Just over a month ago it became clear that Xbox Ally’s software, called the Full Screen Experience, needed more time in the oven than Valve’s SteamOS, built for handhelds. The latest update is relatively simple, although it will have a big impact on Asus and Microsoft-made handhelds going forward.
The Xbox One and Xbox One X are essentially gaming PCs, requiring users to adjust the graphics settings in their games to achieve stable performance. Microsoft also mandates users go into the Asus Armory Crate SE menu to set the TDP, or thermal design power, to get better frame rates – usually at the expense of battery life. Now, Microsoft has enabled the so-called Default Game Profile for select titles. These preset graphics and system settings make the game run at a stable FPS.
There are currently 40 games that support the setting, though there was clearly a bigger push to introduce popular and Xbox-published titles. List includes Fortnite, Gears of War: Reloaded, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Hollow Knight: Silksong, sea of thievesAnd Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 And 7These profiles are only available in preview, although I tested them on Xbox Ally X and found that they make the system much easier to use, Microsoft said Halo: The Master Chief Collection is one of the supported titles. However, when I loaded the game on Steam, I didn’t see any option for a default profile. You can only access these when loading a game through Xbox’s own services.
This is the console experience we wanted
As with the default game profile, Xbox partners set their own TDP based on the handheld title. In Indiana JonesThe system also keeps the preset graphics quality at medium level and turns on TAA, or temporal anti-aliasing, with a target of 30 fps. The game will sit somewhere between 29 and 33 fps in cutscenes and gameplay. The game does not enable AMD’s FSR, or FidelityFX Super Resolution, which increases frame rates by upscaling the game from a lower resolution to a higher one. With that setting enabled, I could get about 40 fps at the same TDP. Xbox clearly wanted a consistent experience.
In other games, Xbox Ally Last month, Bethesda released handheld-specific graphics settings Doom: Dark Age On Steam Deck and other mobile PCs. On Xbox One X, the game runs at a steady clip with FSR enabled. It was the same story for Gears of War: Reloaded And gears of war 5All of these games were running at just below the maximum TDP of 35W, but from what I experienced, battery life was overall better than at launch, Instead of trying for 30W TDP on battery power, keeping it simple helped me play for over two hours and still have juice left for the morning, In hollow knight, The game consistently hits 120 fps at low wattage; There is no need to change TDP.
Of course, all is not perfect in Xbox land on handhelds. While Xbox Ally now responds faster to gamepad controls after login, I also encountered a bug that wouldn’t let me input my PIN after activating the device. Throughout the night, I woke up to find that the thumbstick lights were glowing while the handheld was sleeping. Microsoft said it is still working on fixing the sleep-related bug, although it has been one of the most frequent complaints with the handheld since its launch.
a work in progress
Needless to mention, it was necessary to update Armory Crate SE, the Xbox app, and Windows 11 individually to even gain access to these enhancements. If Xbox Ally/Ally X were a true console, the system would do all the work for me as soon as I booted it up. Experiencing these updates is like watching an injured person learn to walk again after a car accident. Looking at the Xbox Series S and Series Why it still struggles to employ gamepad-forward controls – letting users navigate more menus with bumper buttons – is beyond comprehension.
Microsoft said we’ll have to wait until next year before we can enable Auto Super Resolution or Auto SR, the company’s own AI upscaling technology. Xbox will also get a game save sync indicator for your Xbox Anywhere cloud saves, so you won’t have to worry about losing saves if you jump between your handheld or PC.
The next-generation Xbox is expected to be a powerful beast, combining aspects of both PC and console gaming. If users will be able to play their Steam library on Xbox, it means Microsoft will have to keep encouraging players to purchase games on Xbox. Creating a profile for the system first is one way to bring players back. At least that is until the Steam Machine takes all the air out of Microsoft.
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