XBox goes portable! Asus ROG XBox Ally handhelds announced

Microsoft is finally stepping properly into handheld gaming with the Xbox Ally, tackling the challenge of running its games smoothly on portable devices.

“This is an XBox.”

They’ve been saying for a while that your XBox experience will be coming to more and more devices, but this is the one we’ve all been waiting for: an official, portable, XBox handheld.

Working with Taiwanese giant Asus, Microsoft has introduced two handheld models they claim will greatly simplify the typical Windows interface struggles in portable gaming.

Power play: What’s in it?

Two internal spec levels to satisfy budget buyers and power users alike, but they’ll both play on the same display.

The entry-level Xbox Ally comes equipped with AMD’s Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD, targeting casual gamers who are fine with 720p gameplay or cloud-streaming through Game Pass.

The more powerful Xbox Ally X is set to feature AMD’s Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of memory and 1TB storage, with the goal of handling native 1080p gaming more effectively.

Both models get a 7-inch, 1080p IPS LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate and anti-reflective Gorilla Glass Victus.

Battery life improvements are also on the agenda: the base Ally model is slated to feature a 60Wh battery, a notable increase compared to earlier ROG Ally models, while the Ally X proposes an even larger 80Wh battery.

As befits a flagship gaming unit, the Ally X also gets impulse triggers with haptic feedback.

Connectivity-wise, both handhelds will support USB-C with DisplayPort, while the Ally X will also include Thunderbolt 4, potentially enabling external GPU compatibility through Asus’s docking solutions.

Software: Pain points be gone!

Asus and Microsoft are promising big improvements to the software experience.

Instead of launching into the typically cumbersome Windows desktop, the Xbox Ally will boot directly into a full-screen Xbox interface, replicating a dedicated gaming console experience.

The companies say this interface will smoothly integrate game libraries from Xbox, Steam, Epic, and other services, potentially eliminating the inconvenience of juggling dedicated launchers.

How much, and when can I get one?

Pricing remains undisclosed, but both Xbox Ally models are anticipated to launch late in 2025, aiming to compete directly with established alternatives like Steam Deck and the new Nintendo Switch 2.

Considering the current ROG Ally and Ally X run for $1300 and $1600 (Aussie bucks), you can likely expect this version to bring similar levels of pain – although Microsoft might subsidise the hardware to get you into the ecosystem. Maybe?

Specs