Asus Teams Up with Microsoft to Launch ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X Gaming Handhelds

Honestly, this whole thing with Microsoft getting into handhelds? It’s like a plot twist nobody saw coming. I mean, who woke up one day and thought, “You know what? Xbox needs a little handheld buddy!” But hey, here we are. Microsoft and Asus are now a tag team, launching these quirky ROG Xbox Ally gadgets. Who knew they’d go handheld? Seriously, the ROG Xbox Ally and its slightly fancier sibling, the Ally X, are front and center at the Xbox Games Showcase. Those things have grips that scream Xbox controller. It’s kind of wild, really.

And yeah, both companies figured they’d mix things up—literally. They took the feedback from the old ROG Ally series, mashed it with Xbox vibes, and voilà! We’ve got this strange fusion—half ROG, half Xbox. Now with a bumpy pattern and some powerful, vibrating triggers—haptic feedback magic at its finest.

Asus, bless their hearts, claims these are the comfiest handhelds they ever made. Imagine that! Even if they’re chunkier than last year’s models—and let’s not even get into comparing them to the Steam Deck, which is another layer of thick. Joysticks? Just like before. Button arrangement? Pretty much there, too—except for this flashy new Xbox button you can’t miss near the joystick. Handy for pulling up the Game Bar, which they’ve reworked for the handheld vibe. Smart move, I think. Or maybe it’s just me.

Not to forget, there’s some AMD buzz. They dropped a couple of new processor models that are getting plugged into the Ally X. This strategy can’t be a coincidence, right? The Ally X is powered by this Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme—fancy tech talk for you, with a bunch of cores doing their thing. I can’t even count that high. Storage? Massive 1TB SSD. Oodles of memory. Cutting-edge Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Way beyond my needs, but someone out there will love it.

Look at the I/O ports, and bam—same as last year! Except one of them got a sneaky upgrade to USB 4. Battery life might surprise you; they’ve packed in an 80Wh power unit, more juice than most. I’ll take their word for it, but don’t quote me on any of this lasting longer part.

And if the Ally X feels a bit too much, there’s the base ROG Xbox Ally. Think of it as the budget-friendly cousin. Slower chip, less muscle. But who really needs all that horsepower on the go, right? Especially with a smaller 60Wh battery, but hey, pros and cons, folks.

The display stays the same at least—a solid 7-inch 1080p, in-your-face kind of screen. High refresh rate, bright as ever, for those snazzy graphics to pop. Asus didn’t mess with it. Maybe they shouldn’t have, or maybe it’s perfect? I digress.

Their software game is going strong too. Booting right into Xbox mode, yet sneaking Windows 11 there for flexibility. Install other launchers if you fancy, like Steam, Epic Games, who’s stopping you? Even the Armoury Crate software got a special twist, making settings easier to reach along with cool widgets.

Price? Oh, they’re keeping that under wraps for now. But come holiday season, keep an eye out if you’re in one of the 28 lucky countries, from the US, UK to places like Korea and Italy. And beyond. Rollout plans are afoot, especially where the original ROG models are fans’ favorites.

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