A seemingly buggy Windows 11 update locked my Xbox Ally X into recovery mode — with a tedious restore lasting 12 hours

I’ll preface this by saying I generally tend to hold off on Windows updates. Honestly, it feels like so many do these days, especially given the somewhat muddied reputation around Windows Update and whatever issue the next might introduce.

In my case, one update caused my Xbox Ally X handheld to get stuck in recovery mode. The only way out was a Cloud Restore, which ended up taking over 12 hours, despite being connected to a solid internet connection. I have Gigabit internet and was even connected via a cable over Ethernet, yet the process still dragged on.

The whole ordeal really highlighted just how much work Xbox still has to do for the Xbox PC experience. While I recently wrote about being optimistic regarding the future of Xbox, moments like this make me feel a lot less confident and, more than anything else, simply frustrated.

An expensive work in progress

I’ve written before about my frustrations with the Xbox Ally X. At times, it feels unfinished, awkward, and less like a console, and more like a console-ish if you squint hard enough. That said, I have actually enjoyed my time with the device.

Whether it’s using it at night or just jumping in casually here and there, it is genuinely great hardware that is unfortunately dragged down by an awkward user experience and, well, Windows 11.

Windows remains a sore spot for a lot of people. It simply is not the OS many want it to be, even though Windows 11 adoption continues to grow. This whole experience almost pushed me to install Bazzite full-time out of spite on my Xbox Ally X.

The user experience there is generally better, but even that still does not feel quite as console-like as I would want from a device like this. As frustrating as these Windows 11 issues can be, I am heavily invested in the Xbox ecosystem and would miss access to Game Pass. That said, if there is another price hike, I will probably stop that service entirely.

So what actually happened?

Now this is where I’m honestly just a bit stumped. I updated my handheld because I wanted to move on to an Insider build to try the Highlight Reels feature that was recently shown off. Now, to avoid any confusion, no, I was not updating to the Insider build when this happened; I was just planning to after installing the latest updates.

Now my plan was to test Highlight Reels and maybe cover it here with some deeper impressions, especially with Elden Ring (after buying the game). Mainly because that game specifically isn't even available through the Xbox App and only runs through Steam.

Anyway, I made sure my Xbox Ally X was fully updated, restarted the device, and then I was letting the device restart and apply the update, and was suddenly hit with the message, “Your device ran into a problem and couldn’t be repaired.”

What actually caused the issue is still unknown to me. That said, this would not be the first time an update has broken something on the Xbox Ally X, with Armory Crate being a victim just a couple of months ago.

From what I could gather while troubleshooting, it seems the Windows update may have corrupted boot files or other system files, preventing Windows 11 from launching properly.

It's this kind of experience that worries me about the future of Xbox being built around a PC. If I cannot install a simple Windows 11 update without ending up wiping my entire device because the update failed, then what hope is there for a stable user experience in the next generation of Xbox?

What Xbox could be doing next generation is genuinely exciting. At the same time, that excitement comes with a heavy dose of caution.

Right now, I struggle to see Microsoft successfully pulling off an ambitious Xbox PC without first going back to the drawing board and fixing the underlying Windows experience.

🗨️ Have you experienced any issues with a Windows handheld?

I am still a bit bewildered by the issues I had with the Xbox Ally X, but I digress. Let me know if it has all been smooth sailing with your Windows handheld ventures, or, if, like me, you have been an unfortunate victim of Windows 11.

Let us know in the comments, and make sure to reach out to us over on Reddit!

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