During the hackathons organized by Microsoft, where its employees would present innovative ideas or projects that might eventually be supported and published by the company, an idea of creating a Windows handheld mode for devices like the Steam Deck has emerged and was leaked on Twitter.
The video presented in two parts and posted by Twitter user h0x0d first highlighted the problems that the current Steam Deck device faces, such as lack of controller support for applications and games not available on Steam. Also, some Windows games may not function properly or even open due to their inability to interpret the Steam Deck's shared memory, and the touch keyboard on Windows is not designed to be used on handheld devices that have a display size of approximately 7 inches.
The video then showcased early concepts and prototypes of a Windows 11 user interface optimized for handheld devices, including a prototype of the potential handheld mode of Windows created by Dorothy Feng, a senior UX designer at Microsoft. The mockup features a launcher that could run games from platforms such as Steam, PC Game Pass, EA Play, Epic Games Store, as well as a controller-navigated keyboard.
To expand on the idea, the team collaborated with a community of developers who created the Steam Deck Windows Controller Driver (SWICD), which enables the use of Steam Deck controls across Windows. Hayden McAfee, a senior software engineer at Microsoft, has even built a customized gaming shell specifically for Windows.
Although there is no guarantee that this project will come to fruition, it is heartening to see Microsoft employees advocating for its development. Several handheld gaming devices, such as the Ayaneo 2 and the ROG Ally, currently use Windows without an optimized user interface from Microsoft. As a result, these companies have to create their own launchers and interfaces to make Windows more compatible with handheld devices and controllers. If this hackathon project is approved, it might enhance gamers' confidence in Windows and Microsoft's reputation, as the team's proposal suggested.
Source: The Verge
