With Nintendo still riding high on the Switch and Switch 2, Sony releasing the PlayStation Portal, and the Steam Deck making a grand entrance, life is good if you’re a portable gamer. Now Microsoft is entering the fray with the ROG Xbox Ally, which provides some of the best possible specs on the market, complete with a higher price point to match.
We took the ROG Xbox Ally X for a spin and found it to be a fascinating experience that we’ll be tinkering with for quite some time. For casual portable gaming fans, the $599 (standard) and $999 (premium “X” edition) prices certainly carry some sticker shock, but there’s a lot to love here if you’re looking to jump into the portable space.
The Xbox Ally Has Windows 11 With A Twist (And Turns)
The ROG Xbox Ally box is pretty light, as it only contains the device and a USB-C charger. After opening the box, the ROG Xbox Ally setup was roughly as easy as booting up a new Windows 11 PC. The classic Windows boot-up sound greeted me, and after following a few instructions, logging into my Microsoft account, and downloading an update, I was on my way.
The ergonomics of the ROG Xbox Ally are fantastic, allowing me to wield it comfortably for hours of uninterrupted gaming. My wife tested it briefly and found it a bit heavy, so your mileage may vary.
My first impression of the modified Windows OS was slight confusion, as I navigated the UI and got my bearings. By default, the ROG Xbox Ally is like a giant Xbox controller with a touchscreen. You get the classic Xbox face buttons (ABXY), left and right bumpers, left and right triggers, and two macro buttons on the side. On the top of the device, there are two USB-C charge ports, a power button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, volume buttons, and a microSD card slot.
Pretty standard, right? Well, there’s also a dedicated “Xbox” button, as well as a library button, which, by default, drops you into an ROG Xbox Ally menu screen and your game library, respectively. This is how you primarily navigate through your games, and you can customize the shortcut functionality to your liking/platform of choice. Holding down the Xbox button opens up a helpful multi-window focus screen, allowing you to swap between apps and games instantly.
Everything worked how it should, except for the seamless integration of touch-screen and tactile button functionality. Sometimes I’d be forced to touch something on the screen to center the focus, and on other occasions, I could simply navigate everything with buttons, like I was using a big-screen format version of Windows 11.
This inconsistency isn’t a dealbreaker, but it was a source of mild frustration as I started to learn the ins and outs of the ROG Xbox Ally UI. This is something that could be easily patched (and I noticed much better stability overall after updating the ROG software, graphics card drivers, and Windows itself), but for now, it’s a minor headache, and my only real complaint with the device.
The Xbox Ally’s fan noise was on the verge of becoming an annoyance, but since I primarily game with headphones, it’s not an issue. Even then, the fans aren’t piercingly loud, just noticeable.
What Apps Does The ROG Xbox Ally Come With?
Here are the apps that the ROG Xbox Ally provides by default:
Armoury Crate (internal software for the Xbox Ally itself)
Battle.net
Epic Games Store
GOG Galaxy Launcher
Microsoft Edge
Steam
Ubisoft Connect PC
Xbox App
Beyond those apps, you can load up pretty much anything you want, since the ROG Xbox Ally is a fully-fledged Windows 11 PC in handheld form. I jumped on the Windows Store, downloaded the Spotify app, linked my AirPod Pro headphones through Bluetooth, and ran music in the background while I continued to tinker, just like on a PC. While testing out Discord, I loaded up a chat and tried out some cross-play on Steam.
While Armoury Crate seems like bloatware at first, it’s actually a useful tool for navigating the hardware’s functionality, including performance tweaks, lighting options (namely the light rings around the analog sticks), easy firmware updates, and keyboard macros. It also sports a uniform game library of its own, collecting all of your SKUs across multiple apps.
It’s important to note that the Xbox Ally is incredibly efficient, thanks in part to the pared-down edition of Windows. I didn’t notice any bloatware in general on the device, and everything runs very smoothly, without the need to manually disable a lot of modern Windows “functionality.” You can even load directly into the Xbox App from boot-up, cutting down on the time between booting up and actually getting into a game.
The Xbox Ally Runs Games Like A Dream
The Actual Performance Is Fantastic
As you might imagine, very few people are going to drop $600-$1000 on this device line unless they’re trying to play some high-end games. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of titles I primarily tested with the ROG Xbox Ally:
Silent Hill F
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Doom: The Dark Ages
Minecraft
I Am Your Beast
Monster Train 2
Sifu
Vampire Survivors
Absolum
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Elden Ring Nightreign
Cronos: The New Dawn
Gears of War: Reloaded
As you can see, there’s a ton of brand-new AAA games on that list. Every single indie game I loaded up on the ROG Xbox Ally X ran perfectly, and AAA games typically ran at medium-to-high/ultra settings. Xbox Cloud Gaming titles ran very smoothly, though that’s my typical experience with the service on my iPhone.
Portable gaming has come a long way, so many apps (including Xbox and Steam) provide complete lists of “controller-compatible games,” which include pretty much every major modern release. It was easy scrolling between what would easily work on the Xbox Ally and what wouldn’t, similar to flipping through “Steam Deck Verified” titles on Steam.
Similarly, cloud saves have become so prevalent that everything instantly loaded up for me on multiple platforms. The Xbox app grabbed my prior games on PC and Xbox Series X/S, and Steam likewise transferred my saves/progress without issue. Since I was logged in via my Xbox account, multiple games sorted me instantly, too.
As for what it can do, here are the specs we tested for the Xbox Ally X:
Processor: AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme
Memory: 24GB LPDDR5X-8000
Storage: 1TB M.2 2280 SSD (879.GB was available after system storage/installation)
Display: 7” FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9 120 Hz refresh rate/AMD FreeSync Premium (Variable Refresh Rate)/Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions: 290.8×121.5×50.7mm, 1.5 lbs
Compared to the Xbox Ally standard edition, you’re getting a better processor, 8GB more memory, roughly 500GB more in storage space, an upgraded 80Wh battery, and an enhanced USB-C port. Whether that’s worth $400 to you or not is a tough call. ROG and Xbox could release another model after this, too, so you’re still playing the early adopter vs waiting game challenge, like any piece of gaming hardware. You might notice that there’s no OLED screen; the OLED Steam Deck model does have a leg up in that regard.
Performance was excellent with the Xbox Ally X. While playing Gears of War: Reloaded, I consistently hit 60 FPS. The sticks were fantastic, and among the best I’ve ever used for a handheld. No matter what game (retro or modern), they felt responsive and comfortable to use. The same goes for the triggers, and the macro buttons on the back of the device.
Since the Xbox Ally comes with a fully-fledged OS, you can opt to run games multiple ways. There’s direct downloading (great for traveling in internet deserts), streaming from an existing device, and cloud play for supported Xbox Game Pass titles. It’s pretty much the best of all worlds, provided that you’re still keen on subscribing to Game Pass Ultimate.
The Xbox Ally Is Expensive, But Powerful
I’ve Really Gotten Used To It
If you’re looking at getting into portable gaming, the ROG Xbox Ally is one option you can consider. Given that the PlayStation Portal requires a tethered console to run, and the Switch 2’s specs, while impressive, don’t surpass the Steam Deck or ROG Xbox Ally, there are options for everyone. Holding out for a possible OLED Xbox Ally with a bigger display is an option as well.
For those of you who have most of your gaming library on Xbox, the ROG Xbox Ally is a viable option beyond the Steam Deck for bringing PC gaming on the go. The price is an understandable deterrent for many, but as someone very familiar with PC hardware, I’ll be endlessly tinkering with the Windows functionality of the Xbox Ally for months and years to come, and testing its limits.