ASUS has officially launched the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X gaming handhelds in India, bringing high-performance portable gaming to the region. The company just hosted an event where it officially unveiled the handheld gaming consoles, so here’s everything you need to know about their specs, pricing, pre-order details, and more.

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally Series: What do they offer?

With the latest ROG Xbox Ally series, ASUS brings the latest generation of AMD’s custom handheld chip. The base model is equipped with the faster Ryzen Z2 APU, which is coupled with 166GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. Under the hood, the gaming handheld is powered by a sizeable 60Wh battery pack. On the other hand, the higher end ROG Xbox Ally X packs the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip that is paired with 24GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and a larger 80Wh battery pack.

On the front, both models sport a 7-inch LCD panel with FHD resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits of peak brightness, and Gorilla Glass Victus for protection. The duo also features a microSD card slot for storage expansion, replaceable M.2 2280 SSDs, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and 65W charging. ASUS has improved the ergonomics of these handhelds and improved the overall layout for a better, more comfortable gaming experience. Another major highlight is the impulse triggers on the Xbox Ally X and Hall Effect analog triggers on the vanilla model. The base model weighs just 670 grams, while the Ally X weighs a hefty 715 grams.

What makes them special?

Handheld consoles running on Microsoft’s Windows were initially seen as inferior to other models like the Nintendo Switch series and the Steam Decks. The biggest gripe was with battery life and overall optimizations. But with the ROG Xbox Ally series, ASUS managed to boot the consoles directly with a revamped Xbox full-screen interface layered over Windows 11.

You even get a dedicated Xbox button that launches Game Bar overlays and console tailored UI experiences. ROG Xbox Ally brings support for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere games, and local Windows games. In other words, you get an Xbox full screen experience. With Microsoft’s handheld Xbox being possibly cancelled, the ROG Xbox Ally series is the closest we get to an actual Xbox portable console.

ASUS also worked with Xbox to minimize background activity and optimize the software to squeeze out more power during gaming, while also improving battery life. Another perk of having the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 chip is the new NPU for AI powered features, like automatic super resolution upscaling and AI generation highlight reels.

Pricing, Pre-Order Benefits, & Availability

The brand new ROG Xbox Ally was just announced for Rs 69,990, while the ROG Xbox Ally X costs an exorbitant Rs 114,990. As of right now, both models are available for pre-orders from the brand’s official website, official ASUS stores, Amazon India, and Vijay Sales. The first 100 customers who pre-order get various benefits like 1 year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and a ROG Slash Sling Bag for free. The wider sale will kick off on 16th October 2025; meanwhile, pre-orders are already live. You can pre-order the ROG Xbox Ally X for just Rs 499, and the ROG Xbox Ally can be reserved for Rs 1,499.

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Back in June 2025, ASUS and Xbox announced their joint collaboration for the ROG Xbox Ally series of gaming handhelds. These Windows 11 based portable consoles brought special optimizations and improved hardware, making them the unofficial Xbox handheld console that we’ve been waiting for. With the company finally announcing a launch date for these consoles, here’s a quick introduction to these gaming machines.

Hardware & Performance

Among the major highlights of these handheld consoles are the new AMD Ryzen Z2 series processors. The base Ally features an AMD Ryzen Z2 APU with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD storage, and a 60 Wh battery. Meanwhile, the higher end ROG Xbox Ally X packs the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip that is paired with 24GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and a larger 80Wh battery pack.

Both models feature a microSD card slot for storage expansion, replaceable M.2 2280 SSDs, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and 65W charging. On the front, there is a 7-inch IPS LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1080p resolution, and Gorilla Glass Victus for protection.

Console-like Interface on Windows, Game Compatibility, & More

The devices boot directly into a revamped Xbox full-screen interface layered over Windows 11, including a dedicated Xbox button that launches Game Bar overlays and console tailored UI experiences. ROG Xbox Ally supports Xbox Game Pass titles, Xbox Play Anywhere games, and local Windows games. Apart from this, there are also special software optimizations that help bring an Xbox full screen experience.

These new modifications help minimize background activity and end all non-essential tasks. This makes the system more power efficient and enables it to divert more power to the games. The ROG Xbox Ally X series also includes an NPU for AI-powered features coming next year, such as automatic super resolution upscaling and AI-generated highlight reels.

Ergonomics & Release Date

Both models are ergonomically built, employing Xbox-style grips and slightly improved control layout over ROG’s previous handhelds. So those familiar with the Xbox wireless controllers will feel right at home. With no word on a portable Xbox console, this is the closest we get to a true handheld Xbox experience. The ROG Xbox Ally series blends the power of a full Windows PC with the streamlined accessibility of an Xbox console.

The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X will be available starting 16th October 2025, in most major markets including the U.S., UK, Europe, and more. The base ROG Xbox Ally starts from 549.99 US Dollars, while the Ally X is priced at 899.99 US Dollars. Although these prices are still unconfirmed at the moment.

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At gamescom 2025 in Cologne, Microsoft announced that the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handheld consoles will launch on October 16, 2025. What remains missing is the US pricing, which has delayed the start of pre-orders. In an interview with IGN, Microsoft and Asus confirmed that tariffs in the US have forced them to postpone the announcement of prices and, as a result, pre-orders. Both companies said pricing details and pre-order availability will be revealed in September or October.

European pricing has been consistent: €599 for the Xbox Ally and €899 for the Ally X. The situation in the US has been far less stable. On August 20, Best Buy listed the Ally at $549.99 and the Ally X at $899.99, but later replaced those figures with placeholder values of $9999.99. The price of the Ally has already shifted multiple times, starting at $499.99, then rising to $599.99, before appearing to settle at $549.99 just days before August 20. With the PlayStation 5 also seeing price increases in the US, the final figures for the Ally and Ally X remain uncertain.

Pre-orders were originally scheduled to open on August 20 but were postponed. Following recent investigations, a new target date of September 25, 2025, has been identified. This remains tentative, as the schedule has been adjusted several times in recent weeks.

Alongside the consoles, Asus is also preparing a new accessory. The ROG Raikiri II Pro Controller has been confirmed for release in North America. It will retail at $189.99, which is $20 more than the original ROG Raikiri Pro at launch. Technical specifications and feature upgrades for this controller have not yet been disclosed.

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(Source: IGN, via)

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ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced that the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will be available starting October 16, 2025. Both handhelds will be on display and playable for the first time at Gamescom 2025, where ROG is also showcasing its full 2025 laptop lineup.

At launch, the devices will be available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Germany, Canada, and several other markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. China will initially receive only the Xbox Ally X, while the standard Ally will launch there in early 2026. Other markets, including Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Thailand, will follow later. Pricing and pre-order details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Specifications

The ROG Xbox Ally is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor with four Zen 2 cores, eight threads, and eight RDNA 2 GPU cores. It includes 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 RAM, a 512GB M.2 SSD, and a 60Wh battery.

The ROG Xbox Ally X is equipped with the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor. It features eight Zen 5 cores with 16 threads, 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, and a built-in NPU. The device has 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, a 1TB M.2 SSD, and an 80Wh battery.

Optimized Gaming

Xbox has worked with game developers to ensure thousands of PC titles run smoothly on the handheld. Games will display “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible” labels. Handheld Optimized titles are ready to run with proper controls, resolution, and text clarity. Mostly Compatible titles may require small setting adjustments.

The Xbox app now supports advanced shader delivery, which preloads shaders during download. This allows games to start up to ten times faster and reduces stutter while saving battery.

On the Ally X, the NPU will enable new AI features from early 2026, including automatic super resolution upscaling and AI highlight reels.

Both handhelds will be playable with games such as DOOM: The Dark Ages, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Gears of War: Reloaded, Hogwarts Legacy, and Roblox.

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(Source)

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ASUS has just unveiled the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, two new handheld gaming devices created in collaboration with Xbox. While they still run on Windows, these new consoles arrive with special optimizations that help them stand out. So, are these the true Xbox portables fans have been waiting for? Here’s what sets the ROG Xbox Ally series apart.

ROG Xbox Ally vs Ally X: Specs & Hardware

Getting the specs out of the way first, both models sport a 7-inch 1080p IPS LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection, offering solid visuals and durability. However, under the hood is where the differences emerge.

The ROG Xbox Ally is powered by the Ryzen Z2 APU (based on RDNA 2), paired with 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a 60Wh battery. It includes dual USB-C ports with DisplayPort 2.1 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 support. On the other hand, the ROG Xbox Ally X bumps things up with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, 24GB RAM, 1TB storage, a beefier 80Wh battery, and USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 support. Both offer WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and user-replaceable M.2 SSDs via microSD or internal storage upgrades.

Preview	Product
	ASUS ROG Ally Handheld Gaming Console (17.78cm (7″)/120Hz/AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor/16GB/512GB…	Check Price on Amazon
	ASUS ROG Ally X Handheld Gaming Console, 7″ FHD 16:9 120Hz 500 nits, AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor…	Check Price on Amazon

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Xbox Optimizations: Where it Truly Shines

The biggest leap isn’t in hardware, but software. Past Windows handhelds were kind of like tiny laptops trying to be consoles. Other gaming handhelds that ran on Windows had some drawbacks owing to the Windows design. Microsoft’s popular OS isn’t ideal for touch or gamepad navigation, struggling with scaling and UI optimizations. The constant Windows updates or new drivers occasionally lead to something breaking.

But what held these portable consoles the most were the issues with battery life and some performance hits. Some models faced excessive battery drains, while various Windows processes in the background took up memory or APU performance that impacts gaming.

On the other hand, the new ROG Xbox Ally series came with modifications that minimize the background activity, defer non-essential tasks, and dedicate more system resources to the games. A great example of the background Windows process is the desktop wallpaper, taskbar, and others, which took up 2GB of RAM before Xbox optimized the handheld consoles.

Now, ASUS’ ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X offer an Xbox full screen experience, despite not being dedicated Xbox consoles. There is even a dedicated Xbox button to bring up the Game Bar overlay that integrates the ASUS Armory Crate.

An Xbox Experience

While it’s technically not an Xbox OS, the Xbox Ally’s full-screen launcher and tight Xbox ecosystem integration. Pairing this with the Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and controller-first design, the new ROG Xbox Ally series feels more like a genuine Xbox handheld. This helps bridge the gap between a Windows PC and a streamlined gaming console.

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ASUS has officially launched the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, two new handheld gaming consoles built in collaboration with Xbox. These are still powered by Windows, but these handhelds might finally address many of the issues that plague other portable Windows consoles. So are these the Xbox handhelds we’ev been waiting for? Read on to find out.

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally & ROG Xbox Ally X: Hardware

Talking about the hardware first, the two Xbox ROG Ally series sport a 7-inch IPS LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1080p resolution, and Gorilla Glass Victus for protection. Under the hood, the base Xbox ROG Ally is equipped with the AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, which is based on the RDNA 2 technology. It houses a 60Wh battery pack, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of internal storage, and two USB-C ports (USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 2.1 support).

On the other hand, the ROG Xbox Ally X packs the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip that is paired with 24GB of RAM, 1TB of internal storage, and a USB-C port with USB 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4 compatibility. A larger 80Wh battery pack powers the higher end variant. Both models feature a microSD card slot for storage expansion, replaceable M.2 2280 SSDs, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and 65W charging.

Did we finally get an Xbox handheld?

But setting the specs aside, the software optimizations are the greatest strength of these handhelds. When the first batch of Windows gaming handhelds dropped, the issues with porting Windows to a portable form factor became quickly apparent. While the new ROG Xbox Ally series still runs on Windows, these basically offer an Xbox full screen experience. In other words, it functions and feels more like a handheld Xbox console.

But that’s not all, the new modifications to the software allow the system to minimize background activity and end all non-essential tasks. This makes the system more power efficient and enables it to divert more power to the games. According to a Microsoft executive, simply turning off the desktop wallpaper, taskbar, and a few other Windows processes helped free up 2GB of RAM.

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The new handhelds also feature a dedicated Xbox button that summons the Game Bar overlay. It includes ASUS Armory Crate integration. Furthermore, the new ROG Xbox Ally series also gets an optimized lock screen and task switcher for controller input. But among its various advantages, the Windows handheld brings access to Steam, which is the largest gaming library in the world.

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