Windows Gaming Handhelds: Balancing Performance and Power Efficiency

As a platform, Xbox has evolved to bring players from consoles to every screen – Xbox on PC, Smart TVs, streaming devices, mobile devices, and web browsers. This includes millions of gaming devices powered by batteries. We are dedicated to minimizing the environmental impact of gaming, aligning with our core values and commitment to both our players and the broader industry. With an expansive global gaming community of over 3.1 billion, Microsoft and game developers are uniquely positioned to spearhead meaningful environmental progress.    

Where can I get started making my game run great on Windows gaming handhelds?

Here are a few useful articles and hub pages to help game developers capitalize on making games run well on the newest gaming category: Windows handhelds.

• Handheld Compatibility (https://aka.ms/hhcompatguide). Guidelines and test cases for the Handheld Compatibility Program to build great gaming experiences on portable, touch-enabled, and gamepad-first devices. 

• Handheld Performance (https://aka.ms/hhperfguide). This document series focuses on the first steps developers can take to keep games on mobile devices running longer and faster.

Why should game developers care about power efficiency?

Developers are already mindful of battery life, extending the duration of immersive gaming experiences for players. Moreover, there’s a profound understanding among creators of what players desire: to indulge in top-tier games that also pave the way for carbon emission reductions, lower energy costs, cooler hardware, and enhanced energy efficiency.

You can learn more on the Gaming Sustainability page.

• More play = more engagement. Windows gaming laptops have been around for decades.  However, games are not traditionally optimized for battery life.  In some cases, game performance can drop when switching to battery and in others, the game may not play as long (e.g. consuming more battery power than needed).  This has an outsized impact on Windows gaming handhelds that, in addition to growing in popularity with a new generation of gamers, are more likely to be running on battery power more often.

• Measurable benefits to the environment. As highlighted in our Gaming Sustainability article on Microsoft Learn (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming/sustainability/sustainability-overview), wired consoles and desktop PCs respond to the intense power demands from video games at an even more aggressive scale, so reducing a games power consumption can help the players energy bills and reduces carbon emissions.

• Our customers care too. A lot of players are committed to reducing their overall carbon footprint, even while gaming. If developers work to reduce their games overall power consumption, not only are they helping the environment, but they might gain additional markets of players with a common interest. Learn more about how we are responding to customer feedback via our global efforts and commitment to Sustainability: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/sustainability

How do we make games more power-efficient without changing the code?

The great news is that there are multiple layers where we can help introduce power efficiencies. Each approach has various options that do not require making any code-level changes:

• In-Game Settings Profiles (https://aka.ms/hhperfguide).  These are graphics and gameplay settings internal to the game itself, which were created by the developers. These setting allow fine-tuning of the game experience both objectively (framerate) and subjectively (quality) to match the player’s preference.

• Per-Game Settings (New Article Coming Soon!). External 3rd-party applications from GPU (graphics processing unit) manufacturers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) can provide options for per-game settings that are applied before the game is run.

• Global Settings. Windows operating system and firmware or system BIOS (Basic Input Output System) define policies based on the desired system behavior (e.g. high-efficiency vs. high-performance).

The first release of the Handheld Performance guide covers in-game settings.  A future update will include more details about Per-Game settings and how developers can go beyond in-game settings to improve battery life.   

Stay tuned for more news at our Handheld Development Resource Hub.