Xbox handheld release date leaked — and it's coming sooner than you'd think

The next big step in the future of Xbox is a handheld not even made by Microsoft, and we may now know when it’s actually coming out: October 20th.

This is according to Dealabs, which has a history of revealing similar retailer info.

It says the ROG Xbox Ally X will be announced on August 16th, just ahead of the Gamescom conference, before going on sale just a few days later on August 20th. That’s when the gaming expo, which is open to the public, kicks off proper.

Before you get too excited, this isn’t quite the Xbox equivalent of a PlayStation Vita. While plans for a fully own-brand handheld Xbox have been discussed, the project was reportedly sidelined recently.

What we’re getting instead is an Xbox branded Windows PC handheld from Asus, which has a (fairly) long history of making these devices.

The handheld will come in two flavours. We expect the standard ROG Xbox Ally to drop at around £599 (599 Euro), with roughly as much power as a Steam Deck. But it has gamepad-like grips in the vein of a PlayStation Portal.

A step-up model is coming too, for 300 Euros more (899 Euro), the Xbox ROG Ally X.

Specs appeal

While it looks similar, this handheld has loads more power. It uses an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chipset. And according to similarly powerful hardware tested recently, that’ll give us enough grunt to play titles like Elden Ring, Assassin’s Creed Shadow and Cyberpunk 2077, no problem.

The same chipset is also used in the MSI Claw A8, whose price is yet to be announced. But it won't be cheap either.

Microsoft has officially told us these handhelds’ specs, and the rumour mill has told us the price and release date. What we don’t know yet is if the ROG Xbox Ally duo are going to do anything beyond what regular old Windows handhelds like the (non Xbox) Asus ROG Ally X do.

We’ve seen a glimpse at the Xbox ROG Ally ’s interface, including a full-screen take on the Xbox app. But what about those with Xbox digital game libraries of titles where Xbox and Windows don’t share a game license? Will we just have to stream them over Xbox Game Pass?

As much as we already know, there are still some intriguing questions surrounding the Xbox ROG Ally series. We should know all by the end of August 16th.

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