Microsoft outlines next wave of Windows 11 optimizations for PC gamers
Microsoft is promising a stronger focus on gaming performance in Windows 11 through 2026, with work spanning handheld PCs, Arm laptops and traditional desktops. In a new Windows Experience Blog post, the company recaps 2025 as a year of handheld features, DirectX upgrades and Arm support, and then commits to further tuning background workload management, power and scheduling, graphics stack behavior and driver quality for games.
Performance fundamentals
We’re committed to making Windows the best place to play, and we will continue refining system behaviors that matter most to gaming: background workload management, power and scheduling improvements, graphics stack optimizations, and updated drivers.— Microsoft
A key part of that plan is the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) , which started on ROG Xbox Ally handhelds and is now in preview for regular Windows 11 PCs via the Windows and Xbox Insider programs. FSE presents a controller-first game launcher while cutting background tasks, and TechPowerUp’s own testing on a standard Windows 11 build showed RAM usage dropping by around 9.3% and FPS improving by up to 8.6% when it is active. Microsoft says FSE will roll out to more desktops, laptops and 2-in-1s, giving PC users a console-style front end that reduces OS overhead during play.
Source: ASUS
Microsoft blog post also mentions technologies that were or soon will be integrated into more devices. Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) preloads precompiled shaders during game downloads on devices such as the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, which Microsoft claims cuts first-run load times in Avowed by over 80% and in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 by over 95%, with integration exposed through the DirectX Agility SDK for developers.
Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR) , Microsoft’s OS-level AI upscaler for DirectX games, debuted on Snapdragon X-based Copilot+ PCs and is set to enter public preview on the ROG Xbox Ally X in early 2026, using its AMD Ryzen AI NPU to raise frame rates at lower render resolutions.
Microsoft is urging players to update to the latest Windows 11 builds, opt into Insider rings to try FSE on PCs, and look for ASD-enabled games, with more details promised at GDC 2026 as the company continues to push Windows 11 as its primary gaming platform.
Xbox 360 games natively on Ally handhelds?
A reliable leaker claims Microsoft is actively exploring new ways to bring more original Xbox and Xbox 360 games to Windows-based hardware, including ROG Xbox Ally handhelds and future Xbox consoles, despite current Windows-related hurdles. Forum comments from NateDrake suggest there is an internal effort to enable backward compatibility for legacy titles, though its scope and eventual success remain unclear.
Source: Resetra
This isn’t the first time such rumors are being shared by known leakers. Earlier reports point to Microsoft working on its own Xbox 360 emulation solution rather than using existing community projects, and upcoming Xbox hardware based on the AMD’s future APU may include features dedicated to this goal.
Source: Microsoft via TechPowerUP , NateDrake (Resetra)
