ROG Xbox Ally: Everything we know about the two new gaming handhelds from Microsoft and Asus

Hot on the heels of the Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox is joining the handheld party with the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. You may also know this as the Asus ROG Ally 2 or Project Kennan, and Microsoft took the chance at the Xbox Games Showcase to show it off ahead of its fall 2025 launch (price yet unknown).

With these two new handhelds come new chips, a completely reimagined full-screen Xbox UI (hopefully, this means no more Windows 11 desktop on a handheld screen), and drastically boosted performance that could make these the best gaming handhelds you can buy today.

Let’s get into what you’re getting here, the games you’ll be playing on them, and why Microsoft is finally on the right track to taking on SteamOS.

ROG Xbox Ally: Specs

You’re getting the new Xbox Ally in two flavors.

ROG Xbox Ally: Hardware

If you saw the Project Kennan leaks earlier this year, you won’t be too surprised by the looks of this new handheld. And while others have been saying this looks like a toy, I actually dig this form factor, along with the small nods to Xbox in this mostly-Asus aesthetic.

The proper controller grips look like this will give it a great hand-feel — something proper to hold onto.

So far, the only thing that’s come close to establishing a good grip has been the new AMD-fuelled MSI Claw A8, but this looks set to take it to the next level. Oh, and you’re also getting everything you’d expect from an Xbox controller like HD haptics and Hall Effect L and R triggers.

Up front, you’ve got the same 7-inch 1080p panels across the pair, which are IPS screens with 120Hz refresh rate and protection courtesy of Gorilla Glass Victus. There are slight port differences here, as you’re getting USB4 in the premium model, and in that pricier model, you’re also seeing the battery capacity upgraded from 60Wh to 80Wh.

And trust me when I say that additional capacity is needed for what the new AMD chip is able to do.

ROG Xbox Ally: Software

But while the hardware design only hints at the Xbox partnership here and there, the software has had a dramatic overhaul to tackle some of the key problems we’ve been talking about for well over a year now. Just to address what they are:

• The desktop Windows 11 experience just doesn’t work well on a handheld screen. Whether it’s the Lenovo Legion Go S or the Asus ROG Ally X, no matter how much we enjoyed the gameplay, everything falters to the Steam Deck because Windows is just lame on a tiny screen.
• Performance and power efficiency are hampered by having to run a whole OS in the background. I found this when putting SteamOS on the ROG Ally X — a drastic uplift in frame rates and stamina without the heft of Windows dragging it down.

Well, looks like Microsoft took this on board and has finally done something about it with the re-engineered Xbox app. Not only can you set it to full screen mode to just start up into it, but when you do so, all Windows 11 processes (including the desktop itself) will be disabled. That gives you up to 2GB of RAM back for gaming!

So not only do you get a re-engineered UI that gives you an aggregated gaming library across all your libraries like Steam and Game Pass, a controller-centric design for navigating zippily, but all that Windows overhead is being eliminated too, so you can make the most of your system’s RAM.

As Jez Corden has added over at Windows Central, Xbox has confirmed that this new Xbox app and the re-tooled Windows 11 are exclusive to the Xbox Ally and Ally X until “early 2026” when “other devices like the Lenovo Legion Go” will start to get it too.

ROG Xbox Ally: Performance

In terms of what is powering the games under the hood, you’ve got two fresh new chips from AMD: the Ryzen Z2 A and the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme. We’ve already caught a glimpse of these at Computex, but without the NPUs to deliver on the AI features.

The Ryzen Z2 A is a drastically cut back APU that seems to be aimed at lower-power gaming for indie titles and the such — packing 4 cores/8 threads and being built on the efficient “Zen 2” architecture for performance configurable up to 20 watts. However, this does mean you’re only getting AMD’s 5-year-old RDNA 2 graphics.

But the real party starts with the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme — basically the laptop-centric Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chipset with a new name. 8 cores/16 threads running on AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture for the fastest multitasking, highest power output at 35 watts, and double the GPU core count.

The end result? As Microsoft confirmed, Gears of War: Reloaded is capable of running at a “completely stable 1080p 60 FPS” according to Corden’s Windows rep. That’s AAA console gaming on a handheld with Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme!

ROG Xbox Ally: Games

As Xbox CEO Sarah Bond said herself, every game announced at the Showcase is Xbox Play Anywhere. So here’s what got announced at the Showcase.

• Persona 4 Revival
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Beast of Reincarnation
• Call of Duty : Black Ops 7
• Clockwork Revolution
• High on Life 2
• Ninja Gaiden 4
• Gears of War: Reloaded
• Super Meat Boy 3D
• Grounded 2
• Aphelion
• Keeper (Double Fine)
• No Ghosts at the Grand
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Order of the Giants (DLC)
• Cronos: The New Dawn
• Invincible VS
• At Fate’s End
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Planet of Lana 2
• Aniimo

And of course, you have the rest of the Xbox Game Pass library, as well as anything you bought on Steam, Epic Games Store and more to play.

ROG Xbox Ally: Price and release date

This is the big question mark that’s getting me nervous. No company told me the price at Computex, and everybody is quiet here too, and that’s because of the tariffs. Nobody wants to jump until they’re 100% sure what is happening to all their components, and the uncertainty is driving the cost up.

Given these are full purchases with a docking station included too, I’d venture a guess and say the Ryzen Z2 A model is going to come in at around $500, and the top of the line could be anywhere between $800-$1,000.

Microsoft has confirmed that there are more accessories being announced soon, so stay tuned for a new case and maybe some device mods!

Outlook

I’ve been clear about my problems with Windows gaming handhelds, and it looks like Microsoft’s taken that personally.

On paper, these seem incredible with huge touted performance uplifts, fresh designs that look real comfortable to hold, and a real attention paid to stripping that Windows experience away to give you just the games.

We’ll know more when we get some proper hands-on time with it closer to its launch this fall.

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