Windows 11 25H2 quietly rolls out gaming increase, together with for handheld efficiency

Microsoft’s Windows 11 November 2025 replace introduced with it a few nifty fixes that may probably enhance the efficiency of gaming PCs, together with Gaming Handheld units, just like the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and even the not too long ago launched Xbox Ally X.

In our exams, Windows Latest verified that Windows 11 KB5068861 (OS Builds 26200.7171 and 26100.7171) guarantees to repair the quicker battery drain points of those handheld units whereas they keep in low-power states.

Gaming increase on common PCs and even handheld units

Windows Latest can affirm that Microsoft patched a difficulty the place some video games and even movies would have hire tint, which might not go away until you shut this system.

But the second problem is especially much more attention-grabbing. A bug has been fastened the place background apps or video games might harm the PC’s show efficiency.

For instance, when you’re enjoying a sport in full display on PC, and within the background you will have a browser or one other app open (possibly you Alt+Tab). Before this repair, when the sport or one other maximized app was actively updating within the background, Windows typically struggled to maintain the opposite home windows absolutely refreshed.

So whenever you tried to scroll a web page, solely components of it moved or up to date. The prime would possibly scroll, however the center stayed “stuck” on an outdated body. This bug result in “half-frozen” expertise although the app hadn’t absolutely crashed.

Windows is now higher at updating the complete content material of apps and browsers, even when a heavy full-screen sport or one other maximized app is busy rendering within the background.

Microsoft additionally assures that the replace fixes the difficulty the place the controllers cease responding in apps for about 5 seconds after you check in with the built-in Gamepad. Some units wouldn’t disguise the contact keyboard after you sort within the PIN or password to check in. The KB5068861 replace now robotically hides the keyboard.

Windows Gaming Handheld units have notoriously poor battery life

Ever because the Asus ROG Ally launched, which has been greater than 2 years now, folks have been complaining about its awful battery life. As anticipated, Windows is the perpetrator, as a result of, amongst different issues, it ships with out eradicating any of the completely pointless apps for a gaming system, like Paint, for instance.

Windows 11 for handheld gaming units is identical Windows that comes with any system, so the succesful Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme APUs, together with the 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, ate by means of the battery.

Naturally, folks received used to the one to two-hour battery lifetime of the Ally, however what they couldn’t dwell with was the poor standby time, particularly when the system is in Sleep mode.

It didn’t take them lengthy to understand that it was a Windows issue.

The Lenovo Legion Go and the MSI Claw, each of which launched a couple of months later, had the identical battery and sleep issues.

Many customers advisable turning on the Hibernate mode and never the Sleep mode, which has solved the battery drain problem, at the least whereas the units should not getting used.

In Windows 11, Sleep is a low‑energy state the place your PC stays partially on. It retains all open purposes and paperwork saved in RAM. So, whenever you flip it again on, you’ll have the ability to resume your session nearly immediately. As you’d anticipate, it really works greatest for brief intervals.

Since the RAM makes use of a small quantity of energy to keep up its contents, your battery will proceed to empty slowly, and naturally, if it runs out fully, all unsaved work might be misplaced.

Hibernate in Windows saves all the session to your SSD after which powers off the PC. So, technically, there gained’t be any battery drain, although resuming from Hibernate takes longer than from Sleep.

That being stated, the Sleep mode is what comes on because the default, so battery life in standby isn’t the sturdy level of Windows gaming handhelds, making them nearly unusable whereas travelling.

Windows gaming handheld units are standard, no matter their flaws

But regardless of these points, Windows gaming handhelds had seen a robust reception, particularly within the US. The ASUS ROG Ally, launched in 2023, sold almost 500,000 units within the first month. The Lenovo Legion Go additionally had good preliminary gross sales as a competitor to the Ally.

However, MSI Claw didn’t carry out effectively, each in gross sales and in games.

Following the preliminary hit of the Ally, ASUS launched the ROG Ally X, with double the battery capacity (80Wh, up from 40Wh), 24GB RAM, and 1TB storage. Of course, the spotlight was elevated battery capability, particularly since there wasn’t an improve within the processor.

And there’s no level in guessing why they doubled the battery capability. The ASUS ROG Ally X went on to turn into popular in some markets.

Even then, the difficulty with Windows being unoptimized for handhelds was nonetheless one thing that customers discovered tough, particularly contemplating that the greater than three-year-old Stem Deck is still on a roll. Not to say the brand new Nintendo Switch 2, which was launched in June 2025, is selling like hot cakes.

Both these gaming handhelds have their respective working techniques optimized for his or her kind elements. Windows gaming handhelds, regardless of doing effectively out there, didn’t achieve the recognition or likability of those optimized units, and Microsoft needed to do one thing.

Microsoft solutions with the Xbox Full Screen Experience

On October 16, 2025, the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and the Aly X launched with the primary look of Microsoft’s Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) for Windows 11.

With the Xbox tag, folks anticipated the units to have the identical Xbox system software program because the gaming consoles. Instead, Microsoft once more introduced the complete Windows 11 OS, however with the addition of Xbox FSE, which negated a few of the drawbacks of the complete Windows expertise.

Reports instructed that the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally with Full Screen Experience ran smoother with better fps than when it ran with the complete Windows 11 UI.

This was surprisingly sufficient for the purchasers, and as per the most recent stories, the ROG Xbox Ally X demand is higher than ASUS expected, with gross sales for the Ally sequence anticipated to be between $96m – $160m this quarter.

Microsoft was in the best after they rolled out the Xbox Full Screen Experience to the MSI Claw as effectively with the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7051, in late October. We anticipate extra handheld units, just like the Legion Go and those from AYANEO, to get an identical remedy.

Windows 11 November 2025 replace brings extra efficiency enhancements to Gaming handhelds

Microsoft understands that the full-fledged Windows 11 expertise isn’t excellent for gaming handhelds, which might be why they launched the Xbox FSE.

Users have put in the Xbox Fullscreen expertise in even the as-of-now unsupported Lenovo Legion Go and skilled massive improvements. However, the battery drain problem in Sleep mode nonetheless plagues Windows 11.

The Windows 11 November 2025 replace allegedly fixes these points. Microsoft says that the brand new replace lastly lets the units save extra energy after they sleep. The firm hasn’t talked about how they do that. We suspect that it reduces the facility draw from the RAM, contemplating that the modules in all these handhelds run at extraordinarily excessive speeds of 6400 MT/s.

Microsoft documented the repair:

“Fixed: This update addresses an issue that affects gaming handheld devices. These devices were unable to stay in low-power states, which caused faster battery drain.
Fixed: This update addresses an issue on some handheld gaming devices where after signing in using the built-in Gamepad, the controller might not respond in apps for about five seconds, causing a delay. After you submit your password or PIN, the touch keyboard on the sign-in screen hides automatically.​​​​​​​”

In our exams, the Windows 11 25H2 replace works superb on common Windows PCs. However, a number of customers have had points with the KB5068861 replace not installing on their ROG Ally X.

The replace additionally fixes the irritating five-second delay that confirmed up after signing in with the built-in gamepad. Apps refused to answer the joystick quickly after you signed in. The contact keyboard isn’t supposed to remain on display after typing the PIN. Either means, the replace removes the delay and hides the keyboard as quickly as you check in.

The November patch replace doesn’t appear to have any points to this point, so when you have a Windows gaming handheld, we suggest you put in it and see if these points nonetheless persist.