Now, this is really aimed at anyone who uses a portable gaming pc or those who want a more console-like experience on a PC with a controller.
improved acts as a nearly complete replacement for your PC library, bringing together your xbox, SteamEpic and GOG in one app. It offers a fairly friendly, console-style experience that feels much more cohesive than juggling multiple launchers.
With that in mind, let’s take a full look at Winhanced and why I like it so much, but more importantly, why I think everyone should make the switch.
Not only that, but the app does more than just launch your games. The team behind Winhanced also added a feature that automatically adjusts your TDP to help you get the best possible performance in your games, which is nice to have.
Now, before I look into Winhanced too much, I should point out that I’m part of its early access. That means my experience is based on features currently locked behind Patreon.
That being said, I suggest supporting the team; you can find their Patreon here. It’s a project built in their free time and they are very receptive to feedback.
It’s also fair to say that this is an early access experience. You’ll run into bugs and quirks that can throw you out of that console feeling.
Still, I’m running into similar issues with the Xbox appand it’s easier to overlook them here. This is a small team getting to work, not a trillion-dollar company reporting record profits.
Some of the issues I’ve encountered include graphical glitches, issues closing games (I believe this has been resolved), and occasional download issues. However, in my experience, reporting them leads to pretty quick solutions.
The team is also actively working on new features. A friends list is on the way and currently in testing, which merges your friends on Steam. Discordand Xbox.
Speaking to one of the developers, Floop, about the future outlook, the developer had a clear vision of where Winhanced is headed. He states:
“A year from now, if I could have the world, I’d see Winhanced being talked about in the same vein as something like Bazzite or Playnite online, as a basic app that people turn to for their first Windows controller experiences.“
It’s certainly a bold vision, and honestly, based on my experience with Winhanced, I can see it happening if the developers continue to refine the experience. And in many ways, they already have, and aside from the problems I’ve mentioned, I already prefer it to the Xbox app itself, which just doesn’t feel like a console in its current state.
There are some ideas I would love to see added. The ability to explore storefronts like Steam or Xbox directly within the app would be great, although I’m not sure how realistic that is, and more customization options to reflect an Xbox-style dashboard would also be appreciated.
An installer-style screen showing game updates, current installation, and recently installed items would also be a nice touch. It’s something Xbox already does well and would help round out the overall experience here.
As I feel like I’ve said a million times, the team is incredibly responsive and the reason I want more from Winhanced is because I can see how much potential it has. Like the developer I spoke to, I can see it being talked about in the same vein as something like Playnite a year from now.
The app isn’t even at version 1.0 yet, but the groundwork is underway to get there, and while there’s still a lot of work to be done, the team is clearly hard at work. Still, what’s already here looks like the foundation for something really special, and is worth a look if you’re getting tired of the Xbox app like me.
If I sold you on Winhanced or just piqued your curiosity, be sure to join their Discord and let the team know and of course make sure to support the developers in their Patreon.
👉 If you want to install Winhanced, you can do so by clicking here.
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