The next Asus ROG handheld PC gaming machines, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, now has a release date. It will be out on October 16.
This also applies to Malaysia as well, as Asus ROG Malaysia has also confirmed it will launch on this date here, just one of the 30+ countries that is part of this launch.
This next iteration of the popular ROG Ally is now technically an Xbox, not just in marketing, as Xbox has provided more than just that. The most important contribution is the enhanced user experience of the Xbox app, which this Windows 11 PC will launch directly on boot, so that it feels like a native portable console rather than just a typical PC.
Alongside the UI, Xbox is also initiating a Handheld Compatibility Program where it labels and provide badges for games that are completely playable on a handheld (Handheld Optimized) or just about (Mostly Compatible), akin to Valve’s own efforts to label Steam Deck compatibility. Factors that determine a game is Handheld Optimised includes “default controller inputs, intuitive text input method, accurate iconography, clear text legibility and appropriate resolution in full-screen mode.”
The ROG Xbox Ally is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor with Zen 2 cores while the beefier-specced ROG Xbox Ally X has AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme with Zen 5 APU. The ROG Xbox Ally has 16GB RAM and 5512GN M.2 SSD plus 60Wh battery, while the ROG Xbox Ally X has 24GB RAM, 1TB M.2 SSD and 80Wh battery.
Full specs can be found here.
The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X was available for hands-on time at Gamescom 2025, which happened last weekend.
To be clear, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X are not native Xbox consoles, so they don’t play Xbox games, but PC games from the Xbox App (Microsoft Store) as well as other PC launchers including Steam. While this may be confusing, especially with the whole “This is an Xbox” marketing tagline, Xbox are making the efforts to ensure you technically can play the games you own on Xbox on PC via the revitalised Xbox Play Anywhere feature.
With this, games purchased on the Microsoft Store or the Xbox’s version of the store will include both the PC and Xbox versions of those games. The Xbox Play Anywhere feature meant that games supporting this won’t do paid next-gen upgrade like how some PS5 games and now Nintendo Switch 2 games are, and you can play the same game on Xbox or PC interchangeably with saves carrying over between different supporting platforms. And now that handhelds are making PC gaming attractive to a whole different audience, the Play Anywhere feature now just got a newfound purpose.