Microsoft employees have shown a concept of what a streamlined Windows user interface would look like on Valve’s Steam Deck portable PC, and by extension, how Windows games would operate on that system. In a leaked video posted online by Twitter user h0x0d (through the edge), the speech details all the problems Steam Deck users have trying to get Windows to run on portable hardware, and originates from a Microsoft Hackathon that took place in September 2022.
At this internal event, where employees pitch ideas to Microsoft superiors to gain support for them, the team unveiled a prototype operating system for the Steam Deck. Led by Senior UX Designer Dorothy Feng, the launcher allows games to be launched from multiple storefronts, such as the PC version of Game Pass, Steam, the Epic Games Store, and more. Other enhancements include an optimized keyboard and a floating taskbar.
It’s worth noting that this is just a release for now, but at the end of the video, the video’s narrator calls on Microsoft to “get serious” about handheld gaming so the company can improve its credibility within the gaming community. of pc. Valve currently provides drivers for Windows to work on its Steam Deck, but the experience is far from optimal. Compared to the default SteamOS running on the system, Windows is simply not optimized for the Steam Deck and suffers from numerous issues.
There are alternatives to the Steam Deck in the form of Aya Neo Pro and the Aya Neo Air, but these are expensive competitors to Steam Deck. Asus is also entering this market, having recently introduced its mighty ROG ally Handheld PC with impressive hardware.
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