First announced in June, the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds are now available for preorder at Best Buy in the U.S. The standard Ally, powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, is priced at $599.99, while the more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X, with an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, is $999.99. Both handhelds feature a 7-inch FHD (1080p) display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The more affordable model has a 60Wh battery, while the Ally X is equipped with an 80Wh unit.
Those who opt for the ROG Xbox Ally X will also get impulse triggers for enhanced controls, plus a USB4 Type-C port with DisplayPort 2.1 that’s Thunderbolt 4-compatible, along with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 2.1. The standard Ally comes with a pair of USB 3.2 Type-C ports. In terms of colors, the Ally and Ally X follow in the footsteps of the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, with black and white, respectively.
With more PC handheld options currently available, including the new Lenovo Legion Go 2, the ROG Xbox Ally differentiates itself with contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers and with its operating system. Under the hood, it’s Windows 11, but Microsoft has optimized it strictly for gaming, freeing up unnecessary resources for better performance. The device will also allow users to bring in all their game libraries, including Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, in addition to Xbox’s offerings. The software, though, will eventually be available on other devices, so it shouldn’t be your primary reason to grab one of these.
