(Credit: Microsoft)
The first Xbox-branded handheld console is here, but it’s not made solely by Microsoft. Instead, it's a partnership between Asus and Microsoft for a new version of the latter's ROG Ally handheld consoles, combining it with some of the best elements of the Xbox ecosystem.
Announced at Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase, the company introduced two new handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. Both are similar to the Asus ROG Ally X from 2024, and each will be available to buy by year's end; an exact launch date was not revealed.
The ROG Xbox Ally X is the top-end handheld with a new AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme powering the device alongside 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000 RAM and 1TB of storage to fit all your games. There's a 7-inch Full HD display with a peak brightness of 500 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate.
An 80Wh battery should see the Xbox Ally X power long gaming sessions. The battery size matches the Asus ROG Ally X, which in PCMag's testing had a remarkably long life. In our review, we found the handheld was able to play over 2.5 hours of Cyberpunk 2077, which is better than a lot of the competition in the handheld space.
(Credit: Microsoft)We don’t have pricing for these consoles, but we expect the lower-spec ROG Xbox Ally to be cheaper. This handheld features a 60Wh battery, an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. It also doesn’t include Thunderbolt 4 support; this version opts for two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports. The ROG Xbox Ally X features one of those ports paired with a USB4 port.
The handhelds themselves appear to be similar, with exactly the same dimensions, but the weights are different: 670g for the cheaper variant and 715g for the one with the biggest battery. Both come with a stand and a charger included in the box.
Microsoft says the two companies worked on the design together to bring an Xbox-like design to the handheld. Microsoft included “contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers" to give you "all-day comfort, complete with impulse triggers for enhanced control.” There’s also a dedicated Xbox button on the console to get you back to playing games quickly.
Those at IGN tried out the new consoles over the weekend. Their hands on says, "It feels like you’re holding an actual controller, so it has the comfort and performance you expect from a proper gaming platform."
Each new console runs a version of Windows 11 Home, but this isn't the normal version you'd find on your desktop. This is gaming-focused, and the main aim here is to keep you in the Xbox UI designed for these consoles. You can import games from other storefronts like Steam or Epic Games, and of course, you'll have access to Xbox Game Pass if you subscribe.
Microsoft says it’ll also be updating ads for new games to tell you when a title has been optimized for either of these handhelds.
A recent rumor suggested Microsoft had paused work on its own in-house handheld to move resources around in an effort to further develop Windows 11's handheld gaming platform. It’s thought that the imminent release of these products made Microsoft realize it had to improve the platform to better compete with Valve’s SteamOS alternative.
The Verge reports that Microsoft plans to bring this software to other handhelds, including consoles you may already own. "Our next focus will be updating the in-market ROG Ally and the ROG Ally X. Similar full-screen Xbox experiences will be rolling out to other Windows handhelds, starting next year," says Head of Xbox devices, Roanne Sone.