Asus’ ROG Xbox Ally nails the {hardware}. However Home windows nonetheless wants work on handhelds

Microsoft’s Xbox model just isn’t doing nice. Regardless of being a pillar of the fashionable gaming panorama, it looks as if Xbox consoles are inconsequential because of stiff competitors from inside and with out. Nintendo and Sony are enjoying to their strengths, and Microsoft itself appears extra excited by pushing a platform and subscription than in sustaining its shrinking portion of the market. Add to this big worth will increase, for each consoles and the lynchpin Xbox Sport Go itself, and it’s not precisely blissful days in Redmond.

Into this fractious and unsure panorama lands the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handheld, and its extra souped-up model, the ROG Xbox Ally X. Launching later this week at $600 and $1,000, respectively, these devices are some main firsts for Microsoft. They’re the primary Xbox transportable units, even when their declare to being “Xboxes” is generally a matter of selling. They’re the primary post-Steam Deck transportable gaming PCs made explicitly in cooperation with Microsoft and Xbox, although Asus has made two generations earlier than them. They usually’re the official debut of the Xbox Fullscreen Mode, Microsoft’s reply to the Steam Deck consumer interface.

Asus requested me to take a look at the brand new Ally {hardware} at a pre-release occasion, which was my first probability to go actually hands-on with the gadget only a week or so earlier than they land on cabinets. And whereas the handhelds themselves are spectacular, I don’t suppose they’re such an enormous step ahead that they’ll persuade anybody who wasn’t bought on the idea already. And the brand new, semi-exclusive interface is fairly good, definitely an enchancment over the ache level of working Home windows 11 on smaller handheld units, however it nonetheless wants work even because it’s getting ready for a full retail launch.

PC avid gamers who’re already followers of this type issue may discover a new front-runner within the Xbox Ally, and possibly even the primary true rival to the Steam Deck. However mixed with the woes of the Xbox platform itself, and a reasonably excessive price ticket even when you don’t need the $1,000 upgraded X mannequin, I don’t suppose that is the Xbox hit that Microsoft has been ready for.

Fill your palms

Probably the most putting distinction between the older ROG Ally design and the ROG Xbox Ally is these extremely seen handles, now distinctly jutting from the gadget’s physique as a substitute of easily built-in. And it’s no shock that these are the largest change in truly utilizing the hand held, too. Gripping onto the gadget was immediately acquainted — I might shut my eyes and picture I actually was holding an official Xbox controller, as I’ve achieved for 1000’s of hours earlier than. It’s comfortable is what I’m saying right here, and the acquainted staggered management structure is perhaps an enormous enchancment when you have medium or small palms and the Steam Deck’s inside thumbsticks are a ache level.

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The extra strong grip on the gadget makes it really feel lighter, regardless of wanting significantly chunkier, if solely as a result of my muscle reminiscence makes it look like I’ve held it so usually earlier than. That is a formidable trick, because the base mannequin (the one in white) is sort of precisely the identical weight because the 2024 Ally X. The ROG Xbox Ally X (upgraded, in black, God these names are terrible) is a couple of grams heavier, and feels it. But it surely wants an even bigger, 65-watt battery to deal with its extra highly effective and higher-wattage processor, 35W versus 20W. Even then, I didn’t really feel uncomfortable holding it — although I by no means obtained to take action for greater than about 10 minutes at a time.

Except for the adjusted ergonomics, the bodily expertise of the gadget feels very acquainted. With a 7-inch ,1080p IPS show it’s neither the largest nor the sharpest display screen obtainable in a PC handheld. But it surely’s loads clean at 120Hz, and 500 nits of brightness ought to preserve it seen in nearly any state of affairs. The one different huge shift is a devoted Xbox button, conspicuously hanging out close to the left analog stick. The upgraded black mannequin additionally will get haptic suggestions in its triggers, although I didn’t play any recreation that appears to make the most of it — that is nonetheless a uncommon discover on PC video games because it’s primarily a PS5 characteristic.

Michael Crider/Foundry

So when you’re already comfy with any given 7- or 8-inch PC gaming handheld, I feel you’ll discover the Xbox Ally simple to choose up, actually. It’s impressively comfy, sacrificing solely somewhat additional house (about half an inch wider than the unique Ally and a bit thicker). However given that you just’ll want both a full bag or a devoted carrying case for it anyway, I don’t suppose you’re giving up an excessive amount of…and it’s nonetheless not as broad because the Steam Deck.

Efficiency

To be sincere I’m not ready to gauge minute variations in efficiency between the assorted flavors of PC gaming handhelds in the marketplace proper now. For that, make sure to take a look at Adam Patrick Murray’s protection over on the PCWorld YouTube channel — he’s a fiend for these items. Each these units are primarily based on AMD APUs, with built-in graphics which are nonetheless tuned for spectacular gaming efficiency given their dimension and energy limitations. The white Xbox Ally has a Ryzen Z2 A with 4 cores and 16GB of reminiscence, the Xbox Ally X will get a top-of-the-line Ryzen Z2 Excessive with 8 cores and a most velocity of 5GHz, plus 24GB of reminiscence.

2D video games like Hole Knight Silksong (and people who combine a variety of low-poly 3D, like Hades) appear greater than comfortable working easily on the {hardware}, with no gaps or stuttering. That’s hardly stunning, since even the low-priority built-in graphics on finances laptops can deal with these video games with few, if any, points. The extra attention-grabbing query on this software is how lengthy the battery can final whereas intelligently giving the sport simply sufficient juice to maintain it steady.

Michael Crider/Foundry

Extra strenuous video games have been a unique story. Enjoying the graphically intense however well-optimized Forza Horizon 5 on the Xbox Ally X was a deal with, with clean racing at 60-80fps and loads of graphical extras…let down by a really apparent dip in 1 p.c body fee lows each 30 seconds or so. That is, to my thoughts, completely acceptable — regardless of years of optimizations, we’re nonetheless speaking about chips that have been initially designed for laptops with out discrete graphics playing cards. In case you demand uninterrupted 4K/240Hz brilliance, you’re not enjoying on a handheld anyway (otherwise you’re streaming from one thing extra highly effective).

However let’s say you’ve obtained a hankering for extra energy, and also you even have an enormous finances. Asus can be launching the most recent technology of its XG Cellular dock together with the brand new Xbox Ally. These docks include discrete laptop computer GPUs (Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti and 5090 for the latest variations) and a Thunderbolt 5 port. Not solely will this max out the reference to the Xbox Ally, it’s appropriate with nearly any current laptop computer or gaming handheld, granting them the boosted energy too. It is a marked distinction from the unique XG design, which wanted a proprietary connection designed just for ROG-branded laptops, tablets, and (later) the ROG Ally.

Michael Crider/Foundry

The mixture of an explicitly transportable gadget with an additional sizeable hunk of electronics to make it extra highly effective may appear unusual. However Asus representatives instructed me that the ROG Ally household is the gadget most continuously paired with the XG dock, regardless of it being initially marketed as a companion for laptops and Floor-style tablets. Attempting out the {hardware} on the occasion, I used to be impressed with the mix of the Xbox Ally X and the 5090-equipped dock, linked to a 4K show and working Gears of Battle Reloaded at full decision and its most settings. Whereas it wasn’t breaking any data, it constantly hit 80 frames per second at 4K.

We’re additionally speaking a couple of dear mixture of {hardware} right here. The ROG Xbox Ally X is $1,000, and the 2025 model of the XG Cellular dock with an RTX 5090 laptop computer card is $2,500. (The 5070 Ti model is a extra palatable $1,300.) So $3,500 all-in, not counting the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. That doesn’t imply it’s a direct comparability with a $3,500 laptop computer — the mix setup is extra transportable (arguably), and that dock can work with nearly any trendy Home windows-based gadget. But it surely’s a lot to ask for in any case.

Home windows on handhelds nonetheless wants work

Probably the most attention-grabbing facet of the Xbox Ally to me is the brand new “Xbox Fullscreen Expertise,” Microsoft’s reply to the Steam Deck’s software program benefit. For the unaware, the Steam Deck runs on a customized Linux-based SteamOS, utilizing the Proton compatibility layer to play Home windows-based video games when no Linux construct is obtainable. It additionally has a totally customized consumer interface, tailored from Steam’s Huge Image Mode. That ought to imply that Home windows-based handhelds have a bonus working native software program…however the overhead of Home windows 11, to not point out its ache factors on units with screens as small as 7 inches, means these dearer machines are sometimes slower and extra cumbersome.

Asus

The Xbox Fullscreen Expertise is the answer, or a minimum of it hopes to be. Not solely is it providing a extra targeted, console-style searching interface, with a unified library from the largest Home windows recreation shops, it helps the efficiency facet of issues by not loading the Home windows taskbar, desktop, and varied different behind-the-scenes stuff. This must be a one-two punch for the ROG Xbox Ally, making it really feel like a way more built-in expertise that’s been missing for Home windows handhelds. The Xbox Fullscreen Expertise is coming to different units in 2026, although it’s attainable to check it out now when you put in somewhat elbow grease.

The system is getting one thing just like Valve’s Steam Deck Licensed program, too. Microsoft calls it the “handheld compatibility program.” Video games labelled “Optimized” are good to go along with no adjustments, whereas these marked “Suitable” may want a couple of settings tweaks or the occasional touchscreen enter, however ought to run acceptably. A Microsoft consultant mentioned of the video games examined to this point (presumably principally Sport Go titles), 85 p.c fell into a type of two classes. Anticipate this system to be expanded to extra {hardware}, similar to the UI.

Michael Crider/Foundry

This new method to handheld gaming is an enchancment, to make sure. Specializing in the mix of controller-style navigation and touchscreen makes the gadget really feel much more full and pure. In case you instructed me this actually was a conveyable Xbox, as a substitute of a partnership gadget working on Home windows, I would consider you…till I noticed that you could nonetheless get to the complete desktop if you wish to.

And that’s the place the cracks began to indicate. After I first tried to launch Forza, it did so in an odd minimized floating window. That’s not remarkable for a recreation working on Home windows, however it’s annoying, and a transparent indication that yeah, the acquainted and sometimes clunky Home windows 11 remains to be beneath all this good UI. It is perhaps smoother and sooner than, say, the third-party launcher packages from Asus and Lenovo, however it’s nonetheless there. I needed to manually shut the sport and launch it once more to strive it out.

Michael Crider/Foundry

Being conscious of this, I attempted to launch the usual Home windows interface, which was simple sufficient. After I tried to modify again to the Xbox Fullscreen Expertise, the Ally warned me that I ought to restart to get the meant efficiency increase. I believed this may imply restarting Explorer.exe or one thing related…nope. It reboots your entire gadget, which takes a strong three minutes or so. No matter tweaks are being made behind the scenes to maintain this factor working easily, they aren’t evident within the startup time.

I feel that getting a unified, gaming-focused interface, supplied and supported by Microsoft, is a superb concept. (In actual fact I requested a Microsoft consultant if it was coming to desktops and laptops anytime quickly…no remark.) However whereas I’m positive that each Microsoft and Asus have put a variety of work into this, it appears fairly clear that there are a variety of kinks left to work out, and so much left to do when this factor will get within the palms of finish customers.

Ouch, that price ticket

Talking of which…that worth. Oof. $600 for a conveyable machine is so much, albeit not within the context of Home windows-powered handheld PCs launching this 12 months. At that worth the ROG Xbox Ally is competing not with the bottom mannequin Steam Deck, however its OLED improve, $550 on the time of writing. And Asus mentioned it intends this model of the gadget to be for “informal avid gamers.” Okay…however absolutely if somebody considers themselves “informal,” they’re superb with their cellphone or pill, or the console they already personal. You could find an unique Swap for half that a lot.

The upgraded ROG Xbox Ally X prices $1,000 USD, which simply makes it the most costly Xbox ever, if you wish to name it that. And it’ll land someplace between the Sequence S and Sequence X consoles when it comes to its graphical energy. Granted, the Home windows OS offers it much more flexibility, to say nothing of the choice of throwing it in your bag while not having to carry together with your legs. And let’s face it, there’s no main recreation popping out on Xbox that isn’t also coming to Home windows at this level.

Michael Crider/Foundry

In case you’re nonetheless handheld PCs as an accessible solution to get into the most recent video games, and even at consoles as a extra reasonably priced various to high-powered PC gaming, the brand new “Xbox” portables simply don’t make sense as a price proposition. In fact there are many individuals who see no downside dropping greater than a grand on a handheld gadget — our personal Adam Patrick Murray is one among them. However wanting on the ROG Xbox Ally as a serious hope for Microsoft’s gaming ambitions, I can’t assist however suppose it’s underwhelming. And that was earlier than each the Xbox consoles and Sport Go grew to become way more costly.

Even when the value isn’t an issue for you, I’d wait till you may get your palms on it to place some cash down. Particularly when you’re torn between the ROG Xbox Ally X and Lenovo’s various, the Legion Go 2, which ought to get that upgraded Home windows interface sooner or later. There are many choices from different suppliers too, albeit much less prone to present up on a retail shelf. With one thing this costly, and with a satisfaction this depending on the way it bodily feels, I’d make liberal use of a Finest Purchase demo unit if I had the choice.