Xbox unveils its Handheld Compatibility Program

Microsoft announced Wednesday during Gamescom 2025 that not only will its Xbox Ally handhelds be released on October 16, but the company is spinning up a new initiative to support optimized gaming on these devices called the Handheld Compatibility Program.

The initiative seems to be similar to Valve’s Steam Deck Verified, where Xbox will test games to ensure their compatibility with the new Xbox Ally handhelds. “We have worked with game studios to test, optimize, and verify thousands of games for handheld compatibility, allowing you to jump into the game without having to tweak settings, or requiring only minor adjustments,” said Roanne Sones, CVP of Gaming Devices and Ecosystem at Xbox.

The program will be available on release day and users will be able to see handheld compatibility directly in their game libraries. Games will be badged as “Handheld Optimized,” indicating games with default controller inputs, appropriate resolution for full-screen play and more. Games badged as “Mostly Compatible” may require minor in-game setting adjustments for an optimal experience on the Xbox Ally handheld.

Microsoft says it will continue to partner with developers to submit their titles for handheld compatibility testing.

In addition to the “Handheld Optimized” badge, games will also be given a Windows Performance Fit indicator of either “Should play great” or “Should play well.” In a statement to Engadget, a Microsoft spokesperson said “Windows Performance Fit predicts how well a game will run on a specific device using telemetry-based performance data, such as expected frame rates. For example, games that carry the ‘Should play great’ designation should average 60FPS or better on this device, while games that carry ‘Should play well’ label should average 30FPS or better on this device.”

Update, August 20, 6:20 PM ET: This story has been updated after publish with further explanation from Microsoft about Performance Fit.