It looks like HP won't be ditching Windows 11 for gaming handhelds after all - but it wants to work with Microsoft to make it better

• HP says it could be open to a SteamOS-powered handheld gaming PC
• SteamOS will soon be available on other handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go S
• HP wants to continue working with Microsoft and Windows 11 to provide great gaming experiences on all devices

Author's note - 31 March: This article has been updated with new details following a response to an inquiry from HP

Sales of handheld gaming PCs continue to grow year by year, with a steady stream of new releases from Lenovo, Asus, and MSI, but one PC manufacturer has been missing in action.

As reported by Notebookcheck (via an interview with XDA), HP could be open to making a handheld gaming PC powered by Valve's SteamOS or an improved version of Windows 11, as its Senior Vice President and Division President of Gaming Solutions, Josephine Tan, confirmed.

Tan suggested that she has struggled with using Windows 11 and further hinted at the difficulty of using the OS for handheld gaming, especially when resuming games — a feature that devices like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck take advantage of.

HP isn't shunning Microsoft's Windows 11, no. Rather, it's pushing for a more handheld-friendly experience, as it clarified in a statement: "HP is focused on delivering the best personalized gamer experience across our OMEN and HyperX solutions. We remain committed to leveraging the Windows platform while creating a unique gaming experience for all gamers, regardless of the device they use."

Now that Valve's SteamOS will be available for other handhelds besides the Steam Deck (like the Lenovo Legion Go S), it opens the door for better handheld gaming experiences. While SteamOS still has some disadvantages, notably its inability to launch games with anti-cheat software baked in, and no official support for features such as frame generation, the user experience is still arguably much better than when using Windows 11 on a handheld.

Microsoft needs to make Windows 11 handheld friendly...

If it wasn't clear enough already, Windows 11 hasn't been one of Microsoft's best releases in recent years: I'd say it's one of the worst I've seen in terms of bugs and seemingly neverending issues (specifically with its 24H2 update), and for a handheld gaming PC enthusiast, it's just not up to the job.

Aside from 24H2's frustrating bugs, Windows 11 pales in comparison to SteamOS for handhelds - and while it's understandable that there’s no 'portable' mode for Windows 11, as Microsoft's focus is on desktop PCs and laptops, it's another reason why many are moving away from the OS.

It's gotten so bad that I've considered installing Bazzite (a SteamOS clone) on my main desktop PC - and testing it out on my Asus ROG Ally for months suggests that it might not be a bad idea.

Windows 11, besides its current 24H2 issues, just doesn’t work for handhelds, and with the popularity of handheld gaming PCs showing no sign of slowing down, now would be the perfect time for Microsoft to look into making its operating system work better on these devices - otherwise, it could really start to miss out.

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