Microsoft revealed its long-rumored Xbox handheld console operating Windows 11 throughout the Xbox Games Showcase — two fashions referred to as the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X — and I spent a short while taking part in round with one quickly after.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take any footage or movies of the demo since the {hardware} we received to check wasn’t last. That turned evident when our designated information had HDMI connection points with the unit. I was in a position to mess around with the Xbox full-screen expertise and the varied settings menus and play the starting minutes of Gears of War Reloaded, which comes out this summer season.
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The system is kind of comfy to carry, with barely textured grips. The face buttons, triggers and analog sticks all felt acquainted, similar to what I’m used to on an Xbox controller.
What’s actually thrilling is that you would be able to obtain your video games, distant play out of your Xbox or stream from the cloud, making this extra helpful than PlayStation’s Portal, which might solely stream and play remotely. That’s one in all the main advantages of being inside Xbox’s ecosystem: You can play a recreation on any of its gadgets, no matter the place you purchased it, whether or not that be Xbox consoles, PC, cloud or this new handheld. This extra open-platform method makes the Xbox Ally nearer in spirit to a Steam Deck in contrast with a Nintendo Switch, which might solely run Nintendo video games.
When it ships — anticipated in time for the winter holidays — you can navigate through a full-screen Xbox app, which mixes your Xbox recreation library with put in video games from a number of different marketplaces right into a single Xbox expertise. The firm particularly talked about Xbox, Game Pass, battle.internet (owned by Microsoft) and “different main PC storefronts,” which I’m hoping consists of Steam. Much like on an Xbox, every recreation has icons depicting which platform they’re from. In my demo, the solely instance of a distinct storefront was Hearthstone, which had a battle.internet icon.
The Xbox Ally consoles use the Game Bar, and for those who’ve used the Xbox app on PC, you then’ll discover it acquainted. In truth, urgent the new Xbox button opens an virtually an identical model of the information when taking part in Xbox video games on PC. However, there’s additionally a brand new Command Center tab on the far left to regulate settings for energy consumption and efficiency, just like what we have seen on Steam Deck.
In Game Bar, you’ll be able to shortly soar to the residence display screen, your library, launch video games, open apps, chat with buddies, modify settings and extra. And this Game Bar works alongside Asus’s Armoury Crate overlay. This is slightly worrisome, as Armoury Crate has often felt extra like pointless bloatware, however once we get to check the system later this yr we’ll see if Asus has stripped it right down to the related features somewhat than simply added extra on high.
Since it is a Windows 11 system, you may additionally be capable to launch and use apps like Discord and Twitch and entry recreation mods. The Xbox Ally boots straight into the “Xbox full display screen expertise” just like how a Steam Deck launches into Big Picture mode. The full-screen expertise is optimized particularly for handheld gaming, and Xbox instructed me the system minimizes background exercise and allocates extra system assets to gameplay like Game Mode does on Windows. This means extra reminiscence and probably larger framerates on your video games.
The ROG Ally and Ally X have been out for a bit now, however the Xbox fashions have some distinctive options. In addition to the Xbox button, the ROG Xbox Ally additionally has bigger, contoured grips. The earlier ROG Ally is extra rectangular; the Xbox Ally is nearer to the design of the PlayStation Portal, with devoted, barely separated hand grips that mimic the feel and appear of a normal recreation controller. They even have upgraded elements over the Asus variations.
The handheld is available in two choices, a white Xbox Ally and the extra highly effective Xbox Ally X that is available in black. The lower-end Ally is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2A processor, comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, weighs 23.6 ounces (670 grams) and has a 60Wh battery. The Ally X has an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, weighs a bit extra at 25.2 ounces (715 grams) and has an 80Wh battery.
Both fashions are outfitted with a 7-inch,120Hz 1080p display screen, the similar as on the unique Asus variations of the gadgets. They even have RGB lights surrounding the analog sticks, one thing I hope I’ll be capable to flip off when I spend some actual time taking part in on the system. The Ally X did really feel on the heavier aspect, however then once more, the lately launched Switch 2 and my Steam Deck OLED are additionally fairly heavy, so I assume that is simply what handhelds weigh nowadays.
Xbox hasn’t but revealed the pricing or launch date, except for “this vacation.”