Microsoft Is Finally Releasing A Handheld Gaming Console And It’s Coming Soon

Microsoft has been notably absent from the handheld gaming space over the years, at least when it comes to Xbox. Rival Sony released the PlayStation Portal but this isn’t a standalone handheld, but rather a device you pair with your PS5 to stream games on a portable device.

When it comes to handheld gaming that isn’t on a phone, Nintendo has been the dominant force. This is especially true after Sony abandoned handheld gaming after the PS Vita, which never made as big a splash as the wildly popular PSP.

Outside of Nintendo, which just launched the Nintendo Switch 2, handheld gaming has been mostly a PC affair, with systems like the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally vying for the PC gaming handheld market.

It is into this space, as much as the console market, that Xbox is heading with its newly announced pair of handheld gaming consoles, the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X. As you can tell from the name of the system, this is as much a handheld PC as it is a handheld Xbox. Microsoft has partnered with ASUS to release the new hardware.

The systems will launch with an updated “Xbox full screen experience” for Windows 11, which is optimized for handheld gaming. The system will also feature an Xbox button, contoured grips that mimic the Xbox Wireless Controllers and an optimized Game Bar and Xbox App, with accessibility features from the Xbox console experience.

The new optimized system will also make finding your games easier, according to Microsoft. You’ll see your entire aggregated gaming library across Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net and other PC sotre fronts (though it’s not clear yet if all storefronts will participate – such as Steam).

In other words, this is very much a ROG Ally handheld PC but with some nice Xbox touches that will the overall experience feel more like playing an Xbox.

The ROG Xbox Ally include an AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The ROG Xbox Ally X will feature an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme CPU, 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The X will also feature “impulse triggers” and more connectivity options. Both handhelds feature expandable microSD storage, 7″ FHD screens at 1080p, 500 nits, 16:9 120Hz refresh rate. The X will feature an 80Wh battery compared to the Ally’s 60Wh.

Both handhelds launch this holiday season.