Xbox handheld hits next month with intriguing game badging system

ROG Xbox Ally and Rog Xbox Ally X hit Oct. 16, price TBA

Perhaps lost today in the tsunami of video game impressions, interviews, and general mayhem of Gamescom, Asus announced that the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will begin hitting stores this October.

The handheld PC gaming system that the company co-designed with Microsoft will pop up on store shelves and online in the United States and across “key international markets” starting Oct. 16. Both versions of the system are being shown off this week at the ROG booth during Gamescom, along with a key new feature for the systems.

There’s still no word on pricing, which we expect to find out in the coming weeks.

While I haven’t had a chance to go hands-on with the system, it’s built on the bones of the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X, which is to say, it’s got a very solid foundation.

Outwardly, the two sets of systems appear very similar in appearance with the exception of the added-on grips, horn-like handles that jut out from the body of the system to give it the appearance of an oversized game pad.

While I never felt the need for better grips for the Ally X, it does look like it could make the system more comfortable to game with over time, while reducing some of the svelte design that makes it easy to slip into a bag. The system also features a prominent Xbox button, placed just to the right of the left thumbstick. But more on that in a few.

As has been reported, the guts of the system have been upgraded to include the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 process (for the Xbox Ally X) and AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor (for the vanilla Xbox Ally). Memory, storage, and the display all remain unchanged. While the Xbox Ally X still has an 80Wh battery, the Xbox Ally gets a slight bump up from 40Wh to 60Wh.

For me, the biggest news coming out of today’s announcement is a bit more insight into how the team at Xbox has been working to make the handheld PC system behave a bit more like a console and a bit less like a Windows system.

Apparently, Xbox has been working with game studios to test and optimize “thousands” of PC titles for handheld compatibility. Most importantly for future players, this will be underscored with a new badging system that makes games “handheld optimized” or “mostly compatible” if they’ve been tested and work with the system.

Handheld Optimized means that the game is ready to go — with default controller inputs, an intuitive text input method, accurate iconography, clear text legibility, and appropriate resolution in full-screen mode, according to the Asus press release. Mostly Compatible means that the game may require minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience on handheld.

The ROG Xbox Ally systems will also support advanced shader delivery, which allows the Xbox app to preload a game’s shaders during download, allowing it to launch as much as ten times faster, run more smoothly, and use less battery on the first play.

ASUS points out that the systems will also promise that the Xbox Ally X’s built-in NPU will unlock new AI-powered features starting early next year. So far, this includes automatic super resolution, which uses the NPU to upscale games running at lower resolutions, and Highlight Reels, which are captured automatically by the AI as short replay clips.

For many fans of handheld PC gaming systems, the big takeaway here is that the Xbox team is working to make the system feel more like a gaming device and less like a Windows device. It’s unclear how much the badging of games will be interwoven into the experience or if it will still behave like you’re battling with Windows to play your games.

Either way, it’s clear that Microsoft is aware that to make these systems competitors for Valve’s excellent Steam Deck, they need to reduce the friction between the myriad of gaming apps used on Windows-based systems and the games themselves.

I just want to be able to pick up a system like the ROG Ally and play a game without ever seeing anything that resembles Windows.

Last year, I detailed what I thought a handheld PC gaming system needed to do to continue to be competitive. While the ROG Xbox Ally seems to address some of those suggestions, there are a few unfortunately ignored.

The redesigned case addresses long-play comfort, and the Xbox work on badging could deal with the user-interface issues and game optimization. The system also appears to be designed for upgrading and self-repair. The beefier chips are also a great sign.

That said, the decision not to increase the X battery size and the lack of an AMOLED screen are baffling to me. It’s also a bummer that there’s no built-in kickstand, but at least it comes with a 65W charger stand.

As with most consumer electronics, the price is going to be a very important element of whether or not this system can even approach the level of mainstream success a console historically sees.

Earlier this year, Lenovo dropped its second wave of systems: The Legion Go S is a redesign of the company’s massive Legion Go, which comes in both Windows and SteamOS versions. Valve has also made it easier for you to install SteamOS in any flavor of AMD-powered handheld, if that’s what you’re looking for.

So we all continue to have evolving choices. If you’re at Gamescom, make sure you check out the upcoming ASUS systems and tell me what you think in the comments.

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