A recent leak has revealed that Microsoft employees have created a prototype to improve Windows on handheld gaming devices such as Steam Deck.
This effort was presented at the company’s hackathon project held in September. Several ideas and projects are presented during these hackathons and if they receive support, they are pursued and developed further.
The video of this prototype’s presentation was leaked online by Twitter user h0x0d. It’s unclear who the presenter is in this video.
— WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) April 13, 2023
The Microsoft employee began by addressing all the problems and issues faced by users who have tried to use Windows on gaming handheld devices such as Steam Deck.
Microsoft’s handheld gaming device prototype
He pointed out the navigational difficulties faced, as well as the absence of a dedicated game launcher, like the one present in SteamOS.
The video then featured the handheld gaming prototype made by Dorothy Feng, a senior UX designer at Microsoft. This device had an in-built game launcher compatible with Steam, PC Game Pass, EA Play, Epic Games Store, and more.
It also had a functional keyboard for the Steam Deck that can be used via a controller. A floating taskbar which has been teased by Microsoft was also present in the video.
This team working on the project was also coordinating with a developer who created a way to use Steam Deck controls on Windows.
Hayden McAfee, a senior software engineer at Microsoft, has created a gaming shell customised for Windows which allows for the quick launch of games and apps.
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It is possible that this hackathon project, regardless of how promising it looks, never sees the light of day.
However, it is good to know that Microsoft employees have recognised the lack of an optimised version of Windows when it comes to handheld devices.
The employee in the video also mentioned that this project can help improve Microsoft’s image and credibility in the PC gaming community.
Asus recently announced the ROG Ally, which will rival Valve’s Steam Deck in handheld PC gaming devices. Interestingly, ROG Ally will run on Windows 11, so we are going to see a Windows handheld device soon.
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