ROG Xbox Ally hands-on at Gamescom: two steps forward, three steps back

The ROG Xbox Ally is the upcoming handheld from both Xbox and Asus ROG, as the name suggests, and is Xbox’s attempt at furthering its new ‘Xbox Play Anywhere’ initiative. I was able to give the handheld a try at Gamescom 2025, and I was not just underwhelmed but a tad disappointed.

There are two iterations of the ROG Xbox Ally, including the base model and then a more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X, which features a stronger processor. Right now, the release for this device is set for October 16, 2025.

ROG Xbox Ally Design

When first picking up the handheld, the funky shape drew me in. Rather than the standard oblong shape that you find on most gaming handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally features more ergonomic grips on either side to make it more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. I most certainly felt the difference in my hands-on demo session.

You get two colourways of the ROG Xbox Ally, with the X coming in a sleek black and then the base model coming in white. Unfortunately, you can’t mix and match the colourways and processors. The device comes in at 715g, which is heavier than the original Asus ROG Ally, and you can not only feel the difference but also see it in the depth of the device, with it feeling much bigger than other handheld devices.

Of course, you get the standard Xbox controller layout in terms of buttons, as you’d expect. You also get two additional buttons on the back of the device, which aren’t super ergonomic but instead hexagonal shaped, but still easily accessible and pushable.

ROG Xbox Ally Specs

Some of the specifications between the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X are different, including the processor, with the X featuring the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, whereas the base model only houses the AMD Ryzen Z2, making it more powerful. Paired with the more powerful processor, you also have more RAM to support it, as well as a larger capacity battery, with a jump from 60Wh on the base model to 80Wh on the X.

• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Processor: up to AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme
• Display: 7inch FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9 120Hz refresh rate
• Memory: up to 24GB LPDDR5X-8000
• Storage 1TB M.2 2280 SSD
• Wireless: WiFi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth ® 5.4
• Battery: up to 80Wh
• Size: 290.8 x 121.5 x 50.7mm (W x D x H)
• Weight: 715g

Honestly, all things considered, I’m quite disappointed that the bigger battery capacity is limited to the higher-performance model rather than both devices featuring 80Wh. Battery life has been a large contention point for gaming handhelds, and after seeing so many manufacturers not prioritize this, Xbox had an opportunity to set itself apart from the competition.

ROG Xbox Ally Performance

While the performance the ROG Xbox Ally provided me with was pretty good, it was nothing particularly groundbreaking. I was honestly expecting a whole lot more from the brand new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, but it just fell quite flat.

After having used so many gaming handhelds, it feels like this one isn’t really an upgrade over some options which were released on the market earlier this year or even some of those that hit shelves last year. Games looked great, and I didn’t get any choppy frames, but it didn’t feel like that step up from the previous Asus ROG Ally X that I was really expecting.

Maybe there were incremental differences in the performance I was getting, but without being able to actually monitor the frames, it’s hard to notice the difference when actually using and playing the device.

Asus knows how to make handhelds, and it knows how to do it exceptionally well. The Asus ROG Ally X is one of my favourite gaming handhelds of all time, with a large battery, great screen and a good enough processor to run a majority of titles at decent settings. It only makes sense that Xbox partnered with successful producers to ensure its new handheld hit the ground running, but this just hasn’t happened.

It’s unfortunate that the ROG Xbox Ally hasn’t met my expectations, but that doesn’t make it a bad handheld by any means. While it’s definitely not worth upgrading to if you already own a gaming handheld, it would still make an excellent first gaming handheld purchase for those who are yet to dip their toes into the gaming handheld scene, so long as the price is right.