Hardware surprise! During the Xbox Summer Showcase today, Microsoft revealed their first ever gaming handheld. The ROG Xbox Ally and more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X will launch during holiday 2025.
Xbox's partnership with ROG will bring the two-tiered handhelds enabling Xbox gamers to take their libraries on the go.
Xbox ROG Ally reveal trailer
From Xbox: "Introducing the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X - two new premium handhelds that combine the power of Xbox with the freedom of Windows 11. This holiday, players can discover another way to play as we combine the power of Xbox with the freedom you expect from Windows 11, created together with ASUS. And this is only the beginning."
Xbox ROG Ally Specs
Here’s what to expect from the two models - with the X being the more advanced model.
Xbox ROG Ally
"powered by the AMD Ryzenâ„¢ Z2 A Processor – balancing performance and power consumption to maximize battery life without sacrificing gameplay quality – 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage."
Xbox ROG Ally X
"features the AMD Ryzenâ„¢ AI Z2 Extreme processor – allowing us to bring new experiences to life including greater frames-per-second, sharp visuals and increased intelligence – double the storage to have more native games at your fingertips, and 24GB of high-speed RAM and 1TB of SSD storage."
Xbox ROG Ally price and release date
Price and release dates for the first ever Xbox handhelds are yet to be announced. Several insider estimates circulating social media this evening expect the X model could be in excess of $1,000. The lower spec Xbox ROG Ally will be more of a mass market, cheaper model. What is almost certain, is that the Xbox ROG Ally X will be the most expensive Xbox hardware ever made.
The Xbox ROG Ally X will run on Windows 11 and unify your games no matter where you play. The handheld will bring the best of PC and Xbox gaming on to one piece of hardware. Games can run natively or be streamed via the cloud. You can bring your Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net, Steam, GOG and Ubisoft Connect games on to one console which you can take anywhere.
Xbox now has over 1,000 games that are Xbox Play Anywhere - games that you can buy on Xbox or Xbox PC and play across multiple devices with cloud saves and more.
Hollow Knight Silksong
Alongside the reveal of the new handheld, we get to see Hollow Knight Silksong. Silksong will be available on Xbox Game Pass when the Xbox ROG Ally launches later this year. Yes, it is still coming 2025. Phew.
It's been well over a decade since the 360 era when many people expected we'd see the "˜Xboy' handheld to rival the market leaders of the time, the Nintendo DS and PSP. Finally, in 2025 we will be able to take our Xbox digital games everywhere for the very first time.
What's your first thoughts on Xbox's new hardware? Are you already a handheld PC gamer? If so do the specs of the Xbox ROG Ally X interest you in upgrading? Let us know in the comments below and stick with GSC for all your Xbox news.
