Microsoft knows that something has gone wrong, and promises these changes

For years, if you wanted to play on a computer, the answer was almost automatic: you needed Windows. Linux experience was limited and macOS did not offer a competitive catalog. That landscape seemed immovable until Valve decided to really bet on the game on Linux and showed that there was room to shake the board. Steam Deck It came as an experiment that many did not see coming and ended up reconfiguring expectations, to the point that more and more players are talking naturally about switching to Linux. This change of mood has put Windows under a magnifying glass that it did not have before.

Windows’ historical strength in gaming was explained by something very simple: it offered the largest catalog, the most mature tools and a fluid relationship with developers. That basis is still real, but its perception has changed. The end of Windows 10 support along with the strict requirements of Windows 11has put teams that were still performing well on the ropes, unless their owners agree to run out of patches or use the extended update program. At the same time, the integration of functions that many interpret as unnecessary additions has generated some wear and tear.

Microsoft tries to retain its throne in PC gaming

Valve has been preparing the ground for years so that gaming on Linux stops being an experiment and becomes a viable option. Proton has allowed thousands of games designed for Windows work on SteamOS with a level of compatibility that was previously unthinkable, and the Steam Deck has served as a showcase for that progress. The recent announcement of a new Steam Machine for the show consolidates that movement, placing Valve in a position that challenges the idea that Windows is the only natural destination for PC gaming. It is not a frontal assault, but it is increasing strategic pressure.

In parallel, far from presenting a laptop with an Xbox seal, Microsoft has opted for a more flexible path: supporting manufacturers that already dominate this segment. Together with Asus and AMD, he has shaped the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally Xdevices that run Windows 11 but boot into a full-screen interface designed for controller use. This experience unifies games from different launchers and reduces distractions, bringing the console feel closer without giving up the PC nature. It’s a way to compete in portable devices without having to design and maintain new hardware of your own.

Besides, Microsoft presented Several internal improvements in Windows 11 are the result of work with the ROG Xbox Ally, which today benefit a large part of the Windows PC ecosystem. They include more efficient power settings, more stable memory management on Ryzen APUs and lower CPU load on tasks that previously affected performance. Still, the company insists that there is still room to cover.

“We are committed to making Windows the best place to play, and we will continue to refine the system behaviors that matter most in gaming: background load management, power and scheduling improvements, graphics stack optimizations, and updated drivers.”

Several of the technical improvements announced by Microsoft have already reached the desktop. DirectX Raytracing 1.2 is available and provides tools to process complex scenes more efficiently as long as the GPU and drivers are compatible. Advanced Shader Delivery works on select titles and speeds up initial loading when precompiling shaders during installation. Work on neural rendering is advancing cautiously and is only available in preliminary mode for studies. In parallel, Windows 11 has expanded support for LE Audio, which reduces latency and improves the experience in games that depend on sound.

The push for Windows on ARM has become another relevant front to expand the reach of the ecosystem. During 2025, devices enrolled in the Insider program have been able to install compatible games from the Xbox PC app, allowing many titles to be played locally. The Prism emulator has added support for AVX and AVX2 instructions, and several anti cheat vendors, such as Easy Anti Cheat and BattlEye, have added specific support for Windows on ARM.

From a gamer’s perspective, Windows retains obvious advantages, such as its catalog and the guarantee that almost everything will work without additional tweaks. Even so, the experience in Linux has improved Enough so that some see a more limited system as attractive, with fewer background processes and more predictable behavior. SteamOS solves many historical obstacles, although its popularity does not reach that of Windows, which continues to concentrate around 95% of Steam users compared to Linux still close to 3%.

Windows’ journey in gaming has been long and dominant, but its role is no longer automatically sustained. Microsoft’s recent decisions show that the company is aware of this and wants to correct the wear and tear with technical improvements, a clearer roadmap to the future. Even so, Valve’s push has changed expectations and introduced a competitor that did not exist before. What remains to be resolved is whether these movements will be enough for Windows to retain the preferred place that no one discussed for years.

Images | Microsoft | Xataka

In Xataka | We knew that Valve was betting on Linux, but it was hiding something bigger: a years-long plan to bring Steam to all devices