The Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) is a new system performance enhancement to use less system RAM than the standard Windows 11 desktop mode, as confirmed by MSI. Recently, Microsoft introduced this feature to regular Windows PCs, allowing them to play games using Xbox FSE mode. MSI has now confirmed that its handhelds running Windows 11 can significantly benefit from this feature. When the system operates in standard Windows 11 desktop mode, it consumes 8.6 GB of RAM. However, with Xbox FSE enabled, RAM usage drops to 7.8 GB, a 9.3% reduction. MSI describes this as a 5% difference based on the total system capacity of 16 GB, rather than the difference between the two usage figures.

Users with the Xbox app installed can access Xbox FSE by navigating to Game Bar > Settings or pressing Win + F11. This feature can take over the screen at startup, hiding the desktop and minimizing background tasks, creating a console-like experience. The interface is minimalistic, with game tiles filling the entire display. Navigation is controlled by a game controller, and typical Windows elements are hidden to maintain focus on the game. Microsoft states that this mode also pauses maintenance activities and mutes notifications to ensure consistent frame delivery. This is demonstrated with Cyberpunk 2077, which can achieve up to 8.6% higher FPS. All of this occurs with 9.3% less RAM usage, meaning Xbox FSE reduces background load, allowing the handheld to achieve better performance.
Read full story

More...