Although it is not often talked about, The Xbox Game Bar is a really interesting part of Windowsbecause it offers us a number of tools and settings with which we can significantly optimize the PC gaming experience. And contrary to what many people think, its use is not limited exclusively to games installed and managed from the Xbox app for Windows, its reach extends to the entire operating system.

If you’re not familiar, the Xbox Game Bar is located at a growing supply of add-ons for the operating system which at the same time offer real-time information and system performance improvements (which generally involve temporarily disabling unnecessary or secondary functions) in order to have more system resources while playing. And on the other hand, they also usually provide tools and features related to the gaming experience itself, such as the ability to take screenshots and record videos, get real-time frame rate information, etc.

These add-ons are usually published both by technology companies related to the games themselves, such as the Xbox Game Bar, which concerns us now, or the much more well-known and used Steam overlay, and by manufacturers of hardware and devices that are connected to the gaming world, such as very the popular, complete and recently refreshed NVIDIA Overlay, to name just a few examples. in this respect more than a varied offer.

The use of these tools is limited to PCs, whether desktop or laptop, but it seems that Redmond has decided to look a little further, in a very interesting move. So as we read in MSPowerUser, Microsoft is testing a compact Xbox Game Bar mode designed for portable consoles. However, at the moment this mode is only available in the latest beta version of the software, which can be tested by signing up to the Xbox insider program.

Since the arrival of the Steam Deck, The portable console market is experiencing a buzz that was completely unimaginable three years ago.. At the time, all indications were that its best days were long behind and that now, with the exception of the Nintendo Switch, the only options were niche. Today, with many major manufacturers rejoining this market, responses like this from Microsoft show us that there are good prospects for its development, at least in the short and medium term. And that’s great news for all of us who love to play.