Microsoft is finally set to release an Xbox branded handheld console but it’s actually being made by Asus and is very similar to the existing ROG Ally.
There wasn’t much at the Xbox Games Showcase that hadn’t already been leaked out weeks before (well, maybe the fact that Double Fine’s new game features a walking, sentient lighthouse) and so it was not the surprise it should’ve been that one of the main reveals was the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handheld devices.
As previously rumoured, these are not consoles being made by Microsoft but basically rebranded versions of ASUS’s existing ROG Ally line. The big difference is an Xbox button used to access chat, apps, and other setting relating to Game Pass and cloud gaming.
They also have contoured grips, designed to be similar to the official Xbox controllers, but they’re not Xbox consoles and instead run Windows 11 – so they’re essentially just portable PCs.
Even including Steam Deck, which is the most successful of the PC portable gaming devices, the whole market only amounts to a few million units, so it’s not really clear what Microsoft expects to gain from this move.
It’s likely they’re just trying to dip their toe in the water, as this is not the next gen portable device that they previous alluded to. Although recent rumours suggest that they’ve put that idea on the backburner, in order to focus more on Windows 11 gaming – which this essentially is.
The two devices are due to launch this Christmas in ‘select markets’, of which the UK is one. That suggests that, like the Steam Deck, it won’t be easy to get hold of an Xbox Ally, especially this year.
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There’s no price information for either device yet, but the ROG Ally is £522 in the UK and the ROG Ally X is upwards of £800. Perhaps Microsoft will absorb some of that cost for the Xbox Ally, but since it’s not technically their hardware that’s not very likely.
With those prices it’s not hard to see why these PC devices haven’t been bigger hits, compared to the 150+ million sales of the Nintendo Switch, but Microsoft is promising a full bloodied Xbox experience, with support for all Xbox Play Anywhere titles, as well as Steam, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, and Battle.net.
The main difference between the two models is storage and power, with the standard Xbox Ally utilising an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
By comparison, the Xbox Ally X has an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of high-speed RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Both are implied to have multiple different configurations though, potentially increasing the price further.
Both devices have a 7 inch touchscreen, with the Xbox Ally aiming for a 720p ‘gaming experience’ and the Xbox Ally X targeting 900p to 1080p.
Despite the costs involved, Microsoft (or perhaps it’s ASUS’s idea) does seem to be going after the family market, as they’ve already announced a partnership with Roblox, that will see the platform run natively on the devices.
Microsoft will also be operating a partner programme that will encourage developers to optimise their games for their handhelds and advertise the fact if they do.
There’s detailed technical specifications on Xbox Wire but what’s interesting here is not the hardware – which is very similar to the existing ROG Ally devices – but how much Microsoft is going to push the new portables, and whether they see them as a niche product or an important new direction for the whole Xbox brand.
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