The ROG Xbox Ally handhelds are very promising so far

Microsoft and Asus unveiled their long-rumoured PC gaming handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 8. The companies are positioning it as a way to bring together their unique strengths — Microsoft’s Windows and Xbox ecosystems and Asus’ powerful ROG gaming hardware — into one device.

It’s definitely a promising initiative, and after getting to attend a behind-closed-doors briefing with Xbox and Asus representatives and briefly go hands-on with the Ally X, I’ve come away very impressed.

First, let’s get some specs out of the way. The entry-level white ROG Xbox Ally features an AMD Ryzen Z2A processor, 16GB of memory, 512GB of storage, and a 7-inch 720p screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The more powerful black ROG Xbox Ally X, meanwhile, sports an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of memory, 1TB of storage, and a 7-inch 1080 display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

But to be honest, specs don’t interest me so much as how a device actually works, and so far, I’m loving how well it marries the best of the Microsoft and Asus brands. On the surface, the (rather awkwardly named) Xbox Ally and Ally X take the sleek black iconography and coloured analogue sticks of the base ROG Ally and mixes in elements of Xbox, like a home button featuring the platform’s iconic logo and the signature X, Y, B and A buttons. This works in tandem with a UI that leverages all of the improvements Microsoft has made to its Xbox Game Bar on Windows, which includes quick access to system settings and customizable widgets via a simple press of the Xbox button.

All of this goes a long way towards making this feel comfortably familiar to anyone who’s used an Xbox controller. I’ve never actually used a ROG Ally (I own a first-gen Steam Deck), but I felt right at home thanks to the recognizable Xbox hardware and software flourishes. As someone who is primarily a console gamer who doesn’t like to fiddle around with menus and configurations, I really appreciated how this streamlines the process to get into gaming.

What’s more, the Xbox Ally and Ally X focus on what the companies are calling “the Xbox full screen experience.” Essentially, this has enabled the devices to cut back on normal Windows background tasks to free up more resources for gameplay, including more memory and higher frame rates. Adding to that Xbox experience is the fact that Microsoft’s entire “Play Anywhere” library is supported by the devices. This means that the 1000-plus games that you can purchase once to play on both Xbox and PC will be available on the Ally and Ally X, including every game shown during the Xbox Games Showcase. Of course, the Xbox Game Pass catalogue will also be available.

That alone makes this a great entry point into the PC gaming handheld. While Valve’s Steam storefront is one of the best in the business, newcomers to that ecosystem obviously would have to start fresh as they build out their library. But allowing Xbox fans to carry over many of the games they already own makes it much easier to start using the Xbox Ally and Ally X. I honestly would have loved this in April. I bought Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for the Steam Deck to take with me on long flights to and from Rome. I knew fully well I was making concessions with a somewhat rough and unoptimized handheld version that I’d be stuck with once I returned home, but I really wanted it for the plane.

But with the Xbox Ally and Ally X, I would have been able to play Expedition 33 through Game Pass at no additional cost, make roughly 15 hours of valuable progress into this dense RPG while travelling and then continue where I left off on my Series X without any more compromises. That’s just one tantalizing use case for someone like me, and it doesn’t stop there. In keeping with Xbox’s ever-growing multiplatform approach, the Xbox Ally and Ally X will support other marketplaces like Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG and Ubisoft Connect. Xbox also says it’s working on its own version of the Steam Deck’s “Verified” program to help you quickly identify which games are ready to go on the Xbox Ally and Ally X. That all-in-one launcher is such a great value proposition.

We also got to play a bit of Gears of War: Reloaded, the new remaster of the original Gears of War game. Mainly developed by Vancouver’s The Coalition, the game brings up to 4K/120fps support to the iconic third-person shooter’s campaign and multiplayer modes. It looks crisp on both the Ally X screen and the docked version an Xbox rep was playing in front of us, and maintained a solid 60fps even in the more intense sequences. Of course, this is a remaster of an old game, though, so it remains to be seen how well more intensive new titles will fare.

In any event, I just think that making this an Xbox-branded device just helps make the PC gaming handheld market that much more approachable for consumers. In the few years since the launch of the Steam Deck, it feels like there’s been an almost endless number of similar devices from the likes of Asus, Lenovo, MSI and Logitech. For someone who isn’t so tuned into the PC space, that can feel a bit overwhelming, so it’s reassuring that there’s a system that emulates the Xbox console experience.

I only have two apprehensions about the Xbox Ally and Ally X. The first is minor: the integration of Microsoft’s Gaming Copilot generative AI chatbot. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, as it’s so far just an (admittedly handy) optional tool if you want tips with games or answers to general inquiries. But I’ve seen how the likes of Siri and Google Assistant are shoved down your throat for everything, and I find that annoying as someone who doesn’t use those features. Hopefully, Gaming Copilot doesn’t become that.

But the bigger and far more important question mark is how much the Xbox Ally and Ally X will cost. So far, Xbox has simply said we’ll learn more “in the coming months” as we lead up to the yet-to-be-announced holiday launch date. For context, the standard Ally costs $900 here, while the Ally X is $1,100. Therefore, it’s easy to imagine the Xbox’s ROG devices costing even more.

It should be noted, though, that Microsoft acknowledged during our briefing that it has “more” planned in terms of new hardware, seemingly alluding to rumours of other OEMs besides Asus making Xbox-branded handhelds. So even if the Ally and Ally X prove to be too expensive, there’s always hope that future alternatives are more affordable.

For now, though, this is a promising first start for Xbox’s handheld plans that slot in nicely with its broader multiplatform approach that includes consoles, PC and cloud gaming.

Image credit: Xbox