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

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So, like, there’s this big news, right? Microsoft, after what feels like forever, finally dove into making a handheld Xbox. Well, kinda. They didn’t do it alone (as if they ever could), they teamed up with Asus. Together, they’re rolling out the shiny new toys: ROG Xbox Ally and the fancier ROG Xbox Ally X. They dropped this bomb at the Xbox Games Showcase, no less. These babies? They’ve got grips that feel super close to an Xbox controller. You know, making sure your hands don’t flip out mid-game.

Now, I’m wondering, was this whole design serendipity or just plain smart thinking? Asus claims, and maybe rightly so, that they’ve been listening intently to the feedback on their older ROG Ally models. And, guess what? They’ve bumped up this hybrid thingie—half ROG Ally, half Xbox controller. Fancy patterns and haptic feedback triggers included. Whatever that means in real life, right?

They shout from the rooftops, “Our latest ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are the comfiest handhelds ever!” And yeah, they’re packed with everything to back it up, even if they’re a tad chunkier and heavier than, say, the Steam Deck. The joysticks? Well, they’re pretty much what you’d expect from an Ally X. But then, they threw in an Xbox button near that left stick. Press it, and ooh la la, up pops the newly jazzy Game Bar, especially useful when you’re lazily lounging.

Meanwhile, swirl around in the tech world, and AMD’s tossing new stuff into the mix, too. The ROG Xbox Ally X gets jazzed up with the latest Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chipset. Not gonna lie, that sounds epic—8-core/16-thread CPU, a swarm of 16 RDNA graphics cores, and some NPU jazz boasting 50 TOPS of AI magic. And the RAM? 24GB of LPDDR5X what’s-it-called, paired up with a solid 1TB SSD, Wi-Fi that feels like a gust of wind, and some Bluetooth flavor sprinkled in.

Port-wise, nothing too crazy happens from last year, except one USB spot went all USB 4 on us. Battery’s pretty beefy at 80Wh; should outlive other handhelds, probably outlive your average gaming binge, too.

On the flip side, there’s the more… humble? Yeah, let’s go with humble ROG Xbox Ally, dressed up with a Ryzen 2 A processor. It’s not as wild as the X model—think 4-core/8-thread CPU on AMD’s more, uh, seasoned Zen 2 architecture. Memory’s smaller at 16GB and it’s only packing a 512GB SSD.

The screen? Same old 7-inch number as its sibling, boasting 1080 crispness, 120 Hz snappiness, and a good dose of brightness for when the sun’s got attitude.

Oh, and software? They’re sporting an Xbox interface on top of good old Windows 11. Real mind-bending tech, right? You can still hop on Steam or whatever else your heart desires.

As for when these dreamy devices will be flitting to a store near you? During the holidays—globally. Start in places like Australia and UK, and then – fingers crossed – they’ll go even wider.

Okay, I’ve rambled on enough. Go follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News if you want more of this jazz in your life. But only if you really want to.