Phil Spencer, forever the optimist, hints that he's interested in a Microsoft version of Big Picture Mode for handheld gaming PCs: 'I want my Legion Go to feel like an Xbox'

pcgamer.com:

Phil Spencer really likes his Lenovo Legion Go. That's why he lists everything he'd like to see it do differently. CEOs, eh? To the surprise of absolutely no one Spencer would like to see a handheld that's more like an Xbox—all his games, saves and friends easily accessed within the same software. But what is surprising is that his comments aren't just about building some handheld Xbox—though he would also like one of those—he'd like to see Windows-based handhelds from all manufacturers be more Xbox-like.

«I like the fact that Valve, Lenovo, and Asus went out and innovated in a new form factor,» Spencer says in an interview with Polygon at GDC. «And I will say that when I’m playing on those devices, it almost feels more like a console than a PC—nine times out of 10. 

»The things that usually frustrate me are more Windows-based than device-based. Which is an area I feel some ownership of. Like, I want to be able to log in with a controller."

I'm right with you there, Spencer. Most handheld gaming PCs run Windows but the OS isn't the best to navigate on a smaller screen. Some handheld gaming PCs deal with Windows 11 better than others, in large part thanks to custom-built overlay applications. That said it's usually best to plug in a mouse and keyboard to do anything on the desktop with aplomb. 

The exception to the rule is the Steam Deck, which comes with an entire launcher that mostly sits in front of the Linux desktop that actually powers it. I get the feeling that's the sort of concept that Spencer would like to introduce with Xbox.

«I want my Lenovo Legion Go to feel like an Xbox,» Spencer says. «Forget about the brand. More like: Are all of my games there? Do all my games show up with the save [files] that I want?

»...I want to be able to boot into the Xbox app in a full screen but in a compact mode," Spencer continues.

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The idea, to infer a whole lot from Spencer's