Is Microsoft working on a new version of Windows for gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck?
On Wednesday night, a video circulated on Twitter, showing an apparent “Windows handheld mode” in the works. But according to the project’s developer, Microsoft didn't have enough engineers to follow through on building the software, at least for now.
Twitter user WalkingCat posted the video of the Windows handheld mode, which originated from a Microsoft hackathon event in September. In the video, an unnamed developer says the project is about creating a “truly optimized Windows experienced for the handheld PC market.”
Technically, you can install Windows 10 or 11 on the Linux-baxed Steam Deck, but don’t expect a great experience. In the leaked video, the developer notes that running games on a Windows-powered Steam Deck can fail due to the OS struggling to interpret the hardware's small screen size or being unable to access the video memory. The other problem is that many Windows user interface elements, including the touch keyboard, were never designed with a handheld in mind.
In response, the hackathon project envisioned a way to create a Windows handheld mode designed to resolve all the compatibility issues. The video even shows a mockup for an onboarding process to install the necessary drivers to optimize the OS for a PC gaming handheld.
“So if you look at what it would take to bring handheld mode to the mainstream market...a lot of these things seem feasible,” the developer says in the video. “As long as we have the right specialists, as long as we have the right expertise kind of moving through this project, everything on here is definitely achievable.”
The new Windows mode could also expand the market for PC gaming handhelds. Asus itself plans on launching its own Steam Deck rival, the ROG Ally, which will run on Windows 11.
'We Just Didn't Have the Right Engineers'
But since news of the leaked video began to spread, the lead developer of the project has chimed in on Reddit, and clarified a Windows handheld mode isn’t an official upcoming feature.
“I started this hackathon project and it didn’t go much of anywhere, but this article uses wording to make it seem like it’s something under development,” Reddit user AndrewMT wrote. “Problem is—We just didn’t have the right engineers to do a lot of what we wanted to do in the short hackathon project timeframe.”
However, AndrewMT is hopeful the leaked video of his hackathon presentation will spark Microsoft to revisit the project. “Maybe this odd article can help me pitch this to Microsoft again. Phil Spencer (the head of Xbox gaming) was very nice and tried to drive me to some people that could help, but everyone was tied-up at the time,” he wrote in his post on Reddit.
AndrewMT, who's name is Andrew Thompson, tells PCMag he’s “a product designer for another, non-gaming product at Microsoft.” He says the company's hackathon was only one week long, "so many people that could have helped (Phil Spencer was kind enough to connect me with a few of then) were tied-up at the time."
"I believe that I could get the discussion going again if there was enough excitement, and the tweet/article is certainly helping with that," he added. "Also helping is the continued success of the Steam Deck and the fact that we are seeing other Windows-driven handhelds starting to enter the market."