ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds announced, the first real Steam Deck competition

By Liam Dawe - 9 Jun 2025 at 8:45 am UTC

Last updated: 9 Jun 2025 at 9:10 am UTC

Microsoft and ASUS have formally announced the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, what is likely the first real competition for the Steam Deck.

Every time a new handheld is revealed, certain other news sites seem to clickbait into talking about how they "destroy" the Steam Deck, or they're the real competition or something to that effect. However, they're often with a high price and with a rough Windows experience out of the box. This time, it appears it will be different, since they're officially licensed and branded Xbox units. The first time Microsoft have gone third-party for Xbox like this too.

The big announcement here is that they're coming with a tweaked Windows 11 experience, with a new full-screen Xbox app, which also gets rid of various background Windows processes to make games perform better. In a way, it sounds similar to Gaming Mode on SteamOS - focusing just on the games. So Microsoft are directly addressing the biggest complaint about Windows on handhelds. Although, for now, it will be exclusive to these devices while Microsoft continue to work on it. It also won't play Xbox console games, it is still a PC handheld.

Microsoft have finally woken up and are clearly trying to fight off Valve here considering the ongoing popularity and sales of the Steam Deck.

Tech Specs:

	ROG Xbox Ally	ROG Xbox Ally X
Operating System	Windows 11 Home	Windows 11 Home
Comfort & input	Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R Hall Effect analog triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU	Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort, complete with impulse triggers for enhanced control. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R impulse triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU
Processor	AMD Ryzen™ Z2 A Processor	AMD Ryzen™ AI Z2 Extreme Processor
Memory	16GB LPDDR5X-6400	24GB LPDDR5X-8000
Storage	512GB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade	1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade
Display	7” FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9  120Hz refresh rate  FreeSync Premium  Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection	7” FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9  120Hz refresh rate  FreeSync Premium  Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection
I/O Ports	2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.0	1x USB4 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.0, Thunderbolt™ 4 compatible
	1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC)	1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.0
	1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack	1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC; UHS-I with DDR200 mode)
		1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
Network and Communication	Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions	290.8121.550.7mm	290.8121.550.7mm
Dimensions	670g	715g
Battery	60Wh	80Wh
Included	ROG Xbox Ally  65W charger  Stand	ROG Xbox Ally X  65W charger  Stand

Competition is good. But, if the price isn't stupid, it does give me some concerns here for the Steam Deck. Considering Microsoft aren't locking it to the Microsoft Store, allowing other stores to easily be installed, this really could eat into the sales and popularity of the Steam Deck and all of Valve's Linux work for SteamOS and Proton. And as a result, make it even more difficult to get more developers to enable their anti-cheat. The upside though, is that it will force more developers to optimize for smaller screens and gamepads.

Especially so, because this will likely be much more widely available in stores compared to the Steam Deck too. And, we shouldn't underestimate their new partnership with Roblox either as it will "For the first time ever" be "playable natively and optimized for gaming handhelds".

They're even doing a program to highlight compatibility on the devices, for games that have been optimized. So they'll have their own form of the Steam Deck Verified system for it.

I wonder how long it will be until you can put Linux on these devices…

What are your thoughts?

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.

Tags: ASUS, Handheld Gaming, Hardware, Microsoft, Misc

5 Likes

About the author - Liam Dawe

I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. You can also follow my personal adventures on Bluesky.
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10 comments

Okona 3 hours ago

No 'XYZ' destroyer has done any destroying yet. Ever...

Remember when 'XYZ' was the iPod, the iPhone etc.

I'll believe it when I see it. (Honestly, those press outlets writing these headline don't have any idea.)

If you want to analyze:

the only significant drawback of the Steamdeck: "no 100% windows games compatibility" hasn't hurt it. And this is the only thing where that new competition is a "bit" better. However it is only a "bit" better. Let's see how large that "bit" is. If history has taught us, it requires to be quite a large "bit" - and I'd wager this one is not large enough.

Compare for example Microsoft's foray to enter the mobile phone space. Their offer seemed to be the "bit" better than Android. It failed spectacularly. And it is not that they didn't try.

If you want to challenge something, you have to be "far" better, not a "bit". (And they never have been "far" better.)

2 Likes

Vortex_Acherontic 3 hours ago

Since it is an AMD platform I am thrilled to see some hobbyist slapping SteamOS on it and compare it to the tweak Win 11.

1 Likes

CatKiller 2 hours ago

Supporter Plus

What are your thoughts?

Microsoft have never tolerated a threat to their Windows hegemony. They poured billions into their DirectX Box project to head off the potential of game developers ignoring Windows for gaming. Now everyone has seen (through the Deck as a demonstration device, and the failure of Windows handhelds to come close) that Linux is good for gaming and Windows is bad for gaming.

I expect that they'll throw a lot of resources at this to try to kill the idea of Linux as an alternative to Windows. I also expect that they'll continue spreading the FUD that downloading a bajillion launchers from a bajillion websites is "easy" (for Windows use) but installing one launcher from the built-in software centre (for Linux use) requires leet haxor skills. I expect them to try to sweeten the deal for getting everything from the Microsoft Store with things like their ActiBlizzard library, Game Pass, and mobile integration - after all, you've already got a Microsoft account, and you're already launching your Steam games from the Microsoft Store app, right?

I expect them to continue to fail to see the advantage of gyro, to continue to fail to see the advantage of trackpads, and to have the sticks in a stupid location.

I expect them to make only vague allusions to rootkit anti-tamper as something that Windows allows but Linux doesn't, rather than ever mentioning it directly, since it also annoys them that that is a thing.

2 Likes

Okona 2 hours ago

I expect them to try to sweeten the deal for getting everything from the Microsoft Store with things like their ActiBlizzard library, Game Pass, and mobile integration - after all, you've already got a Microsoft account, and you're already launching your Steam games from the Microsoft Store app, right

This is indeed the spiciest detail and one which Valve will watch very closely!
This IS why Valve supports Linux in the first place.

Last edited by Okona on 9 Jun 2025 at 10:48 am UTC

1 Likes

Drakker 2 hours ago

This thing is going to win an award for ugliest design ever. The d-pad looks awful and is in a spot that looks hard to reach, go cramps go. Its also round so its probably going to have only 4 directions anyway, the 4 diagonals.

Anyway, slap SteamOS on it and its probably going to be usable. Valve should set top priority to releasing SteamOS for it just to annoy microsoft.

0 Likes

Mohandevir 1 hour ago

3rd party hardware... The price will probably be on the high side. That's the biggest advantage that the Steam Deck still has. As long as nobody tries to challenge that, the Steam Deck will continue to be relevant.

Edit: And Let's wait for the look and feel of the "Xbox UI". Anybody remembers the Win8 fiasco? Other than that, if it looks anything like the Xbox UI, personnally, I hate it. Pretty limited. What about the drivers and system updates? Like traditional Windows? Yuk!

Last edited by Mohandevir on 9 Jun 2025 at 12:18 pm UTC

0 Likes

Pyrate 42 minutes ago

So the super hyped up "third party store integration into Xbox" is just allowing users to go into Desktop, install Steam, Epic etc, download the games there, then the games .exe's will show up in the Xbox interface ? Meaning it's the same as SteamOS ? Are these 'fans' and website 'journalists' just Microsoft employees spreading FUD or something ? or are they that ignorant ?

0 Likes

elmapul 40 minutes ago

unfortunatelly brands like "xbox" and "windows" will help this sell a lot, i mean, if a lot of people purchased playstation portal, despite the steam deck doing everything it does + a lot more, why wouldnt an xbox portable sell a lot?
and i know xbox is struggling to sell compared to playstation, but it still sell a lot compared to the steam deck and the value proposition of an portable is much bigger than the home console.

0 Likes

hardpenguin 34 minutes ago

Supporter

I still think it would be more dangerous if it was an actual Xbox handheld playing Xbox games. It would be more straightforward and understood by the mainstream. But it is still a PC device and with Windows 11 no less. Surprise OS updates, here we go!

0 Likes

elmapul 28 minutes ago

the ad says freedom of windows, sigh, "freedom" out of all worlds they could chose, i wonder why they picked that.
i wonder how their partners will react

0 Likes

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