Hey, would you like an Xbox handheld? I kind of do. I see a lot of people asking is it a VC or is it a handheld? And I’m not sure I care. Kinda looks cool. It’s a big maybe on if I would buy it, but that’s not exactly what we’re talking about today.
Hi, folks, it’s Zaid, and today on Aura Riot, 10 things you need to know about the Xbox ROG Ally and Ally X. Also, yes, I’m calling it the ROG Ally. Saying R-O-G just feels really unnecessary every single time. So don’t jump down my throat over that.
10. Is It Really an Xbox?
Depending on who you talk to, it’s not really an Xbox at all. There’s some confusion as to exactly what these Xbox-branded handhelds actually are. So let’s start off the list by setting the specifications as to what it is straight.
While the system got a lot of play during the Summer Xbox Showcase, these things are less like just Xbox handhelds and more Xbox-branded PC handhelds. To be fair with some new features, the new Xbox UI, big deal, we’ll get to that later, but I think it’s important to make it 100% clear this is a Windows-based system, and therefore, it cannot play all Xbox-branded games, just the ones that play on PC.
So if an Xbox game didn’t get a PC port, it’s not gonna play on here. So it’s not backwards compatible, don’t think of it that way. It’s an Xbox handheld that you can play some Xbox games on. If you’re looking at these things expecting a more playable Series S, that’s gonna disappoint you ’cause it’s not that.
The branding is what makes it confusing. It sounds like some big Xbox continuation product, but it’s kind of not. If the rumors are true, then the planned official in-house Xbox handheld has already been canceled, and this is what Microsoft settled on.
Now, if you’re primarily a PC gamer who doesn’t have a large Xbox game collection, then none of this is gonna matter to you at all, but for long-time Xbox fans, I think branding it is, maybe a little, if not misleading, at least confusing. It’s got Xbox in the name, Microsoft says it’s an Xbox, but it can’t actually play all Xbox games. So there’s that.
9. What Are We Looking At?
All right, there’s two systems being made currently, the Xbox Ally X and the Xbox Ally. They’re both ROGs, ROG, and we’ll do the specs later in nitty gritty view, but in short, these are Windows-powered portable gaming PCs similar to the ROG Ally systems, meant to be competitors to the Steam Deck.
When talking about these things, it’s important to keep in mind, they’re more like a Steam Deck than like a Switch. They’re PCs in the form of a handheld.
What makes the Xbox ROG Allies unique is the Xbox UI made for them, which is basically Microsoft’s answer to big picture mode, and it’s good. It’s not just some basic re-skin or like an overlay set of Windows. It’s a re-skin of Windows meant to improve efficiency and designed specifically for these handhelds.
It doesn’t just sit on top of Windows, it actually turns off certain Windows features, like the desktop and explorer processes when you have the app open, and so it’s basically meant to make Windows lighter for gaming purposes. I think it’s probably a good idea.
According to Microsoft, there’s actually two gigabytes of memory saved by running the Xbox UI instead of standard Windows. That’s a pretty significant improvement honestly, like Steam OS and its complete lack of system resource hogging was kind of the thing that it had over all of these other handheld PCs, so it’s nice to see Microsoft trying to address that issue. Like it. Good idea.
8. It Looks Like an Xbox
One thing you gotta say about these things, they do look like they’re an Xbox handheld. They have the same ABXY buttons, same triggers, similar grip, a proper Xbox function that functions the same as it does on PC, slick-looking device overall, like it looks like a ROG Ally if they made the back of it feel like an Xbox controller.
Definitely nicer in terms of feel, but similar in terms of look. Along with two full-sized analog sticks, a D-pad, triggers, hall effect ones, another D-pad and haptic feedback, it’s got an Xbox button like I mentioned, a view button, a menu button, command center button, and a library button, lots of buttons.
It’s all stuff that comes with other ROG Ally devices though, and it’s got two fully customizable back buttons. All the buttons can be customized and changed if you really want. You can even make the Xbox button do something else, make it a Y button just to be a contrarian.
I will say, this is not a major advertised feature, but the devices, they’re touch screen, but with that, I mean that’s kind of necessary for PC handhelds to get around some of the compatibility issues they have. But that’s a feature as well.
From everything I have seen, the added grips aren’t just there to give this thing the Xbox look. They also make the system a lot more comfortable to hold compared to other handheld systems, including the other ROG Ally systems.
So the form factor, I mean, aesthetics aren’t really what it’s aiming at. It’s more if it feels good and it looks like it does, ’cause I mean, an Xbox controller feels good and it’s supposed to feel like that.
7. The Xbox UI Isn’t Exclusive
The thing that, honestly, it’s probably one of the biggest selling points to the ROG Xbox Ally, but you might not want to immediately upgrade if you’ve already got a Windows-powered portable PC ’cause it sounds like Microsoft intends to expand support for the new UI into systems other than the ROG devices.
According to Microsoft, they intend to extend support for the Xbox UI into other Windows handhelds starting in 2026, including ones that don’t have any kind of Xbox branding.
This UI is still primarily meant for handheld, so I don’t think there’s any support for PCs on the horizon, but I don’t know, that was basically the first thing I thought, “Hey, wouldn’t it be nice if I could shut off all of the Windows shit and have my games run with two gigabytes more RAM?” Not just the RAM, but also free up some CPU, right? I would like it.
We’ll see though. I don’t know if it’s really on the docket, so to speak, but wouldn’t piss me off.
6. The Processor
If you’re getting a handheld gaming PC, you want to know how powerful it’s gonna be, and I mean, I can’t really give you a straight answer on what the performance on these devices is gonna look like at launch ’cause it’s a little bit tricky of an answer, let’s say.
We do know what the processors are going to be. The cheaper ROG Xbox Ally is going to have an AMD Ryzen 2 or rather the Z2A, which I have seen some people say it is the same processor with some unnecessary AI stuff. And I’ve also seen some people say it’s quite a bit more powerful of a processor with more cores, et cetera, et cetera.
Ah, all right, so this is an AMD device that does not support FSR 4. Okay, Z2, it’s confusing because AMD has been using it for so long now, but yes, the extreme is more powerful. They are not identical, but I don’t know really. I feel like the difference isn’t quite as big as you might expect, but also, I don’t know.
From my research, I’ve seen people claim that the Z2 Extreme is at a similar level of power to the RX-560 or the 9HX-370. To get an approximate idea what I mean, I’m talking about hardware that can run “Cyberpunk 2077” at medium settings in 1080p at an average of around 45 FPS, or take the PC port of “Eternal,” which runs around 35 frames per second at medium settings, 1080p, pretty much comparable to the Steam Deck.
Of course, it should be noted that this is speculation based on benchmarks from other processors, but the general consensus seems to be the ROG Xbox Ally isn’t actually that much more powerful than its Steam competitor, at least when it comes to the processor.
So if you’re expecting a giant leap in PC handheld visuals, this isn’t gonna be it, but once we do start seeing AMD systems with FSR 5, that’s gonna be the big jump. I don’t think that’s really what you’re buying this for either though, so eh.
5. Storage Situation
The standard ROG Xbox Ally will come compact with 512 gigabytes of SD storage. The X gets a terabyte SSD in it, both M 0.2 2280s. They’re designed to be replaceable, although actually taking ’em out probably is not gonna be as easy as swapping a hard drive on the PS5 if the previous ROG Ally handhelds are anything to go by.
The older models could force you to completely open up the shell, which requires some special tools to do cleanly, or a guitar pick if you got one of those handy, that should work.
Both devices also come with a microSD card slot for up to one terabyte of additional storage. So it’s fairly standard storage as far as PC handhelds go, there’s more space here than on something like the Switch 2 at very least.
But I mean, a terabyte isn’t, I hate saying this because if you’d have said this to me a decade ago, I’d have been like, “A terabyte, that’s crazy,” but a terabyte really isn’t that much space now, especially if you play any “Call of Duty” game.
4. The Rest of the Specs
While these things can’t play all Xbox games, they will at least support the modern features of an Xbox system. That means you get Game Pass, streaming with Xbox Cloud gaming, and Xbox Play Anywhere support. There’s also remote play so you can stream games from your console onto your handheld.
On the hardware side of things, both versions of the handhelds, they have a seven-inch display, so is meaty. It’s 120 hertz with 1080p, which might be a little extreme considering the frame rate, and a lot of games is actually gonna be running not great at that, but I mean, if a game can take advantage of 120 hertz, that’s not bad.
The display for both devices is the same, but the X gets 24 gigabytes of memory, while the standard gets 16. The battery’s also quite a bit more powerful in the X. It’s got 80 watts of battery life compared to 60 watts in the cheaper, it’s about 2.5 hours playing something system intense like “Cyberpunk,” but if you’re on low power mode, the weaker 60 is going to get you six hours playing an indie title.
It just depends on how much system power is being drawn, but if you want something that lasts longer, 80 watts is gonna be better in every situation, quite a bit better, honestly. Even an extra half hour seems like a lot, just to be clear with battery stuff, like it hasn’t changed for me. If you gave me a two-hour battery versus a two hour and 20 minute battery, it would seem like the two hour and 20 minute battery is a lot bigger. I don’t know, maybe that’s just me. I owned a Game Gear at one point, so everything kind of feels like a miracle.
One more thing to take into account that might not seem like it matters a lot, it’s weight. It’s the heaviest handheld I’ve seen so far, weighs 1.58 pounds, which is about 45 grams heavier than the previous ROG Ally X. It’s noticeably heavier than the already heavier Switch 2, which is 1.18 pounds.
Pound and a half probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but when it comes to handhelds that you’re potentially holding for hours at a time, it’s very noticeable. Handhelds are getting bigger and heavier, and generally, a little less portable for the most part. I like the bigger screens and the better components, but there’s a point where it does start becoming a problem. I don’t think we’re there yet, but I think we are approaching.
3. It’s a Windows PC
This is a Windows PC. I know I made that clear at the top, but this is not an Xbox. It does have its benefits, though, being it is a Windows PC.
For one thing, because it is Windows supported, you can access all of your game launchers on here without any of the hoops that come from running Steam OS. You can access your Steam library, your GOG games, your Epic launcher at any time. It’s all supported here, even through the Xbox UI.
So just it’s because Xbox branded doesn’t mean you’re locked in the Xbox ecosystem. You can do pretty much anything you could do on a standard PC with this thing, which, to be fair, also introduces some headaches.
It’s not gonna get into the easy territory of a Switch, but the compatibility with the most games you can imagine on PC probably very high, not perfect. It’s still Windows 11 we’re talking about. So it’s gonna be problems with the older games, and for true diehards, it’s not gonna be as customizable as Steam OS, but Windows is the most supported OS by a country mile, so that does make things a lot easier, especially for your average PC user.
2. No Track Pads
There are no track pads. The Steam Deck’s track pads make it easier to interface with games that don’t have official controller support. They help with compatibility and there’s nothing here of the sort.
Like honestly, the track pads are essential for playing certain games on the Steam Deck that don’t have full controller support. I mentioned above, the ROG has a touch screen, all of ’em really do, but that only goes so far, as most games that are designed for mice are not designed for a touchscreen, I guess is the best way to put it.
Yeah, it’s workable, but I mean, even the track pads aren’t the most elegant solution. They do have their own issues, but having some kind of mouse equivalent, it’s helpful with PC handhelds ’cause there’s so many older games that need both a controller and a mouse to really fully function, with the controller kind of standing in for the keyboard.
The lack of any kind of pad means a lot of these games are just unplayable. I mean, that’s already an issue for the current handhelds, but it’s gonna continue being one for the Xbox-branded ones.
Obviously, if you’re only playing relatively modern games, it’s probably not gonna be an issue, but even still, a lot of modern PC games have controller problems, so having some kind of alternative is at least helpful, and just having a basic touchscreen is truly not gonna cut it with all of them.
1. Release Date and Final Thoughts
And finally, at number one, I have the release date for you. The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are launching holiday 2025 according to Microsoft, and while their prices are still unknown, it’s likely they’re probably going to be similar to previous ROG Ally iterations.
The last one cost 500 bucks, 499.99, and the current 2024 model of the X is 800, so it’s not unrealistic to think of the price as probably similar to that, but maybe a bit higher. Most speculation I’ve seen puts the standard at 600 and the X at either 900 or 1,000, and while that might feel like a bit of an outrageous bump from previous years, it’s not that farfetched, lines up with the price increases we’ve been seeing elsewhere.
I’m not saying that makes it reasonable, but that is not a ROG Xbox Ally-exclusive problem. Tech prices have just straight up been rising across the board, so I mean, I don’t see this bucking that trend.
It might sound like I’m a bit down on this handheld, but I’m trying to temper expectations. It’s the next Asus handheld with some nice Xbox features, some hardware improvements, more comfortable form factor, but I mean, in some respects, you might consider this fairly outdated.
Again, we do not have FSR 4. To be fair, most games are still on FSR 3, but when they all are at FSR 4, it’s not something this thing can handle. It’s not there.
I don’t know. If you’ve already got a PC handheld, I wouldn’t race out to upgrade to one of these from everything I’ve heard so far, but if you’re holding out, this might be the one to get, as long as you go in with the right expectations.
There’s a lot of potential here. I’m not saying there isn’t, but if you’re saying to yourself, “I need a generational leap from what we’re currently looking at,” eh, I wouldn’t do this because it’s not. At least it doesn’t look like, I could be completely wrong. I’m not gonna claim that I know everything. That being said, I’d be surprised if I was wrong here.
But what do you think? Leave us a comment, let us know. And as always, we thank you very much for reading this blog. I’m Zaid. We’ll see you next time right here on Aura Riot.
