Simplifying Remote Game Profiling with PIX on Windows

Profile and iterate on games running on remote Windows-powered devices without extra hardware, or setup friction using PIX and XBOX PC Remote Tools.

June 24, 2026
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Game developers increasingly build and test games across a wide range of Windows-powered devices, including handheld PCs which can be especially challenging to use without a keyboard or mouse. Profiling games on these devices has traditionally required plugging in peripherals and navigating multiple setup steps before you can even start capturing data let alone iterating on games code to make changes and improvements.

With the latest update to the XBOX PC Remote Tools along with the latest 2605.28 preview update of PIX for Windows, getting set up to remotely profile your game and iterate is now more streamlined than ever before.

What’s new in this preview

This update introduces a new remote profiling flow in PIX that removes much of the manual work previously required to profile games running on a remote Windows-powered device. PIX leverages the connection and provisioning handled by XBOX PC Remote Tools, so the remote device is prepared automatically with the settings and components needed for profiling. 

Additionally, enabling Windows Graphics Debugging features can now be done via a toggle in the XBOX PC Toolbox app. These features allow PIX to surface additional diagnostics, including Direct3D API validation errors, when capturing GPU workloads.

How remote profiling works

When you connect to a remote Windows-powered device using XBOX PC Remote Tools, the tools handle device pairing and configuration. PIX then uses the same pairing to connect to the remote Windows-powered device securely. Once connected, you can capture GPU, memory and CPU Timing performance data from any Windows game right from your development PC while the game runs on the remote system.

This approach avoids repeated prompts, manual configuration, and account switching that were previously common when profiling remotely.  It also eliminates the need to attach a keyboard, mouse, or USB hub to the remote Windows-powered device.

Why this matters for developers

Remote profiling is essential as games target more unique and specific form factors and hardware. This integration reduces friction in several ways:

  • Quicker Analysis: The new flow enables you to start capturing data from a remote Windows-powered device faster than ever. You no longer have to spend extra time on configuration and can focus on fine tuning your game instead.
  • Broader coverage: Profile any Windows games running on handheld PCs and other Windows-powered devices that are not well suited to traditional desktop setups.
  • Simpler workflows: Leveraging the XBOX PC Remote Tools to eliminate device management and peripherals woes means you can analyze your game, and test changes to your code in a more streamlined workflow across Windows-powered devices.

Now available in preview

This functionality is available in the PIX 2605.28 preview release. Preview builds are intended to gather feedback from real projects before the features ship in a full version in the future. While the workflows are ready for evaluation and use, behavior and APIs may change based on feedback prior to general availability.

Known issues and additional features included in the same preview are documented in the PIX release notes linked below.

Getting started and sharing feedback

You can download the latest preview version of PIX today and start exploring remote profiling with your existing projects. Feedback from developers using these workflows is critical to shaping the final experience, you can share your thoughts via the “Send Feedback” button on the top right corner in PIX on Windows

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