable Windows HDR implementation is also an issue on my beautiful ROG Zephyrus G14. It’s only by using the excellent fan-made NvTrueHDR software that I can get my favorite Steam games looking their best on its sensational OLED screen. I really hope Microsoft improves its subpar HDR features before Windows 12 inevitably launches.
No matter what improvements Microsoft makes to Windows — and make no mistake, I think 11 is a much better OS than Windows 10 — the software giant keeps scoring needless own goals. Just look at the recent (KB5066835) system update, a patch so disastrous for gaming performance, it pretty much halves frame rates in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (thanks, Digital Foundry). Granted, Nvidia swiftly released an emergency patch to remedy this issue for owners of Team Green GPUs, but it’s still an embarrassing misstep for Microsoft.
Letting off SteamOS
If Windows were my spouse, I’d be getting ready to file divorce papers. A newly single me would then try to slap a ring on a Linux system’s imaginary finger. Let me explain.
Due to its efficiency and winning compatibility features, I’ve really come to appreciate Linux as an operating system since picking up the fantastic Steam Deck OLED a couple of years ago. That’s mainly due to the effortlessly excellent SteamOS — hands-down my favorite UI on any current gaming platform.
I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had genuine issues with this Linux-based operating system. It’s responsive, it’s stable, it’s not dragged down by bloatware and it gets you into the heart of the action of your favorite games with the minimal amount of fuss. SteamOS is the main reason why I’d always choose Valve’s handheld PC over more powerful Windows-based alternatives.
It’s this love for Linux’s portable operating system that has got me so jazzed for the upcoming Steam Machine
It’s this love for Linux’s portable operating system that has got me so jazzed for the upcoming Steam Machine. As a bit of a hardware snob, Valve’s new mini PC should leave me cold on paper. Though its Gamecube-style aesthetics make me want to cuddle Gabe Newell and company’s teeny device, its specs are a little lacking. It may be 6x more powerful than the Steam Deck, but a GPU with just 8GB of VRAM means it’s going to struggle to run demanding triple-A games at 60 FPS going forward.
And yet, I’m still totally into the concept of the Steam Machine. As much as I adore my mid-tower gaming PC, it’s a pain to use in my living room. That’s mainly because it houses an RTX 5090 that’s longer than an Xbox Series X… oh, and the small fact that it weighs well over 50 lbs. On the occasions I do carry it from my home office into my lounge, I can practically feel my knees shatter every time I have to lug the beast around my apartment. So long cartilage, it was nice knowing you.
GabeCube
The Steam Machine obviously won’t be able to run Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty at 4K/120 FPS with full path tracing enabled like my chunky rig is capable of. Yet it should be great at delivering 4K/60 FPS experiences in slightly older titles by utilising AMD’s frame-boosting FSR upscaling tech. As such, some of the best Steam games should hopefully be able to hand in performance that’s closer to PS5 than the Nintendo Switch 2.
I’ve been a huge fan of Steam’s Big Picture mode for years. While it’s not flawless, Valve’s TV-friendly UI makes navigating through your Steam library on a controller a relative breeze. SteamOS on the Steam Machine is set to deliver a comparably intuitive experience for fans of the best PC game controllers, and the mini PC’s UI should play especially nicely with the upcoming Steam Controller.
Jumping between numerous games on my embarrassingly large Steam library is a doddle thanks to the Linus-based SteamOS. Give me the option of having that fantastic UI on a box you can hold in your hands rather than a Windows PC that flirts with giving me a hernia every time I pick it up, and it’s no wonder my spine wants me to buy a Steam Machine.
If nothing else, playing games in hassle-free fashion on a purpose-built Linux OS is going to be a lot more pleasurable than maddeningly messing around with Windows Insider settings. Now, let’s just hope Valve can ship the Steam Machine for less than the price of a PS5 Pro.
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