*** ROG XBOX Ally X Discussion Thread ***

Yeah it kinda feels like Microsoft are going tactical with this. Perhaps it’s to appeal to the game pass holders? I got a feeling that steamOS is riding a wave at the moment and Microsoft are perhaps worried of a future of pc/mini pc steamOS installs and Microsoft are not in that loop, so to speak. I’d love to ditch windows 11 for my pc games and dual boot my pc.
Gotta also imagine that Microsoft will completely slow down development once released. End of the day, it’ll likely just be a launcher/wrapper with zero other benefit over standard Windows. I hope I’m wrong but MS have a reputation.
 
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Wonder if they’ll bother with a handheld series s now…or just skip that and go straight to these sort of devices.

I’ve owned both Decks and interested to see how much of an upgrade the X is. But mainly for the os updates as I have dual booted my OLED Deck before.
 
As I understand it the Xbox ally x uses the z2 extreme. Anyone know what uplift in performance is likely vs the current ally X that uses the Z1?
It uses Zen 5 over Zen 4 for the CPU. The GPU is RDNA 3.5, which is apparently RDNA 3 with mobile/iGPU specific optimisations - it also has more GPU cores. The APU should be mildly better for CPU-limited games, and probably a good few percent better for GPU workloads, albeit with a higher power cap so who knows what battery life will be like.

The non-extreme Z2 is just the Z1 extreme.
 
I really like the look of it especially the X model. The white model may as well of been named S to line up with the consoles imo. (Note that I still think Xbox naming system is dumb)

Anyway I do plan to get the X but I’m gonna have to save abit as I suspect it’s going to be £700-£800 min. I don’t think Microsoft will subsidise it in anyway
 
I love my SteamDeck but would happilly switch to anything else if it enabled me to natively have all my main launchers in one place and outperformed the SD (which anything new should, but let's ignore the Z2a)

As for pricing, it's going to be £700 isn't it? Instantly dead for me if so. It's the OS & Z2 that I care about, when/if someone releases a cheaper less flashy version I'm in!

If the Os is being ported to the older Ally too then that could make a cheap v1 a decent buy. I'd hope someone would run some comparisons.

At £700 it really is only for hardcore gamers. Not many are that keen to pay so much to play games on their lunch break.
 
It was more of a guess than recalling a rumour, but looking at the current Ally prices with the Z1 I think £700 or thereabouts is where it'll land :/
 
It was more of a guess than recalling a rumour, but looking at the current Ally prices with the Z1 I think £700 or thereabouts is where it'll land :/
Especially since it’ll use recent hardware chip tech, whereas something like the Switch 2, PlayStation, etc. are on ~4 year old tech and those platforms are presumably cheaper to produce as tech has moved on.
 
Xbox branding for something that isn't able to play Xbox console titles natively is disappointing.

If this gave the choice to dual boot into windows or Xbox console mode where my library of Xbox games were playable then I would probably buy it day 1.

As it stands, it isn't really making a strong use case for me personally.
 
I like the look of this.

Currently I play my Xbox library inc games pass games via GeForce Now (plus steam library etc) on my phone, tablet, laptop etc. Loads of controller options and it doesn't need an amazing Internet connection at lower res these days. For the odd occasion I needed off line gaming, the other handhelds I've tried weren't worth it. Also GFN is pretty kind on battery life.

So, on the one hand, Xbox are competing with their own services through cloud options like GFN and cross platform.

That being said, I can easily see this dominating the handheld market for the same reasons; integrating and enabling all the other gaming services but with the Xbox branding. Cost whilst a factor won't be a blocker either.

Nintendo Switch 2(3,4,5...) is a very targeted market so will always be successful in parallel.
 
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Xbox branding for something that isn't able to play Xbox console titles natively is disappointing.

If this gave the choice to dual boot into windows or Xbox console mode where my library of Xbox games were playable then I would probably buy it day 1.

As it stands, it isn't really making a strong use case for me personally.
Isn’t that exactly what it is promising?
 
Isn’t that exactly what it is promising?

To be fair I think there is a bit of intentional mixed messaging from Microsoft regarding the 'Xbox' Alley, strongly pitching it as a 'console' experience while also being branded 'Xbox', in the video they say "it plays like an Xbox, It's an Xbox class experience.", "if you've played a console, it's what you'd expect it to be.", it's really not surprising people might be confused, especially main stream audience.

 
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Not sure I understand your comment.

Is what exactly what it is promising?.

As in an Xbox shell experience.

All of the work they put into performance scaling and how easy it is to deploy Xbox games to windows…or heavily modified windows with an Xbox shell experience
 
I've enjoyed my portal so I'm defiantly interested in this.

I guess it all comes down to price.

Curretly on a PS5 but am very tempted to switch back to Xbox.

Maybe a gaming pc and the Ally X
 
Nintendo Switch 2(3,4,5...) is a very targeted market so will always be successful in parallel.

The Switch line of consoles are a mass market product. We aren't anywhere near that with handheld PCs although what this market may become exciting. Owning a Steam Deck, Switch 1/2 I've no reason to think that handhelds aren't going to become more important. And devices like the Switch, PS Portal, PS6 Portable (or whatever that becomes), Steam Deck 2 are all going to accelerate that interest in portable/hybrid systems. Which is good, particularly with how stagnant desktop PC gaming has become in terms of components and pricing.

As someone that had a soft spot for handheld consoles like the Game Boy, DS/3DS and PSP it's nice to see renewed development in this area.

To be fair I think there is a bit of intentional mixed messaging from Microsoft regarding the 'Xbox' Alley, strongly pitching it as a 'console' experience while also being branded 'Xbox', in the video they say "it plays like an Xbox, It's an Xbox class experience.", "if you've played a console, it's what you'd expect it to be.", it's really not surprising people might be confused, especially main stream audience.

The misdirection around this thing has been quite incredible; BBC news stories about a new handheld Xbox etc. There is nothing console about this thing; it's a Windows 11 handheld PC.

Even this thread should really be in the PC Games sub-forum with the Official Steam Deck thread et al.

As in an Xbox shell experience.

All of the work they put into performance scaling and how easy it is to deploy Xbox games to windows…or heavily modified windows with an Xbox shell experience

It's Windows 11 with a new dashboard that we haven't seen working with the third-party storefronts yet. And in a PC market where people are tied to Steam. It can't play any Xbox, 360, One or Series S|X games beyond unofficial emulation, or cloud streaming. Things that any other Windows 11 PC can do. To me the appeal of this is you are looking for an more powerful handheld PC that can play more demanding games and have hit the power limits of the Steam Deck LCD/OLED, Lenovo Go etc. Or want something Windows-based to play all those games such as Fortnite, COD, Apex which can't be played on Linux dues to the really invasive kernel-level DRM and anti-cheat programs they force you to install.

One of the rumours coming in off the back of this new ROG Ally is that MS has halted development of their actual handheld Xbox and is working fully towards their reference hardware with some degree of Xbox compatibility that will run some Xbox games (licensing with third-parties being the big issue). If that is the case then that next Microsoft Xbox hardware in 2027, or 2028 will be the true evolution for people still in their Xbox ecosystem. That's all assuming Microsoft doesn't just withdrawn from hardware fully in the intervening years. It often feels like they have a quarter-to-quarter, throw everything at a wall to see what sticks because they don't want to give up on the lucrative 30% digital cut even though they mis-managed the Xbox console was the didn't understand it was the Trojan horse to drive that eco-system. Ironically at a time when their software output is thriving (as a third-party publisher).

And part of me just wishes Microsoft could be more honest and admit 'we're a multi-platform publisher now who will be releasing PCs that play PC games that might have some of your old Xbox Console games available over streaming, or emulation'. Just so these 34m people don't get left out in the cold one day when their $1,000+ Xbox digital libraries stop being relevant.
 
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It isn’t just windows 11 though - they have drastically stripped it back, think they’ve killed off explorer.exe and made lots of efficiency gains…not saying it’s anywhere near perfect but it isn’t just windows 11.

My point was they put a lot of work into resolution scaling/dynamic scaling and yes, it won’t be an Xbox but pretty easily. I mean performance remains to be seen
 
It isn’t just windows 11 though - they have drastically stripped it back, think they’ve killed off explorer.exe and made lots of efficiency gains…not saying it’s anywhere near perfect but it isn’t just windows 11.

My point was they put a lot of work into resolution scaling/dynamic scaling and yes, it won’t be an Xbox but pretty easily. I mean performance remains to be seen

Ultimately it is. Sure there should be these performance improvements and this new dashboard with better controller integration, but development of OS's improving is par for the course. Valve have significantly improved Steam OS in the three and a bit years on the market. Even the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One had performance improvements over their lifetime that freed up RAM etc. But all of these improvements and software features will be coming to all Windows 11 users.
 
This is basically what Microsoft is moving towards. They want to eventually step away from hardware and concentrate on software.

They won't make their own hardware, they will provide a licence and OS to hardware manufacturers to create their own Xbox.

They've been moving this way for a while with the constant "Everything is an Xbox".

I also don't think it's a bad idea on their behalf.
 
This is basically what Microsoft is moving towards. They want to eventually step away from hardware and concentrate on software....

Indeed, but they do still want a walled garden to collect that juicy 30% cut. That's where Sony, Valve and Nintendo amongst others are thriving. And Windows 11 PC is how where they are heading with this 'Xbox as a Service'. But it's still this challenge and question mark over how they bring all those existing Xbox users to their new world. This partnership with ASUS on its own isn't likely enough and very much a stepping stone.
 
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