We’ve been hearing rumors for what feels like an eternity about Microsoft working with ASUS’ ROG division on a gaming handheld device and we got confirmation during the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest. There are two variants of the handheld: the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X.
Microsoft didn’t reveal pricing, but the handhelds are coming this holiday. Details on how much the systems cost, pre-orders, accessories and more are coming soon, the company said. The Xbox Ally will initially be available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and, shockingly enough, the US.
Xbox head Sarah Bond says that every game included in the showcase will be playable on the Xbox Ally, but didn’t make clear whether all of those would run natively on the devices. The reveal trailer also included a notable focus on Hollow Knight: Silksong, for what it’s worth.
Critically, Microsoft and ROG aren’t locking the devices to only playing Xbox games (though you can do that natively, via the cloud or by accessing an Xbox console remotely). You’ll be able to play games from Battle.net and “other leading PC storefronts” too.
Microsoft has designed a full-screen Xbox user interface for the handhelds. Naturally, the systems run on Windows 11. Microsoft says it has optimized the operating systems for the devices, with easy access to game and app options through Game Bar, as well as devices and input controls via ASUS’ Armoury Crate. The company added that “the lock screen and task switcher have also been adjusted for easy navigation with a controller.” Your games will be modable as well.
The Xbox Ally is powered by the AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, and has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. The Xbox Ally X is the more powerful model. It has a AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. They each have a microSD card reader, so you won’t need to worry about shelling out for proprietary storage options to have extra space for your games.
The two models seem to have the same screen, a seven-inch 1080p, 16:9 display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. The anti-reflection displays will feature Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and support FreeSync Premium.
Both systems boast “HD haptics” and have a dedicated Xbox button. The Xbox Ally has hall effect analog triggers, while the Xbox Ally X has “impulse triggers for enhanced control.” It sounds a little like Microsoft and ASUS are taking a page out of the PlayStation DualSense playbook there. Anyway, both of the Xbox Ally systems have two assignable back buttons and 6-axis IMU — a fancy way of saying that they’ll probably have gyro controls. Blessedly, both of the handhelds have a 3.5mm combo audio jack, along with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4.
The Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are exactly the same size at 290.8 x 121.5 x 50.7mm . They each weigh more than the Nintendo Switch 2 (534 g or 1.18lbs with Joy-Con 2 attached) and PlayStation Portal (520 g or 1.15 lbs). The Xbox Ally is marginally heavier than the Steam Deck (669g or 1.47lbs) at 670g. The Xbox Ally X is even beefier at 715g (1.58lbs).
So, they’re both chonksters, but at least those grips look more ergonomic than those on the Nintendo Switch 2 (which is already cramping my hands) or even the Steam Deck. For the record, the ROG Ally is 608g (1.34 lbs) and the Ally X is 678 grams (1.5 lbs).
Both systems should be capable of outputting video to a TV or monitor, as they have two USB-C ports with support for DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery 3.0. One of the Xbox Ally X’s USB-C ports is compatible with ThunderBolt 4. It also has a larger battery, with a capacity of 80Wh compared with the Xbox Ally’s 60Wh battery. Both models come with a charging stand.
This story is developing, refresh for updates…
