By Sean Hollister
Publication Date: 2025-12-14 14:00:00
I still wouldn’t buy an Xbox Ally, and I still don’t think the tweaked version of Windows that shipped with it is ready for primetime. The Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) needs work. But two months after I panned the cheaper $600 white Xbox Ally and wasn’t quite sold on the $1,000 black one, one of my most-hated Windows issues is getting better.
I didn’t stop testing these handhelds after my October review; I’ve been playing Hollow Knight: Silksong and Blue Prince on them. I installed FSE on an MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, too. And after too many updates to count, I’m finally beginning to trust two of these handhelds to save my game (and battery life) when I put them to sleep. Even the third isn’t as bad as it was.
Sleep has been the biggest reason to buy a Steam Deck or a Nintendo Switch over a Windows handheld. For me, it’s the whole point of handheld gaming. If I can pause and resume at any time just by pressing…
