Microsoft is breaking a hole in the handheld gaming market with their collaboration with ASUS, as seen in the recent release date and price announcement for their ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handheld consoles. Being a portable system, Xbox gamers will be able to take their games on the go to be played anywhere with ease when these two handhelds release globally on October 16.
The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are seriously powerful handhelds, packaged with not only Xbox’s user interface but the entirety of Windows 11, which allows for third-party game support and the ability to access other software storefronts, such as Steam, via an internet connection. Not only this, but every Xbox Ally handheld will be shipped with three months of Xbox Game Pass, giving gamers access to hundreds of amazing games to play on the go right from the start. Due to all of these factors, the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are effectively better described as a pair of handheld desktop computers that just so happen to also have a built-in Xbox, as opposed to simply being a handheld Xbox.
With the capacity to run not only installed software and software via the cloud, but also the ability to play directly from your console via remote play, while simultaneously having access to every PC game, the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are gunning for the top spot when it comes to the title of being the true “everything handheld”. All of this, atop the attention to ergonomic feel that the design team put behind these handhelds, with their Xbox controller-like grips, makes the ROG Xbox Ally the ultimate handheld console for gaming wherever, whenever. The only hurdles that the system faces now are the fact that not every game in its never-ending catalogue of both PC and Xbox games can be run flawlessly, and the system’s price. To make up for the former, Microsoft has gone out of its way to create the handheld compatibility program, which is a new Xbox initiative to indicate clearly what games are compatible and play great on their handheld consoles. As for the latter, the ROG Xbox Ally will be retailing at $600, while the Ally X retails at $1,000.
Pre-orders began yesterday in 38 Countries, with their release date set for October 16. Are you ready to play anywhere?