HANDHELD NEWS – Lenovo’s handheld will also receive the feature debuting first on Asus’s ROG Ally.

Lenovo has confirmed that the Xbox front end launching on the ROG Ally will also arrive on its devices. The ROG Ally and the more powerful ROG Ally X will release on October 16, both featuring the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE). This mode bypasses the full Windows shell and launches directly into the Xbox app. According to Microsoft, skipping the full Windows interface frees up resources, resulting in smoother game performance.

Microsoft plans to expand FSE to additional devices, including the original ROG Ally and the Ally X. In an interview with The Verge, a Lenovo spokesperson confirmed that FSE will also be available on the company’s newly announced high-end handheld PCs. The Lenovo Legion Go Gen 2 will launch in October, featuring an 8.8-inch OLED display, 144 Hz refresh rate, detachable controllers, and an AMD Ryzen processor. Prices start at $1,100 for the base model, with the most powerful configuration—32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage—costing $1,480. Xbox FSE will arrive on Lenovo’s handheld in spring 2026, allowing players to manually switch from standard Windows mode to Xbox FSE to free resources and boost performance.

Last month, Microsoft also introduced the Handheld Compatibility Program, an initiative designed to ensure more games are playable on supported handhelds. By working with studios, Microsoft has tested, optimized, and verified thousands of titles. Players will be able to jump into games with only minor—or no—adjustments needed. This system is comparable to the Steam Deck Verified program, which developers and publishers have used for years to market handheld compatibility.

At launch, the Xbox program will use two labels: “Handheld Optimized,” meaning games are ready to run seamlessly, and “Mostly Compatible,” meaning some settings may need adjusting for the best experience.

Source: VGC, The Verge