Handheld PCs, Arm Support, and Faster Ray Tracing

Windows 11 gaming took a big leap forward in 2025 as Microsoft pushed new features across handheld PCs, Windows on Arm, and DirectX. The goal is simple: make Windows the go-to platform for portable and high-performance PC gaming.

Windows 11 Gaming Recap: Breakdown of Microsoft’s Achievements in 2025

Xbox handhelds see major boosts

Microsoft partnered with ASUS and AMD to launch the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, both powered by AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Series processors. ASUS already reports record sales for the Xbox Ally X, signaling strong demand for Windows handhelds.

Microsoft also rolled out the Full Screen Experience for distraction-free gameplay. It’s now available on both ROG Ally models and other Windows 11 handhelds.

A standout feature is Advanced Shader Delivery, which precompiles shaders when you install a game. This drastically cuts load times and stutter:

• Avowed load times dropped by over 80%
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 saw over 95% faster startup

Microsoft also tuned power management and CPU profiles to deliver better efficiency without reducing performance.

Windows on Arm expands gaming support

Gaming on Arm devices now works better thanks to local game installs through the Xbox PC app. The Prism emulator received major upgrades, including support for AVX and AVX2, allowing many modern titles to run correctly. Native anti-cheat support also continues to roll out with partners such as Easy Anti-Cheat.

Insiders can already install Xbox PC app titles—including Game Pass games—on Arm devices.

DirectX gets a ray tracing boost

DirectX Raytracing 1.2 (DXR 1.2) now delivers up to 2.3× faster ray tracing performance on supported hardware, improving lighting, reflections, and overall visual quality.

Microsoft plans to bring Full Screen Experience to more Windows 11 devices, expand Advanced Shader Delivery, and introduce Auto SR enhancements for the ROG Xbox Ally X.

For more detailed information, don’t miss Microsoft’s blog post on this subject.

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.

Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.