The Xbox app on Windows 11 gets a handy feature just in time for the Project Kennan handheld

One of the major criticisms of Windows 11 on handhelds such as the ROG Ally to date is the clunkiness of the UI. Windows just isn't built for tiny screens.

With the first 'Xbox handheld' on the way, aka, Project Kennan — a device we have reported on and which has experienced its first photoshoot recently — Microsoft is starting to make some small, but important additions to the Xbox app.

First reported by The Verge's Tom Warren, the Xbox app on Windows 11 is now showing useful system information when in Compact Mode, including a clock, battery status, and Wi-Fi.

I've checked my own Xbox app and indeed it is showing this additional information, although as I'm on a desktop with Ethernet, it looks a little different.

I should also say that it likely isn't rolling out fully at this point. Other members of the Windows Central team aren't seeing the same, though I'm on the Insider Program (as is Tom Warren who first reported on this), so it makes sense it may be landing there first.

But it's happening, and just in time for the as-yet unnamed Xbox/ASUS handheld, Project Kennan.

Compact Mode in the Xbox app is potentially the front end for this handheld, as you would imagine ASUS won't be layering Armoury Crate on an Xbox-branded device by default.

Clicking on the clock or network connection doesn't do anything, at least for now, but these little touches shouldn't be overlooked. They're important for quality of life on a handheld.

If Microsoft is getting into the game, there's no excuse anymore.

The handheld space is heating up in 2025

Gaming handheld PCs have been growing in popularity over the past few years, really driven forward, initially, by the launch of the Steam Deck.

2025 is going to be the biggest year, yet, though. Xbox is due to launch its first branded handheld, admittedly, through a partnership with ASUS. There's a new ROG Ally on the way, it seems, likely powered by AMD's latest chips.

Then there's SteamOS, which is getting ready to push beyond the Steam Deck. The Legion Go S (pictured above) is the first licensed partner handheld to offer SteamOS out of the box, but the software will finally be available this year to install on other devices.

I'm convinced that unless you need a laptop to use for purposes other than gaming, a handheld is increasingly the smarter choice over a gaming laptop.

They're far more portable, have usable battery life, and as we've already seen, can play even demanding games at an acceptable standard.

We still don't have dates for SteamOS, nor the Xbox Project Kennan, but all signs point to real soon. And I can't wait.