Xbox Mode is now available on Windows 11, giving you a more console-like experience
Xbox Mode first debuted on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally as ‘Xbox Full Screen Experience’
🎮 Xbox Mode on Windows 11 provides a controller-optimized, console-like gaming experience
🙏 The mode features a streamlined interface for launching games from aggregated libraries (including Steam) and potentially frees up RAM
🤝 Microsoft’s next console, Project Helix, aims to integrate PC and console ecosystems, playing both Xbox and PC games
📆 Project Helix is expected to cost around $999.99 due to the memory crisis and is tipped for a 2027 or 2028 release
Microsoft is rolling out Xbox Mode on Windows 11 PCs today, bringing a console-like experience to those who prefer to play with a controller. Some players in select markets can access the new mode today, while others may have to wait a few more weeks.
Xbox Mode provides a streamlined interface that puts your library of games and recently played titles front and center. You can browse and launch games using a controller-optimized interface, jump back and forth between Xbox Mode and the Windows 11 desktop, and access an aggregated game library, including games installed on other storefronts like Steam.
While it’s not called out in Microsoft’s press release, Xbox Mode also shuts down some background processes to free up RAM and potentially improve overall performance.
Microsoft is all-in on integrating its PC and console ecosystems, with the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, capable of playing both Xbox and PC games. Like the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, you’ll be able to play your favorite games from Steam, the Epic Games Store, and also enjoy your library of existing Xbox games you may have amassed over the years.
New Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, recently said that the price of Xbox Project Helix will be affected by the ongoing memory crisis, with many predicting that Microsoft’s next console will cost around $999.99.
Project Helix is tipped to release either next year or in 2028, and Microsoft has been making some sweeping changes to the Xbox brand since Sharma’s appointment, many of which have long-been requested by fans.
Up next: Sony has addressed the PS5’s controversial Xbox One-like DRM feature
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.