Microsoft is trialing a custom Windows 11 launcher on Steam Deck devices – Microsoft

A leaked video posted to Twitter by account h0x0d shows an early Windows 11 feature of an optimized user interface on mobile devices, as well as a launcher designed for touchscreens and consoles.

The video has been part of a hackathon within Microsoft since last September, where employees regularly present ideas or projects that sometimes end up receiving support from the company itself.

Although it’s not clear who is speaking in the video, the narrator does a good job of pointing out all the current issues with running Windows on a portable gaming device like the Steam Deck. Valve offers drivers for installing Windows on the Steam Deck, but it’s hard to navigate the Windows UI with a touch or controller when there isn’t a dedicated launcher like SteamOS.

The video references some mobile device prototypes created by Dorothy Weng, Senior UX Engineer at Microsoft. It includes a launcher that can unlock games from Steam, PC Game Pass, EA Play, Epic Games Store, and other game services. The prototype user interface for handheld game consoles also includes a Steam Deck-optimized keyboard that can be navigated with a controller, as well as a floating taskbar that Microsoft also used in previous Windows betas.

The team working on the project has also started working with a developer who has created a way to use Steam Deck controls in the latest versions of Windows.

At the end of the video is a call to Microsoft colleagues to “get serious about mobile gaming on Windows,” which can help improve Microsoft’s image and credibility in the PC gaming community.

While the project may not be publicly launched, it is heartening to see Microsoft employees pushing for its implementation. Microsoft was quick to support Xbox Cloud Gaming on the Steam Deck, but there have been no further announcements about the company’s mobile gaming plans.

A number of handheld game consoles such as Switch from GPD, OneXPlayer, or even Ayaneo 2 are based on Windows without Microsoft’s enhanced user interface. This means that companies have to create their own interfaces and launchers to make Windows more suitable for consoles and mobile devices. Plus, ASU just announced ROG Ally, which is meant to take on the Steam Deck and is powered by a custom version of AMD’s Ryzen APU while running Windows 11.