While the recent Xbox Games Showcase gave us a first glimpse at plenty of cool looking titles, it was the big hardware reveal that stole the headlines. Later this year, you’ll be able to play two brand-new handhelds – the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. They’re the portable Xbox you’ve been waiting for.

The console giants have teamed up with PC pros ASUS to create an experience they’re saying is ‘something entirely new’. And that’s got us very, very intrigued. So, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about both handheld consoles, from the specs to the games. Let’s get going…

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• ASUS ROG Xbox Ally at Currys

• ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X at Currys

What is the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X?

Handheld consoles are all the rage at the moment. And after lots of speculation and plenty of rumours, Xbox have finally given us a proper first look at their attempt. Or, should we say attempts…

• ROG Xbox Ally – Thinking about getting your very first handheld? The Ally is aimed at casual gamers, or those who want to dip their toe into portable gaming without breaking the bank.

• ROG Xbox Ally X – Xbox are pushing this one as their go-to high-performance handheld. If you’re serious about your games, this is definitely the one you’ll want to take a look at.

At a glance, each Xbox handheld has a fair few differences. Ultimately though, both let you play games natively, through the cloud, or remotely via your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S that’s sat in another room.

ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X specs

They might be handheld. But that doesn’t mean they’re not a powerful pair. Here’s everything we know so far about the specs…

Processor & memory

The Ally and Ally X run on slightly different AMD processors. The first is powered by an AMD Ryzen™ Z2 A processor, which strikes a double act between performance and power consumption. In simple terms, games will run really well and won’t do a number on your battery life.

Xbox’s Ally X definitely has more oomph. It’s got an AMD Ryzen™ AI Z2 Extreme processor, which is beefy enough to drive epic AI features as and when they’re released. Throw in 24GB of high-speed RAM and this is a handheld that’ll easily handle the most demanding modern games.

Storage

Cinematic, blockbuster games take up a lot of space nowadays. Those lifelike graphics and sprawling open worlds need plenty of room to run properly. So, Xbox have fitted 512GB (Ally) and 1TB (Ally X) of storage to the consoles. Hopefully now you won’t have to keep deleting games to free up a spot for a new one!

Display

Both handhelds are built around a 7” Full HD (1080p) display. And that’s big enough to let you see all of the action, without getting too bulky. It needs to fit in your backpack remember. We’re glad to see each Ally has a 120Hz refresh as well. The higher the number, the smoother and more responsive your gameplay is. And that’s crucial, especially in fast-paced games where your reactions need to be on point.

Oh, and the screen is anti-reflective too. So, now you’ll actually be able to see what’s going on when you’re sat in the garden getting a few missions in. Lovely stuff.

Battery

We haven’t got any specific numbers just yet on how many hours you’ll get from the Ally/Ally X. But there is a 60Wh and an 80Wh battery (depending on the model you go for). And they’ll easily give you a few hours of play before it’s time for a top up. Like most other handhelds at the moment, you’ll probably squeeze more out of them if you’re playing less graphically intensive titles.

ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X design and build

Contoured grips

This is probably one of the first things you’ll notice. Xbox’s designers have taken a similar contoured grip design from their regular Xbox controllers and brought it over here. It’s been done to suit all kinds of hand sizes, letting you game for longer without getting uncomfortable. After all, it’s easy to sink plenty of hours into those big fantasy RPGs. So, the comfier, the better!

Triggers & buttons

The grips aren’t the only parts inspired by classic Xbox controllers. Impulse triggers add a whole other level of control to your gameplay on the Ally X. And for both consoles, you’ve also got HD haptics built right in. You’ll literally feel the rumble from explosions or the ground shake as a battalion of tanks rolls on by.

And of course, they wouldn’t be proper Xbox gadgets without the iconic ABXY buttons. They look and feel instantly familiar, meaning you’ll be right at home when you fire up your favourite games.

Game Bar

Over on the left, you’ve got your dedicated Xbox button. It’s your home for all things Xbox. Hit it, and you’ll be able to access apps, game chat and settings via the Game Bar overlay. From what we can tell, it looks like it’ll be super handy for quickly swapping between the games and programs you’re running.

Colours

What about colours? For now, it looks like the ROG Xbox Ally X comes just in black. While the regular Ally is rocking a clean, bright white. Who knows though, maybe later on you’ll be able to pick up each console in both colours. Fingers crossed.

ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X release date

We haven’t got a firm release date just yet. All we know is that you’ll be able to get your hands on both consoles ‘this holiday season’. So, by our reckoning, that’ll probably be sometime between October and December. Just in time for Christmas!

Want to know when pre-orders go live? Register your interest for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X right here. Then you’ll be first to find out exactly when they’re coming. We’re counting down the days already.

ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X price

For now, there’s no solid details on pricing. But if Xbox want to stay competitive, we reckon they’ll cost about the same as the other big handheld consoles on the market. The standard ASUS ROG Ally X is currently going for £799.00 – so, that’s probably a good benchmark for what sort of price we can expect.

One thing we do know though is that the Ally will be cheaper than the Ally X. It’s not as powerful spec-wise, making it the more accessible console of the two.

What games can you play on the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X?

Xbox have said that from the start, you’ll have access to over 1000 different games. So, it’s safe to say you won’t be struggling to find something good to play. And with their Xbox Play Anywhere function, you can do exactly that. Pay once for a game and you can access it across your PC, Xbox console and Xbox Ally. All of your progress, achievements and game saves get synced too. Letting you kick off your quest on one system and pick it back up later on another.

There’s more though. If you buy either Ally – and you’re a Game Pass newbie – you can get started with the service at no extra cost. Game Pass is already one of the best deals in gaming. Its library is stuffed full of indie gems and AAA classics. Plus, lots of the latest titles get added there on day one. And getting all of that for free makes these consoles an even better prospect!

A new Xbox app built for handheld gaming

It’s not just the hardware that’s new. Special software has been made especially for the Xbox Ally and Ally X. Fire up either, and you’ll load into the Xbox Full Screen Experience. This display puts all your games front and centre, in one place, making it quick (and easy) to jump back into the adventure. Less flipping between menus, more gaming!

There’s lots going on behind the scenes too. Xbox’s engineers have managed to reduce any background activity that you’d usually see on handhelds, which can be a drain on performance. Put simply, this means that more system power can be funnelled towards the gameplay. So, you should notice higher framerates and more memory while you play. Nice.

What’s Gaming Copilot and how does it help?

You’ve probably heard about Microsoft Copilot by now. This cutting-edge Ai assistant – and plenty of others – are popping up everywhere. Ai laptops are booming in popularity. And every big brand is pumping time and money into their own range of Ai phones too. So, it makes complete sense that Xbox want to get in on the Ai action.

Copilot for Gaming looks like it’ll be built straight into the new handhelds. Think of it as your very own sidekick, helping you with a bunch of gaming related stuff. If you’ve played through your backlog and don’t know what to get stuck into next, it can give you custom recommendations for games you might have missed. And if you’re struggling with a boss fight on Elden Ring, you’ll get handy tips on how to finally defeat them. Hopefully it doesn’t just tell you to get good…

Are all Xbox games supported?

To make things easier for gamers, Xbox are working with their studios to help you see which titles have been optimised for handhelds. At a glance, you’ll know straight away whether that game is going to look great – and actually run well – on them. There’s nothing worse than sinking your limited free time into a below-par experience, so we like the sound of this.

Roblox revealed…

One of the big announcements from the reveal is that you’ll be able to play Roblox natively on a handheld for the very first time. It’s been tweaked and tinkered with to get the most out of the new consoles as well. We’ll be diving in on day one for sure.

Can you play Steam, Epic Games and other PC titles?

You sure can. Because each Ally runs on Windows 11, you’re not locked into just the Xbox ecosystem. Both of the consoles let you play your entire games collection. And it doesn’t matter where you bought them from. The handhelds look set to support titles from Xbox, Game Pass, Steam, GOG, Battle.net and Ubisoft. And more are going to be revealed later. Basically, all the big hitters are here. And if you fancy dipping your toe into cloud gaming, or Xbox Remote Play, you can do that as well.

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X vs Nintendo Switch 2

Xbox’s Ally X comes hot on the heels of the Nintendo Switch 2. Launching to massive fanfare, selling over 3.5 million consoles in its first four days, it’s safe to say it’s been a smash hit success. How do the pair stack up against each other though? Well, we haven’t got the space to go into it here. But for a full deep dive, check out our piece – Nintendo confirms Switch 2 release date, price, specs & more. In a nutshell, we reckon there’s definitely space for both of them in your collection.

How to pre-order the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X

Like we mentioned earlier, our pre-order pages aren’t up on the site just yet. Stay tuned though. It shouldn’t be too long until you can secure your Xbox handheld console. And if you don’t want to miss out, make sure to register for those alerts above. That way, you’ll be first in line when they drop.

Need more advice?

If you want to know what you’ll be playing on your Xbox Ally or Ally X, you’re in luck. Our Xbox Games Showcase 2025: all announcements and trailers article rounds up every title landing in 2025 and beyond. Or, if you’re curious about cloud gaming, here’s what is Xbox cloud gaming? Everything you need to know. You don’t even need a console to get involved.