It’s finally official—after initial rumours of Microsoft possibly working on an Xbox handheld, the tech giant has finally gone on and revealed the new ROG Xbox Ally series devices, which were developed in collaboration with ASUS. A while back, reports stated that there was a big possibility that the two companies were working together on a device codenamed “Keenan”.
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With that being said, the Xbox Ally series comes in two different flavours: there’s the ROG Xbox Ally which comes with modest specs, although you can also opt for a more souped-up Xbox Ally X which supports a higher 1080p resolution display. Both devices do look very similar with 7-inch displays with 120Hz refresh rates, and a design that borrows heavily from ASUS’ “standard” ROG Ally handhelds, albeit with sizeable grips included in the mix.
The interface is a blend of Windows and the Xbox UI, leaning more towards the latter. It’s a somewhat shrunken-down version of the Xbox UI, which is easily accessible via a built-in Xbox button. Windows stays in the backend, so users are launched directly into the Xbox PC app—this way, Windows doesn’t take up a lot of memory and allows things to run generally smoothly. From here, users can view their games library from Microsoft, as well as other storefronts such as Battle.net and Steam, for example. Additionally, users will also be able to stream their games from cloud-supported platforms, so you can pretty much launch any title within your library.
As for what’s inside, the Xbox Ally runs on an AMD Ryzen Z2 A chip which is accompanied by 16GB LPDDR5X-6400 RAM, as well as 512GB of internal storage. Meanwhile, the Xbox Ally X comes with a more powerful chip in the form of the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, as well as a more roomy 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000 RAM, and 1TB of storage. As for other hardware components, The Xbox Ally X uses impulse triggers with support for haptic feedback, USB-C 4 connectivity with Thunderbolt 4 support, a USB-C 3.2 port and a UHS-II microSD card reader, versus the standard Xbox Ally’s dual USB-C 3.2 ports.
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It should also be noted that there are some differences to the Xbox PC app and Game Bar on the Xbox Ally devices, given the more portable approach. The UI has been tweaked for a more handheld-friendly user experience, such as logging into the Windows lockscreen via physical controls, and instantly launching apps via the Game Bar. As for pricing and availability, neither Microsoft or ASUS have mentioned a specific price for the two devices, although it’s expected that the ROG Xbox Ally series will launch later this year during the holidays.
