We all knew it was coming, but Xbox has finally pulled the cover off the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, which will be available in two variants this holiday season. Built in collaboration with ASUS, the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds combine the power of Xbox with the freedom you expect from Windows. This means players can access their games—from Xbox, Battle.net, GOG, Steam, and more—on a single device, which isn’t much different from the current ROG Ally and ROG Ally X. Xbox, however, seems to be giving the OS an overhaul to make it a lot more user-friendly and to put the Xbox app front and center.
This includes an Xbox full-screen experience with an aggregated gaming library providing access to installed games from leading PC storefronts. The team is also optimizing Windows 11 to be easy to use on the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, with Game Bar making everything as seamless as you’d expect from an Xbox console. Players will still have the ability to run apps like Discord or watch Twitch.
The device has a dedicated Xbox button that offers a similar experience to the current Xbox button on consoles. They’ll be able to pull up chat, apps, and settings through an enhanced Game Bar overlay. The hardware also has contoured grips, borrowing from the same design principles as Xbox Wireless Controllers. Accessibility features are also important, but more details on those will be coming in the future.
Obviously, Xbox is focusing on what it has to offer with the device, including Xbox Play Anywhere, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), and Remote Play. To celebrate the launch of Xbox Ally, Roblox will be playable natively and optimized for gaming handhelds for the first time ever. Xbox is also working closely with game developer partners on a brand-new program designed to help players identify which games have been optimized for handhelds, including the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. It sounds very much like what Steam has already been doing with its Steam Deck and more recently SteamOS.
In terms of hardware, the handheld will be available with two variants. Although pricing has not yet been announced, the more affordable of the two will be the standard ROG Xbox Ally with an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 RAM, and 512GB of storage. Consider it the Xbox Series S of the lineup, if you will. The more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X has an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, along with 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000 RAM, and 1TB of storage. The Xbox Ally X also has impulse triggers for more immersive play.
Similar to the existing ASUS ROG Ally X, both handhelds have a 7″ 1080p IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium support. Both models have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 support, while the standard unit has a 60Wh battery and the more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X has an 80Wh battery.
More information on availability and pricing is expected to come in the coming months. All we know, for now, is that they will launch this holiday in the following markets: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
ROG Xbox Ally / ROG Xbox Ally X Specs
Processor
- ROG Xbox Ally: AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor
- ROG Xbox Ally X: AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor
Memory
- ROG Xbox Ally: 16 GB LPDDR5X‑6400
- ROG Xbox Ally X: 24 GB LPDDR5X‑8000
Storage
- ROG Xbox Ally: 512 GB M.2 2280 SSD (user‑upgradeable)
- ROG Xbox Ally X: 1 TB M.2 2280 SSD (user‑upgradeable)
Display (both models)
- 7 in FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9
- 120 Hz refresh rate
- FreeSync Premium
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti‑Reflection
I/O ports
- ROG Xbox Ally:
- 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type‑C with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery 3.0
- UHS‑II microSD card reader (SD, SDXC, SDHC)
- 3.5 mm combo audio jack
- ROG Xbox Ally X:
- 1 × USB4 Type‑C with DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery 3.0, Thunderbolt 4 compatible
- 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type‑C with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery 3.0
- UHS‑II microSD card reader (SD, SDXC, SDHC; UHS‑I with DDR200 mode)
- 3.5 mm combo audio jack
Network & communication
- Wi‑Fi 6E (2 × 2)
- Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions & weight
- Both: 290.8 × 121.5 × 50.7 mm
- ROG Xbox Ally: 670 g
- ROG Xbox Ally X: 715 g
Battery
- ROG Xbox Ally: 60 Wh
- ROG Xbox Ally X: 80 Wh
Included in box
- ROG Xbox Ally: 65 W charger, stand
- ROG Xbox Ally X: 65 W charger, stand
