It’s official. Xbox has entered the handheld console market.
Yesterday, Microsoft held its annual Xbox Showcase which, I think it’s fair to say, somewhat paled in comparison to 2023 and 2024’s installments.
Don’t scream at me. It still featured some wonderful games, from the Persona 4 Remake to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
It just, for me, lacked anything in the way of a ‘heritage’ reveal; think of the hype that accompanied previous years’ announcements of titles like Fable and Gears of War: E-Day.
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The biggest ‘wow’ moment of the showcase came in the form of a hardware announcement.
Teased by insiders for months, Xbox’s handheld console is now real - and it’s called the ROG Xbox Ally.
Not the smoothest name, but that’s because the handheld is made in partnership with ASUS, hence the ROG part of the name.
In fact, two handhelds will be launching: the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X.
The latter features way more memory, storage, and an advanced AMD Ryzen chip.
These handhelds combine the best of both worlds: console and PC.
Thanks to the new ‘Xbox Play Anywhere’ initiative, players will be able to enjoy all of their favourite Xbox titles, including via Game Pass, but so too will they have the option of using PC storefronts like Steam.
This also means you’ll be able to implement mods, similarly to Valve’s Steam Deck.
“We’ve optimised Windows 11 to be easy to use on the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X from the moment you power on,” an Xbox Wire blog post read.
“Game Bar makes it easy to return home, browse your library, launch or quit games, chat with friends, open apps, adjust settings, and more. Now, with the integration of ASUS’s innovative Armoury Crate, Game Bar also gives you streamlined access to advanced device and input controls.”
Both devices can be played natively, via Cloud, or remotely with a base Xbox console in another room.
One thing we don’t know is how much these devices will cost, with pricing due to be confirmed “soon” ahead of a holiday 2025 launch - so we’re talking November to December.
I’m imagining they won’t be cheap, but that hasn’t stopped fans from feeling the hype.
“Been Sony-only since forever but I might actually get this. Portable Xbox Game Pass,” wrote Reddit user dweakz.
“Same, that is very compelling,” added Newwavecybertiger.
“Looks dope AF,” commented taner1992.
Of course, when pricing does drop, we’ll be sure to bring you that update.
