ROG Xbox Ally, the Xbox Handheld is Real and I Played It

Product Overview - Xbox is releasing two handheld gaming devices, the Xbox Ally and the more powerful Xbox Ally X [1] - The Xbox Ally runs Windows 11 and supports multiple storefronts including Xbox, Game Pass, Battlelet, and potentially Steam [2] - The devices allow users to download games, remote play from Xbox, or stream from the cloud [5] - The Xbox Ally features a dedicated Xbox button and larger contoured grips, differentiating it from the previous ROG Ally [9] Technical Specifications - The Xbox Ally features an AMD Ryzen Z2A processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of SSD storage, weighs 670 grams, and has a 60Wh battery [10] - The Xbox Ally X features an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24 GB of RAM, 1 TB of SSD storage, weighs 715 grams, and has an 80Wh battery [10] - Both devices have a 7-inch 1080p screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate [11] User Experience - The devices boot directly into the Xbox full screen experience, optimized for handheld gaming [7][8] - The Xbox Ally uses the Game Bar, similar to the Xbox app on PC, with a new command center tab for adjusting power consumption and performance [6] - The full screen experience minimizes background activity and dedicates more system resources to gameplay [8] Market Positioning - The Xbox Ally is positioned as a more open platform compared to the Nintendo Switch, similar to the Steam Deck [4] - The device offers more utility than PlayStation's Portal, which can only stream and play remotely [5]