Published Jun 8, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT Richard is the PC Hardware Lead at XDA and has been covering the technology industry for almost two decades. He's been building PCs since young, and when not creating content, you can often find him inside a chassis somewhere. Xbox Mode is one of those things that Microsoft just randomly comes up with that's actually quite brilliant. Windows Phone, Metro UI, and the MSN Messenger come to mind as a few other fine examples of some brilliant engineering and timing. Xbox Mode is the result of Microsoft seeing SteamOS and Linux starting to shape up within the gaming handheld market. Proton from Valve is also helping Linux claw some more market share on desktop, but Windows is still king. Microsoft doesn't plan on sitting around and doing nothing, which is why the company is trying to make Windows feel slightly less like an operating system and more like a console gaming environment with this specific mode.…