“A monster of power.” This is how Roanne Sones, head of gaming devices and Xbox ecosystem, defines the new ROG Xbox Ally X, the most powerful and high-end of the two portable consoles launched on October 16 by Microsoft. A new “growing” market segment in which the gaming sector hopes to successfully establish itself to reach a new target of players.
Everything is done for them, who are also placed at the center of everything. This is the philosophy that pushed Xbox to add a portable version to its gaming ecosystem. “With Asus we share this same obsession with the gamer and the desire to satisfy their needs,” explains Roanne Sones. And the need includes the desire to take your game library with you everywhere.
“Xbox Allys embodies this promise of maximum portability,” he says, advocating the “maximum flexibility” given to users to play anywhere, however they want. “Like television, movies or even books, entertainment today can be enjoyed from anywhere. Video games should be the same,” he adds. “That’s why we needed something we could put in your hands.”
The successful union of Asus’ technological knowledge and the Xbox universe
Here are ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally Because the genius that Playstation tried with its PS Portal, which is a remote screen and not an independent console, was to have integrated the handles of the Xbox controller.
The ROG Xbox Ally is enough to forget its somewhat high weight (715 g), which however seems much better distributed with this new way of holding the set. And the new, more pleasant triggers and, above all, the vibrations of the game reinforce the immersion.
The Xbox Ally X is an obvious cousin to the ROG Ally. But the difference is made inside with the presence of the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, more powerful than the Z1 Extreme of the ROG Ally X, with neural capabilities that should allow specific artificial intelligence functions to work locally. They will be used in particular to improve the image initially and, in the long term, to perfect Copilot Gaming, the internal AI intended to help you in the game thanks, in particular, to tips.
This isn’t an Xbox, but it’s still a bit.
Device designed for the Xbox universe, the newcomer claims its difference by the presence of an additional button on the left called Nexus. Serving as a key to directly access the Xbox Cave of Wonders, a dedicated interface that activates the game bar, this guide sends the player to the Xbox universe and not to Armory Crate, the one from Asus. It is even possible, if you don’t want the Windows 11 environment, to boot the machine directly into the interface known to Xbox players (Full Screen Experience). They will then have the reception, the game library, the menus, Xbox Game Pass, but also access to Microsoft cloud gaming, as well as the console remote control, this possibility of streaming games from your Xbox to your Xbox Ally X.
For console gamers, this ease of access coupled with a controller-style grip is a real value-add, compared to other handheld PC consoles that can be terrifying when you don’t have the reflexes for computer gaming. It is also this ease of use that Microsoft seeks with the opening of its family of products. But it is also the trap in which he finds himself.
Because for many, the name suggests that Xbox Ally is a portable Xbox console. This is not the case. Microsoft does not confirm this. This is the expression of its new promise: “Everything is an Xbox.” Xbox is becoming a brand, an ecosystem, and even more so with its portable console that aims to create a link between the PC and the console. You will be able to play your console games streaming or locally in PC version thanks to “Xbox Play Anywhere” (a single version for compatible media, with backup copies and easy change – almost a thousand compatible games). A possibility offered for many years between PC and Xbox. Through its approach, Xbox Ally brings even more conceptual and functional legitimacy.
The end of the separation between PC and console
Dissolving the line between the world of PC and that of consoles is the priority that Xbox seeks. Roanne Sones does not hide it and speaks of the “maximum expression” of a strategy aimed at unifying the platforms. The portable console should be that “end of the line.” “Players shouldn’t have to wonder if they own a console or PC game, just play it and the platform should present it to them,” he says.
The “very successful collaboration” with AMD, Asus, but also with Windows, which remains usable for all common PC uses (applications, productivity, navigation, etc.), makes the convergence evident. As an added benefit, Xbox agrees to open its product to third-party game libraries (Epic Game Store, Steam, Battle.net, Gog, Ubisoft+, etc.) that are now bundled together. “Flexibility” necessary to “improve the experience and eliminate certain historical pains for PC players,” admits the American manager.
With this device, Xbox also wants to provide PC console players with advantages that they would not have on their Xbox Series and with PC players, options that did not exist until then. The game profiles will appear, generalized on the console (frequency, power, frames per second adjusted according to the title), as well as all the image adjustments and controller activation at launch. The Xbox interface has already started rolling out to Windows PCs. “All this contributes to maximizing performance and autonomy,” says Roanne Sones. Autonomy, a notable strong point of Xbox Ally X compared to its cousin and other models on the market, easily reaching 3 hours of play in standard mode.
The ROG Xbox Ally X undoubtedly represents the closest thing between a console and a PC. The most powerful portable console on the market, with the best ergonomics in hand and more possibilities, it surely does not have an LED screen. But its panel is very well calibrated and benefits from a very noticeable anti-reflective coating. We’re just sorry that Asus and Xbox didn’t push the boundaries a little further to have a larger gaming surface, like the Steam Deck.
At 899 euros (with 1 TB of storage), it is less expensive than the Lenovo Legio Go 2 and the MSI Claw 8 AI (1,200 euros), but more than the Steam Deck, the star of the market, although less powerful.
For many “non-PC” gamers, Xbox Ally Xbox hopes to have an argument to convince newcomers to its proposal. Should we see this as the long-rumored end of consoles? On the Xbox side, we are promised “many more things to come”, a start to hardware expansion that is visibly unlimited and for all moments of life. Home console, PC, smartphone or portable console: everything will be an Xbox. As long as you play it.
Source: BFM TV
