Microsoft has shown off its first two Xbox handheld gaming devices, and they’re not actually made by Microsoft at all, but Asus instead.
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X make up this duo. And while they look the same, one is — you guessed it — more powerful than the other.
What we have on our hands here are two gaming handhelds that are a fair bit like a Steam Deck, with at least one key difference. They boot up into a tailored version of Windows 11, not SteamOS.
Microsoft calls the front-end the “Xbox full screen experience,” which is intended to make Windows feel a lot more friendly than the more mouse-driven interface we’re all a bit more familiar with.
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally twins also have an Xbox button and the same arrangement of face buttons you’ll find on an Xbox Series gamepad.
Unlike a Nintendo Switch 2, though, these handhelds have pronounced controller grips, which make it look a bit like a PlayStation Portal. That’s the one popular handheld the Asus ROG Xbox Allys aren’t much like inside, though, because these are full PCs in a handheld form.
What’s the difference between the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X? The processor is the biggie. Asus uses the AMD Ryzen Z2 A in the standard Ally, and an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme in the Ally X.
They may sound similar, but there’s a big performance gap between these chipsets. The standard Asus ROG Xbox Ally is likely to provide performance in Steam Deck territory, while the ROG Xbox Ally X will be significantly more punchy.
To match that power, we also get a bump from 16GB RAM to 24GB RAM, and from 512GB storage to 1TB. And the battery is larger too, with 80Wh capacity instead of 60Wh.
The controls are a little different as well. Asus uses “impulse triggers” in the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, which have haptic rumble motors inside, as seen in the official Xbox controller. They both have “HD” rumble haptics, though.
Gaming handheld fans will note these units look pretty similar to Asus’s existing Ally machines. But Microsoft nevertheless claims this is a “breakthrough moment for Xbox.” And it makes its case in a 10-minute behind the scenes video:
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are due to launch later this year during the “holiday” season, but pricing has not yet been announced. Our current best guide is the standard Asus ROG Ally X, which currently costs £799.
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