Asus’ ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds to Launch on October 16

The Asus ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will launch in select markets on October 16, Microsoft announced at gamescom today. If the company didn’t share pricing details for the gaming handhelds yet, it revealed the Handheld Compatibility Program and new AI features that will be coming to the devices early next year.

As a reminder, both the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will ship with a new Xbox full-screen experience on top of Windows 11 that will minimize background activity. The Xbox-branded handhelds will also come with an Xbox button to open an enhanced Game Bar overlay providing quick access to the game library, chat features, Asus’ Armoury Crate suite of tools, and Microsoft’s new Gaming Copilot.

The main hardware differences between the ROG Xbox Ally and the premium ROG Xbox Ally X include a faster AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip with an NPU, 24 GB of memory (vs. 16GB), 1TB of storage (vs. 512GB), and a bigger 80Wh battery. The ROG Xbox Ally X also comes with impulse triggers instead of hall effect analog triggers on the base ROG Xbox Ally.

Early next year, the ROG Ally X will add support for Automatic Super Resolution, a system-level upscaling feature powered by the NPU in the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip. A new Highlights reels feature will also automatically capture standout gameplay moments to share with friends or on social media.

 

The ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds will be able to run PC games from the Xbox app, Game Pass, and other digital storefronts such Battle.net and Steam, which are now integrated within the app’s aggregated gaming library. The devices will also support Xbox games via Xbox Cloud Gaming and remote play from an Xbox console.

For PC games, Microsoft is launching the Handheld Compatibility Program to verify how games will run on the ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds. This is quite similar to Valve’s Steam Deck compatibility program, which helps gamers find great gaming experiences on the device.

Microsoft has been working with game developers to test “thousands of games” for handheld compatibility. In the Xbox app, ROG Xbox Ally owners will see the “Handheld Optimized” badge on games that will deliver an optimal experience. The “Mostly Compatible” badge, however, will indicate that a game may require minor tweaks to run best.

“Games will also feature a Windows Performance Fit indicator to reflect expected performance on your supported device. When a game is both “Handheld Optimized” and carries a Windows Performance Fit “Should play great” or “Should play well” badge, it signals compatibility and performance fit—giving you added assurance before you play,” explained Roanne Sones, CVP Gaming Devices and Ecosystem, Xbox.

Lastly, Microsoft is not done optimizing Windows 11 for the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. The company is currently working on an advanced shared delivery feature to make games launch faster and use less battery on first play. An improved docking experience will also be coming post-launch, with optimized display output, intuitive controller pairing, and more. “Expect regular updates that unlock new capabilities, boost performance, and elevate your handheld experience,” Sones said today.

The ROG Xbox Ally handhelds will be released in over 30 markets on October 16 including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, China (Xbox Ally X only), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. The gaming handhelds will be released later in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and other markets where ROG Ally products are available.