Microsoft's new Xbox handhelds – the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X – were revealed over the weekend at the Xbox Games Showcase during Summer Game Fest 2025 after months of rumors, and unsurprisingly, it sounds like Xbox was somewhat inspired by Nintendo and Valve when making them.
Nintendo really opened up a new door for gaming handhelds with the Switch, which was the first console to really go for the "console games on the go" approach (sure there were PS2 and PS3 games on the PSP and Vita, but it didn't quite hit the same). Since that blew up we had Valve step into the ring with the Steam Deck to do the same for PC games, and that's when the floodgates opened.
In the years since we've had the likes of the Asus ROG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go, MSI Claw, and – taking a page out of Nintendo's book – the Ayaneo Flip DS – all joining the ranks of the best gaming handhelds. And now Xbox is joining the handheld market, slapping an Xbox sticker on an Asus ROG.
Speaking on the Official Xbox Podcast, Xbox boss Phil Spencer talks about how the ROG Xbox Ally came to be. "I have found that getting to play my favorite games wherever I am just makes me enjoy them more," he says, while talking to the importance of Xbox Play Anywhere for a system like this.
He then gives props to the systems' eventual competition "from the work Nintendo did on the Switch, even before that if you think about handhelds and Nintendo's amazing track record there" as well as "Steam, what they did with the Steam Deck."
Spencer also talks about the importance of picking the right partner for the hardware, while allowing Xbox to focus on the software and platform work, and that's how Microsoft landed on Asus. And sure, the platform won't have any exclusive games, but if it's a better version of the existing Ally, then it should be a winner.
We have a hands-on preview with the ROG Xbox Ally X, which you can read right now!
