Steam Deck-friendly Windows Handheld Mode shown off in leaked Microsoft Hackathon vid

pcgamer.com:

A recent video leak shows Microsoft has been working on ways to improve Windows functionality on handheld PC devices such as the Steam Deck. At least, it has been encouraging developers to come up with experimental ways to get Windows to play nice on handheld devices(opens in new tab) (via Windows Central(opens in new tab)). 

There are a few reasons we've been sticking with SteamOS when it comes to the Steam Deck(opens in new tab), not least due to the lack of full driver support for Microsoft OS. There are weird little bugs that crop up when using Windows on a handheld, too, not to mention the gaming performance on Windows is hardly comparable to playing through the SteamOS. Still, it looks like Microsoft is on the case, at least when it comes to the UI side of things.

Our Dave is of the opinion that jamming Windows onto the Steam Deck(opens in new tab) frankly robs it of its soul. But imagine a handheld Windows gaming mode that meant you could have all the familiar comforts of a Windows device, a lighter footprint, and a smooth controller-based gaming experience. That would be the dream.

The leaked video gives a «rough and ready overview» of a Microsoft Hackathon project from September last year covering a potential dedicated Windows Handheld Mode. The company's Hackathons are internal events where employees can play around with different projects that aren't necessarily part of their day-to-day work.

If this leaked project is anything to go by, that vision could be less far-fetched than we imagined, though it's going to need a great deal of support in order to take off.

In the video, the developer explains the project initially set out to focus on the following issues with using Windows on a handheld:

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