Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Doom: Dark Ages.
Kyle Orland
Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Doom: Dark Ages.
Kyle Orland
Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Cyberpunk 2077.
Kyle Orland
Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Cyberpunk 2077.
Kyle Orland
Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Borderland 3.
Kyle Orland
Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Borderland 3.
Kyle Orland
Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Cyberpunk 2077.
Kyle Orland
Comparison of ROG Xbox Ally X benchmarks on Xbox Full Screen Mode (FSE) and the standard Windows 11 desktop. Here's Borderland 3.
Kyle Orland
Another major benefit of Microsoft's Xbox FSE, sold this summer, is a “unified game library” that includes “every game available on Windows” in one single mega-launch experience. This means that applications such as Steam, Battle.net, GOG Galaxy, Ubisoft Connect and EA Play can be installed with one click in the My Apps section of FSE from the moment you first launch it.
However, the integration of these apps into the wider Xbox FSE is uneven at best. First, the new “unified game library” can't actually show you all your games across all PC gaming platforms in one place. Selecting the “installable” games filter on Xbox FSE only shows games that you can access through Microsoft's own Xbox platform (including any Xbox Game Pass subscription). On other platforms, you'll still have to browse and install the games you own through their own apps, each with their own interface that doesn't always play well with the ROG Xbox Ally's button-based controls.
The home screen displays your most recent games, as well as advertisements for other available games.
Kyle Orland/Asus
The home screen displays your most recent games, as well as advertisements for other available games.
Kyle Orland/Asus
These third-party launchers are easy to install with a few button clicks as soon as you boot your system for the first time.
Kyle Orland/Asus
These third-party launchers are easy to install with a few button clicks as soon as you boot your system for the first time.
Kyle Orland/Asus
Holding down the Xbox button brings up this switch, which allows you to choose between different full-screen apps and games.
Kyle Orland/Asus
Holding down the Xbox button brings up this switch, which allows you to choose between different full-screen apps and games.
Kyle Orland/Asus
These third-party launchers are easy to install with a few button clicks as soon as you boot your system for the first time.
Kyle Orland/Asus
Holding down the Xbox button brings up this switch, which allows you to choose between different full-screen apps and games.
Kyle Orland/Asus
Even games that are supposed to be installed directly through Xbox FSE gave me problems in testing. For example, attempting to download the EA Play app to install any number of games included in Xbox Game Pass would result in an “authentication error” page without the ability to actually log into EA's servers. This issue persisted through multiple restarts and reinstallations of the extension that was supposed to link EA Play with Xbox FSE. And while I was able to load the EA Play app in desktop mode, I couldn't get the app to recognize that I had an active Xbox Game Pass subscription to give me access to the games I wanted. That's it for testing BattlefieldMaybe.
More launchers, more problems
Once you've gone to the trouble of installing your favorite games on ROG Xbox Ally, Xbox FSE does a good job of bringing their lists together into one common interface. For players whose game libraries are spread across multiple platforms, it can be really helpful to look at FSE's list of games that feature Battle.net games. Hearthstone sitting next to a copy of GOG Cyberpunk 2077Steam copy Hades II, and a copy of the Epic Games Store. Fortnite, For example. A quick press of the Xbox button will even show you the last three games you played, no matter where you launched them (along with quick access to some useful general settings).
