Xbox Is Finally Releasing A Handheld Gaming Console

Two versions of the Xbox Ally portable gaming system will deliver native Xbox gameplay.

Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is here and Playstation has their Portal, Xbox is officially entering the fray with their upcoming Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. The long-rumored portable Xbox will allow casual and core gamers alike to take their gaming from the couch to the road when it becomes available this holiday season. 

Built in a partnership with ASUS and flying the banners of Republic of Gamers (ROG) the new pair of handhelds was created specifically for Xbox gaming, able to play Xbox games both natively and via the Xcloud remote servers. 

This is not the first platform that will offer remote play of Xbox games. With Xbox Play Anywhere, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have been able to access a large selection of Xbox games remotely for play on everything from iPads to Steamdecks. The big difference here is that with the Ally or Ally X, these games will now play natively. That means a more reliable experience that’s also faster and high-resolution, though internet-connected remote play is also an option, depending on preference. 

The two flavors, the Ally and the Ally X, are aimed at casual and core gamers, respectively. The two share a screen size and form factor but the Ally X is the beefier of the pair, offering a more powerful GPU, longer battery life, more RAM and double the internal SSD storage. The Ally, aimed at casual gamers, scales back the specs for those who don’t mind a 720p experience. Though pricing has yet to be announced, the Ally will carry a cheaper price tag than the Ally X. 

Most interestingly, both handhelds will sport a stripped down Windows backbone with the Xbox UI informing the overall interface, rather than the traditional UI one might expect from a Windows machine. The modified Xbox interface will also be tailored specifically for a handheld, presumably to make navigating through menus and choosing games easier for the Xbox-inspired controls rather than a mouse and keyboard. 

Specific details like an actual launch date and pricing are still under wraps, though they should be incoming soon given the holiday launch window. For now, check out the official launch trailer below and try not to daydream about taking Forza onto actual roads.