The Asus Xbox Ally handheld is real, but it's missing one big upgrade

In arguably the biggest reveal of the Xbox Game Showcase, the Asus Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally have been confirmed, and both are due for release this year. Despite one big upgrade in the CPU department, I was also hoping for another upgrade to the battery, but Asus is persisting with its 80Wh option.

The Asus Xbox Ally X is shaping up to be one of the best gaming handhelds, and it's got a lot more Xbox branding than it was initially believed to have when it appeared in recent leaks. This could well be most console gamers' first foray into handhelds, and, on paper, it's an ideal way to start.

I loved the reveal of the Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally handhelds, and not just because I predicted their arrival last week. This reveal was a great way to appeal to the masses, and it was marketed just right with a major focus on games rather than specs.

While it will be a Windows handheld at heart, it looks as though it will boot directly into an improved Xbox app, which can then direct you to multiple game launchers, all without having to interact with Windows directly.

This should effectively remove Windows as a roadblock, thus removing many of the frustrations I've had while testing handhelds that use the OS.

My one disappointment, however, is the 80Wh and 60Wh battery options. The Xbox Ally X will sport an 80Wh battery, which is still currently the largest available in a handheld, but this would have been a great opportunity to push higher, especially given that little else has changed in terms of specs.

Experienced handheld users will know exactly how to manage battery life and performance in a gaming handheld, but with the Xbox Ally series, this was a chance to push the boundaries. Those new to handhelds might find it a bit concerning that they won't get more than two and a half hours in most cases when pushing the Xbox Ally at its highest TDP and with high in-game settings.

The Xbox Ally spec sheets still make for good reading, though, but much like with many recent GPU releases, price could be key in determining the true value of this handheld.

Asus Xbox Ally specs

Here are the specs of the Asus Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handhelds:

The specs of the Asus Xbox Ally X largely mimic those of the Asus ROG Ally X, only with a newer AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme powering it. The base Xbox Ally has less memory running at slower speeds, half the storage space, and a less powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 A CPU, meaning it should come in at a considerably lower MSRP.

Asus Xbox Ally handheld release date window

The Asus Xbox Ally handhelds currently have a release window of Holiday 2025, meaning we anticipate they could arrive anytime between October and December this year. 

We expect we'll learn the exact date, as well as a price, when we are closer to the pre-order window opening.

If you want to see how the Asus Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally might stack up, you can read our Ayaneo 3 review and our Steam Deck OLED review to get an idea of how strong the competition is in the market.

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