Microsoft demos ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’, ‘Borderlands’ running at 30 FPS on the new Snapdragon X Elite Windows on Arm platform, with auto Super Resolution support in tow

Microsoft’s impressive Windows on Arm gaming demonstration offers a glimpse at the future.

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What you need to know

Microsoft’s new Copilot+ PC rangefor Windows is making waves.

Debuted this week during Build 2024, Microsoft’s AI and Surface event showcased the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, which grants devices like the newSurface Pro 11and Surface Laptop 7 all-day battery life, superior performance to their Intel predecessors, and better cooling. The ultra-low energy Arm processing requires some emulation for certain apps, but the performance is so good that it has become something of a non-issue. These devices will run much cooler than previous Surface tablets and laptops without sacrificing performance. Surface has some notoriety for getting hot enough to fry eggs, particularly in warm climates. That reality is about to change.

Companies likeAdobe have pledged support for the Windows on Arminitiative, with aims to bring its suite of creative tools to the platform natively. However, thousands upon thousands of classic gameswillhave to be emulated if you fancy gaming on these devices. But how will they perform? Well now, we have some ideas.

Our favorite Windows Phone afficionado Zac Bowden is on the ground for Build 2024, and has been attending Windows on Arm sessions this morning. During the demonstration, Microsoft revealed that Baldur’s Gate 3 will run at around 30 FPS unlocked on something like a Surface Pro 11, which is quite encouraging. Microsoft also showcased Borderlands running on Windows on Arm with Microsoft’s new native “Auto SR” Super Resolution support.

This is Borderlands 3 running on the just announced Qualcomm Snapdragon Developer Kit. Runs pretty smoothly! pic.twitter.com/bGRDZ5WahcMay 21, 2024

Details on real world gaming scenarios are still trickling out of Build 2024 and other similar events, but these early glimpses certainly seem promising. I doubt we’ll be seeing Cyberpunk 2077 running on Ultra on these types of devices any time soon, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite might be absolutely ideal for running mid-range 720p to 1080p HD games at 30 FPS. It could be especially ideal in smaller devices and handhelds, like theASUS ROG Allyor theSteam Deck, particularly if it provides better battery life than AMD’s Z1 Extreme chipset.

At the event, Microsoft also showcased the websiteWorksOnWoa.com, which is a community-led project to catalogue the games that run decently well on Windows on Arm. Microsoft says over 1,000 games should work at 1080p with 30 FPS, which is thoroughly playable in my view. They also announced that Unity 6 will have native support for game developers, with a demonstration showcasing how smooth it runs on a Surface Laptop 7. “Shockingly smooth,” according to my colleague Zac Bowden, who is on the ground at the event as I slave away writing this for him at 9.30PM. Thanks Zac.

A hint for future Xbox consoles, or handhelds?

Microsoft’s work on native Super Resolution support for Windows on Arm, coupled with efforts to court native development on the platform should bode well for future devices based on this tech. It seems at least roughly as capable as a Steam Deck in terms of output, while potentially boasting superior battery life in potentially slimmer devices.

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Microsoft is known to be exploring Arm for the next Xbox, even, with Xbox president and tech lead Sarah Bond founding a team specifically dedicated toXbox “game preservation"on future devices. To me, that sounds like emulating Xbox One andXbox Series XandXbox Series S"ERA”-based x86 games on Arm devices.

One of the biggest downsides of the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and even the Steam Deck itself, is raw battery life. If the Snapdragon X Elite or future Arm iterations can deliver better battery life while maintaining the small form factor, that’s really the holy grail of portable Windows and Xbox gaming. Microsoft is widely rumored to be working on some form ofXbox-branded handheld, with prototypes hidden deep within Microsoft’s labs. These glimpses of Windows on Arm gaming capabilities could be a hint at the future of Xbox too.

Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow onTwitter (X)andThreads, and listen to hisXB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!