Microsoft has been waiting for years to create a gaming laptop. The new Surface Laptop Studio is still a disappointment. Microsoft has not been able to build a gaming laptop that is truly portable, regardless of whether it's an Xbox or Surface laptop. While the Surface Book, Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are all great for different types of creators, none of them really cater to gamers.
It seems like a missed opportunity, especially when Microsoft calls Windows 11 "the best Windows ever for gaming" and the market has become more lucrative for gaming laptops in recent years. There are hardly any gaming laptops that don't come out every month. The line between gaming laptops and laptops is blurred by advances in cooling and chip design.
Microsoft has not marketed the Surface Book to be a gaming laptop. However, the Surface Laptop Studio is the closest Microsoft has come to PC gaming on a Surface. Microsoft's Surface Laptop Studio product page states that it can elevate your PC gaming experience.
Surface Laptop Studio was a successor to Surface Book. I was hopeful that it would capitalize on the demand for gaming laptops. Microsoft has chosen the RTX3050 Ti, one of the weakest Nvidia GPUs currently available. The RTX 3050 Ti can play 60fps in modern games at 1080p. However, it will not be able to reach the 120Hz panel's 120fps without severely affecting game settings.
Microsoft should have added the option for an RTX3070 or RTX3080. Surface Laptop Studio comes with 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD storage. It also ships with Intel's 11th Generation Core H processors. This means that it is more than capable of playing with the right GPU. Thunderbolt 4 support is available, so you can attach an eGPU to the Surface Laptop Studio to play gaming. However, you don't need to do that in order to enjoy the best performance on the move.
Microsoft has been close to installing a high-quality GPU in the Surface Book for many years but has always resisted the temptation of making it a full gaming laptop. The Surface Book came first with the GeForce 940M GPU, followed by the Surface Book with the Performance Base which upgraded the GPU to the GeForce 955M. Both were not suitable for gaming. However, the Surface Book 2 provided a GTX 1060 on its 15-inch model, which could run a wide range of games if you turned the settings down.
However, the Surface Book 2 wasn't really intended for gaming. My review revealed performance issues caused by throttling and issues with the power supply. Microsoft upgraded to a GTX 1660Ti Max Q on the Surface Book 3, but the issues with charging were not resolved.
Microsoft has struggled to embrace the PC gaming platform, however. Most people use Windows for PC gaming, but it's Valves Steam they use, and not Microsoft Store or Microsofts Xbox apps. Microsoft's PC gaming failures (let's not forget Games for Windows Live!) have led to a lackluster focus. The UWP experiment for Xbox Game Studios titles by Microsoft has been a pain in the neck for updates, installs, and gameplay.
It is not surprising that Microsoft is reluctant to embrace PC gaming with its own hardware.
Gaming on the move is now possible with PC gaming. Valves Steam Deck is the first to bring the concept of a Nintendo Switch-like device to the mainstream. It runs Linux, and if it succeeds, could break the dependence on Windows for PC gaming. Microsoft might even consider making its own Xbox handheld. The AMD components Valve uses in the Steam Deck can also be used by competitors to build their mobile gaming PCs.
However, I wish Microsoft would be more serious about PC gaming both with Windows and its Surface hardware. Gaming laptops don't have to be bulky or garish. I would love to see what Microsoft can produce if they truly focus on PC gaming on-the-go.
