The ROG Xbox Ally X I tried shows genuine promise as a portable Windows gaming platform — but its success depends almost entirely on how far Microsoft and OEMs can push Windows 11 out of its desktop mindset and into a controller‑first, battery‑smart handheld experience. Background
Handheld PCs...
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Microsoft’s new handheld-first layer for Windows 11 — the full‑screen, Xbox‑centric “home app” experience shown on the ROG Xbox Ally family at Gamescom — is the clearest signal yet that Redmond intends to stop treating handheld gaming as an afterthought and start treating it as a first-class...
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Microsoft and ASUS have set a firm calendar for the next chapter of handheld PC gaming: the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will arrive in stores on October 16, 2025, and launch alongside a new Handheld Compatibility Program designed to classify and optimize thousands of PC games for true...
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Microsoft’s move to carve a dedicated, controller-first path through Windows 11 has finally surfaced in a hands-on preview: a new Handheld Gaming Mode (sometimes referred to as a gamepad‑optimized UI) is being shown in early footage running on the ASUS‑branded Xbox Ally family, and the changes...
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ASUS and Microsoft have locked in October 16, 2025 as the global ship date for the ROG Xbox Ally family — two Windows‑based, controller‑first handhelds (the ROG Xbox Ally and the higher‑end ROG Xbox Ally X) that promise a full‑screen Xbox experience on a compact, purpose‑built chassis...
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Microsoft and ASUS’ ROG Xbox Ally gives the clearest look yet at what a purpose‑built, console‑inspired Windows gaming UI feels like on a handheld — a full‑screen Xbox experience that boots into a game‑first shell, ties deeply into Game Pass and Xbox services, and pairs with ASUS’ Armoury Crate...
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Carl Ledbetter’s short, reflective note about the Xbox Series X and Series S is less a farewell than a bookmark: an acknowledgment that one clearly defined hardware era is closing even as Microsoft’s ambition to expand “what Xbox means” accelerates into new form factors and a Windows‑centric...
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Microsoft engineers once built a proof-of-concept Windows experience specifically for handheld gaming devices during an internal hackathon — a prototype that showed how Windows 11 could present a gamepad-first, console-style interface and make Xbox Game Pass, Steam, Epic, and other storefronts...
The current surge in PC-style gaming handhelds looks strikingly familiar: a democratic, low-cost champion (Valve’s Steam Deck) sparks a boom, long-established OEMs pile in with premium alternatives, and suddenly the market is crowded with devices trying to one-up each other on raw performance...
Microsoft’s surprise removal of a briefly live Amazon product page for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally has ratcheted up the heat on one of this year’s most talked-about handhelds, and the incident offers a revealing snapshot of how leaks, retailer metadata, and platform partnerships now shape major...
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Microsoft and ASUS appear poised to bring the ROG Xbox Ally family to market this fall, with a fresh leak narrowing the launch window to October 16, 2025, and pointing to pre-orders opening as early as August 20 during Gamescom — a timetable that, if accurate, turns months of “holiday 2025”...
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The rise of the handheld gaming PC has transformed how enthusiasts, casual gamers, and even professionals interact with their favorite titles on the go. With each new iteration, the quest for the “ultimate portable gaming solution” intensifies, spurred by demand from consumers who want...
When Valve launched the Steam Deck in early 2022, skepticism was rampant. PC gaming had, until then, been a world deeply rooted in desks, massive rigs, and the never-ending chase for ever-more powerful graphics cards. Yet, Valve’s handheld wasn’t just a curiosity—it quickly became the benchmark...
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The steady transformation of the Xbox brand from a traditional console-centric model into a cross-platform ecosystem is perhaps the most consequential story in modern gaming, and Microsoft’s recent partnership with Asus to launch the Xbox ROG Ally handheld further highlights the seismic shifts...
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Microsoft is making significant strides towards consolidating the gaming experience on Windows 11 by introducing an aggregated gaming library within the Xbox PC app, an ambitious feature previewed for all Windows 11 users and soon to arrive on novel handheld devices like the ROG Xbox Ally and...
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Efforts to consolidate the fragmented world of PC gaming libraries have long been anticipated by enthusiasts and critics alike, and now Microsoft seems poised to deliver on these expectations with its upcoming unified game library for Windows 11. This pivotal update, already being rolled out to...
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A seismic shift is underway in the world of portable gaming as Microsoft and ASUS join forces to unveil their much-anticipated handheld console—internally codenamed “Project Kennan.” This collaboration, set for a 2025 debut, promises to bridge the tantalizing gap between console and PC gaming...
For gamers who have invested in cutting-edge handheld hardware such as the ASUS ROG Ally, questions surrounding operating systems are more than a passing concern—they can fundamentally alter the experience. The ROG Ally, powered by a Ryzen Z1 processor and tailored for portable gaming, was...
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Compact, powerful, and ingeniously designed, handheld gaming PCs have ignited a renaissance in portable play, challenging the long-standing dominance of Nintendo and the convenience of gaming laptops. What began with the ambitious, crowd-pleasing launch of Valve’s Steam Deck has, within just a...
In a significant move for the gaming industry, Microsoft and ASUS have unveiled two new handheld gaming devices: the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X. Announced during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2025, these devices aim to bridge the gap between console and PC gaming, offering players a...