Rumors have been circulating for months about an Asus portable Xbox console — and there will finally be two! The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X share a lot in common: a 7-inch 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 500 nits, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, and a similar design. The device resembles an Xbox controller cut in half, with a screen in the middle. Not unlike PlayStation Portal!
Windows optimized for mobile gaming
But unlike the Portal, the ROG Xbox Ally isn't just about streaming or cloud gaming. It's actually a Windows 11 Home PC, but a Windows 11 optimized for mobile gaming. Microsoft has removed everything from its OS that wasn't useful, like background processes that unnecessarily weigh down performance on this type of machine. Let's hope that this version of Windows will be at least on par with SteamOS...
While it will still be possible to use Windows to launch apps like Discord, Microsoft is mainly proposing to use the new, revised and improved Xbox app for stick controls. Better still: it will include Xbox (PC) games and Game Pass of course, but it will also be possible to add games from its Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net and GOG libraries! The Xbox app therefore becomes a versatile, multi-platform launcher, saving the player from having to fumble around in Windows.
Obviously, Xbox games (the console) are not playable on these devices, however Microsoft offers three solutions: Xbox Cloud Gaming for those who subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate, local streaming with their home Xbox, or via the Xbox Play Anywhere program, a one-time purchase allowing access to the Xbox and PC versions of games (1000 compatible titles).
Asus and Microsoft will therefore offer two models of the ROG Xbox Ally by Christmas. The first features a Ryzen Z2 A chip, which could be a rebadged version of the Z2 Go used in Lenovo's Legion Go S. So don't expect mind-blowing performance. The console includes 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a microSD slot, a headphone jack, and a 60 Wh battery.
The ROG Xbox Ally X features a Z2 Extreme, 24 GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage, a USB4/Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a microSD slot and a headphone jack, as well as an 80 Wh battery. While the launch window is known, Microsoft and Asus have not revealed the price, but it will likely be more expensive than the Steam Deck (starting at €569).
The most interesting aspect lies mainly in the software. Microsoft should, logically, offer this "gaming" version of Windows to other manufacturers, which should help lower prices.
Source: Microsoft
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