MSI’s Claw handhelds were the first to get support for the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE), earlier this month, in a Windows Insider preview build. As of November 21, this feature is widely available to all Windows 11 handhelds. If you’re not sure what it is or how it works, MSI recently published a video tutorial to explain the new ‘Xbox’ mode on its handhelds. The video doesn’t just talk you through how to turn it on – MSI has also benchmarked two of its handhelds to show off the performance gains.

If you’re familiar with the Steam Deck, we can compare the Xbox Full Screen Experience to SteamOS’s ‘Gaming Mode’ – separate from ‘Desktop Mode’ and more handheld-friendly with a console-like user interface. Additionally, FSE optimizes the system for gaming by suspending any unwanted Windows processes that harm performance. This frees up memory and CPU usage.

Xbox Full Screen Experience tested on MSI Claw and MSI Claw 8 AI+

MSI offered a few different benchmarks in its Full Screen Experience tests. Two devices were tested: the original MSI Claw (A1M) and the more powerful, Lunar Lake-powered MSI Claw 8 AI+. Both models benefit from FSE with lower RAM usage. Based on the test results, the devices use 5-6% less memory with FSE On, compared to when running on a normal Windows desktop. These values aren’t captured while gaming (hence the lack of GPU and VRAM usage), but do indicate a more optimized system overall.

MSI also shared FSE on/off comparisons for Cyberpunk 2077, so we do have some official gaming benchmarks to rely on. Based on MSI’s claims, you can enjoy up to 6.4% better performance (this is just over 3 FPS higher on average in CP2077). Obviously, this isn’t much, but any kind of performance gain over the standard Windows experience is much appreciated, and freeing up memory should improve frame pacing and load times.

Following the addition of FSE to Windows 11 handhelds, the feature is also coming to all Windows 11 devices in the future. This means desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets will be able to use it – FSE is currently rolling out to those in the Xbox Insiders Program.

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Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.