Report: Xbox Handheld For 2025 Being Made By ASUS, Will Feature Console-Like Interface

Honestly, I had few portable consoles. The PSP, the 3DS and the Vita, and the only reason I bought them was for the exclusives.
Some KOEI and Atlus games, mostly.
Nowadays I have zero interest on a portable console.
I mean, I bought a big ass TV to play my games. I know the portable one you can use on the bed if you want but I wouldn't give it enough use to justify buying it.

Hell yes. I'm all for that. My question will be storage space and price. How would they go about making native storage affordable given the current storage price for the S/X? Unless it's heavily cloud-based with the 2027 model being more storage-centric and affordable (assuming they can figure out how to get around those tech barriers).

Either way, this is massively exciting and points positively towards how next gen will operate and if they can unify the platforms - we should see a lot of incentive for PC games to seamlessly head on over to the console (and handheld).

Further, with Blizzcon coming 2026, we may see WoW coming over to console if the platforms are unified for 2027 (next gen). This is pretty huge if you ask me in regards to the endless possibilities.

You can expect ROG Alloy pricing then - £600 upwards.

If that turns out to be the case it will not gain a foothold in the mass market. ROG Ally hasn't even hit 1m.

They heard me! I’ve been moaning about the poor coverage of Play Anywhere games across the Xbox library on many of these comment sections, so I’m very happy to hear they are actually putting in the work to merge Xbox and PC into one development platform rather than just throwing away backwards compatibility (which would be an unmitigated disaster).

As for the handheld itself… tricky one. Switch 2 is still the obvious choice for me because it has Nintendo exclusives. It really is as simple as that. And at the end of the day I can only carry one handheld with me when I travel. Well, I could take two, but it’s SO much more convenient to consolidate my handheld game library and accessories around one device. It’s the same reason why I never got a Steam Deck OLED even though I was mighty tempted.

I like it! The Armoury Crate software on the ROG Ally X takes all the games downloaded on your device, regardless of the platform you downloaded it from (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox, etc) and puts them all in a singular list to select from. I imagine the interface would be something like that. Its not perfect, but it gets the job done.

If it can get GTA 6 to run on it and it comes in at an affordable price, that combo will sell like crazy this holiday season... if it indeed is coming in 2025.

@Kaloudz
Definitely not for me I’m a big TV gamer only.
My switch has never been undocked from day one game wise.
Hope it works out of course.
Will be interesting to see if Xbox next home console is manufactured by another company set up to produce these things.

Nice. The ROG Ally is excellent. Better optimisation for lower TDP through a bespoke OS sounds like a winner here!

I'll not be buying this handheld. I'm at home 99.9% of the time (I have a severe back condition that makes walking, and even standing extremely painful, so I rarely leave home), and so it simply isn't necessary for me.

I bought a Switch when Pokémon Scarlet & Violet released in 2023. I have never played a Pokémon game, and in all honesty, I bought the Switch in order to play the Bayonetta 2 and 3 (although I also bought the first Bayonetta game), but as I was buying a Limited Edition Pokémon Swtich, I also bought Pokémon S&V, Zelda BotW, Zelda TotK, and Metroid Prime. Out of all of those 7 games, the only one I have played is Zela BotW! Thus, not only have I still not played a Pokémon game, but in the two years that I have owned a Switch, I have only played one game, and to cap it off, because I am always at home I played it in docked mode anyway...! 🤣 I also bought a controller for it, but as the buttons are in the wrong place (when compared to the Xbox controller) I was constantly pressing the wrong buttons, which quickly became annoying.

So no, not interested in the slightest in buying it for myself. I am curious though, will it be capable of being linked to a television? Can the current Rog do that?

I love my Rog Ally but hopefully the battery life is a little better with this one.

Handheld PCs are awesome devices! I'm hoping that "home console" PCs are the next hot market.

@OldGamer999 I used to be TV only too, but between the 14 year old, the 9 year old and the 5 year old, finding time for the TV is harder than it would be to whip out a quick handheld. Would also be nice to play whilst sat with the wife. Hell, it'd be cool for same room co-op too.

This sounds great, but I don't know how it will succeed unless it has a competitive price point. With Nintendo releasing Switch 2 in a couple months, and the Steam Deck being the go-to handheld for handheld PC's, this is going to have a hard time getting any momentum.
The price needs to be at least around Switch 2 range, and Xbox needs to start doing more to support the PC side of their gaming.

@Lup I have the Rog Ally, it's nothing like old handhelds, you can play PC, Xbox Gamepass and PS5 games on it, as well as others.
It can play a lot of games at 1080p at higher Framerates than both the PS5 and Xbox at the same resolution using turbo mode,it has Full HD 120Hz high refresh rate display with FreeSync , it already has RDNA 3 so includes the benefits of that, it can also run as a Windows PC, you have a choice of about 20 different 3rd party docking stations, you can connect to HDMI TV and monitors, charge, use lan, USB C etc from the dock.
You don't have to use Windows, a one button press takes you to the 'Armoury Crate' where you can access all your game libraries etc. You can download Gamepass games direct to it you don't have to stream.
If you have Xbox Ultimate Gamepass you get the 'Play Anywhere' titles included so you get both the Xbox version and the PC version.

PC has the biggest Game Library of all platforms - inc games from Sony and MS as well as emulation of Nintendo, Sega and older Console Games too. Microsoft have Play Anywhere - buy a game for Xbox, play it on PC too - so you may already have a library of games and if you have Game Pass Ultimate, you have Game Pass for PC too.

Most PC games are built for Windows with DirectX too so they have that in Common with Xbox Consoles. A Handheld PC is much more than just a 'Console' - even if that's all you use it for. Being a PC, you can use it as a 'PC' too, check your emails, check websites etc on the 'go' too. As for 'preservation', the PC has the 'best' preservation of any Gaming hardware...

Each to their own of course, but if its about Gaming/Library size, the PC wins and as 'most' here probably own an Xbox and/or Game Pass Ultimate Subscription, they may already have access to hundreds of Games on PC. Also it shares your Saves across both so you can continue playing ANYWHERE (Xbox Consoles, PC or via Game Pass Cloud).

Price could be a Factor and I doubt Asus would subsidise their Hardware like Console manufacturers can and do. That being said, the RoG Ally is decent and costs less than a PS5 Pro with a 120hz VRR 1080p Display built in. I wouldn't be surprised if the next one is similarly priced but ultimately more capable too...

I have a ROG Ally. I was not convinced on the utility of the device, but it was offered free with the purchase of an Asus laptop. It is kinda exactly as I expected, niche product...

If it is supposed to be for portable on the go gaming, it really doesn't serve that purpose. After all it is too big to put in your pocket. You need to have a backpack to bring it along, in which case why not game on a bigger screen... laptop? If you're at home you are going to want to game on a bigger screen...

Also battery life is dreadful, sure it gets me through gaming on my dinner break at work (I work evening shifts), but again not something you can be away from a power source for any length of time. And again if I want to game at work during dinner break, I might as well game on my laptop with a bigger screen...

I hope they offer existing Ally owners the option to download the new UI.

@GoldenPants Lapton screens tend to suck tho, unless you spend big. The Ally screen is small (but massive if you're used to Switch) but quite lovely. And there vrr too.

If my entire Xbox library was available on it, then maybe but as in reality, only a tiny portion of my digital library is available on PC, then this holds little appeal for me

I had no interest until I read this. Now I'm intrigued

Not for me I'm all about big TV gaming
🕺💃🌌🌄🤪

@Kaloudz I'm in the same boat as you the kids takes priority on the TV right now. Also with the handheld it lets me play games that wouldn't be appropriate for him to see anyway. Like dying light 2 or RD2. I can't say how good the desktop/gaming versions of the rog ally controll scheme is it's amazing.

@Fiendish-Beaver current ROG Ally can be linked to a monitor or TV yeah. The only hard part is getting VRR to work as you generally need to buy a hdmi 2.1 or DisplayPort dock which are more expensive. I dock mine to a 100hz monitor and use it as a PC in the day.

If you have a lower powered game outputting at 1080p it looks slightly better than a switch on a 4k TV (presumably because the TV integer upscaling handles it much better), anything lower res and it's better on a monitor (or ya know, handheld)

It makes low end graphics look gorgeous, but if handheld isn't your bag then this new Xbox will do little to change your mind!

@GoldenPants Sounds like you have an older Rog Ally with the smaller battery and not the Ally X.

You can buy a battery pack kit from Amazon, it gives far longer battery life for the original Ally.

@Fiendish-Beaver the current rog ally can play on a TV or even a laptop. Also the single greatest thing about it is it's windows so any game store you can get on windows works well. I have a bunch of my old psp games on it like final fantasy tactics. The huge advantage over the switch is loading times .

@carlos82 With Xbox adding more and more non game pass to cloud gaming some day most of your library might be available. My ally is amazing with cloud gaming.

@Rog-X I have both rogs and the X is three times the battery life probably. I also play plugged in in my recliner and have a really good battery pack for longer trips.

That's cool, @VisitingComet1. Thank you...

Ideal. Thank you, @Coletrain

@VisitingComet1 Exactly right you are. So many games I play are not appropriate for kids and, I don't know about yours, but mine seem instantly interested in what I'm doing the moment I'm doing something they shouldn't be seeing. It's like a sixth sense. I could be in another room and the minute I put something mature on... In they come to wreck the dayyyyyy!

So if its doing windows with an xbox interface, will I be able to download and use steam?

While I’m not interested in a handheld I’m curious about that “Xbox OS”, if they manage to bring over the legacy Xbox library (from OG to Series X|S) plus PC/Steam library I’d be very interested in trying it out.

It'll be hard for me to put down my legion go for this (I'm not planning to upgrade PC handhelds for a while), but if the software efforts of this device become widely available that'd be amazing. Like how now that the Steam Deck is out SteamOS is becoming something that anyone can download for an improved gaming experience on any PC. I much prefer the wide support of windows and being able to easily access a plethora of games and storefronts (especially all my Xbox Play Anywhere titles). I'd be a very happy camper if with this device there's a major software improvement for the user interface and user experience for everyone who games on windows.

There's a lot to be curious about regarding bells and whistles. What exactly will that improved Xbox like experience look like and will this be cutting edge (with the latest internals including an NPU for copilot+ stuff like super resolution) or be outdated on launch to undercut the market? There's a lot of comments about competition or who is this for. It very much seems to me that there's no way in hell this is directly competing with a Nintendo Switch in the same way that Handheld PCs don't (unless Nintendo goes crazy and jacks the switch price up to like $500, but even then not really). Microsoft also probably won't care too much about sales in general as at the end of the day it's still an OEM. The goal most likely will be to whett people's appetite for next Gen plans (assuming all these reports are right and next gen also heavily focuses on unifying Xbox and Windows gaming experiences), test the waters to better optimize those plans, and push for developers to make more Xbox Play Anywhere games and support the Xbox App on PC. It'll be a niche product within a niche market that mostly serves as a science experiment.

Also if this is true lord I cannot wait for the posts of playing PS exclusives on this Xbox branded handheld PC. That'll be hilarious if nothing else. If Xbox is going with unifying Xbox and Windows than both platforms stand to benefit a lot. PC is the single largest platform in terms of game support and in terms of active users it dwarfs any individual console. However, very little of that support is natively given to the Microsoft Store and Xbox App due to well a lot of reasons, but a huge one is just how poor the experience is there. It could benefit a lot from a console like overhaul. For Xbox as well, there's still games that ONLY launch on PC (including the Microsoft Store) that'd be wonderful if they could join the console space. Like Sega's Total War games. The big elephant in the room is WOW now that Microsoft owns ABK. This would also be a huge competitive advantage for Xbox that other platforms can't easily replicate as only Microsoft owns both Xbox and Windows (the fact that Valve has already kinda beaten them to the punch is rather sad). Xbox can capture more PC gamers on their first party platform and keep their hardware relevant and maybe even grow it through PC gamers who want a companion console for the living room (and for PC gamers not interested in consoles at all or who don't care much, a device that let's them play their favorite games with cross progression and isn't that expensive might be an easier buy).

It's all speculation, but in any case Xbox is showing a greater push for Xbox Play Anywhere this year (like putting it at the start of the Dev Direct). We've also already had Xbox at CES apparently just to say that they're working to make gaming on Windows better. Regardless of how plans pan out, those will likely continue to move forward.

@Kaloudz basically exactly this. I really only let my kid play Minecraft or Lego Star wars, but yeah the second I want to play some zombie infested thing that would cause nightmares he is totally interested.

Releasing this low demand device's main consequence will be customer confusion when they release their dedicated handheld in the next few years. This is the most Xbox move possible, creating L's when no one else would even see an opportunity for one. I would bet this is Aaron Greenberg's brainchild.

@GoldenPants exactly my thinking but owned steam deck. While a great device, there is no scenario to use it for me.
Hence switch is the choice for better portability (lighter, smaller, and better battery life) and exclusives. Next 3d mario and botw remaster for me is a day 1 purchase

I think its good and they are testing waters with bridging PC and xbox gap. Its clear they are looking at a way to convert xbox players to PC players.

Not really for me as I will be buying switch 2. But xbox-pc hybrid home console if done properly can be really interesting choice (I doubt the implementation will be good tho).

And yeah unfortunately any 3rd party manufacturing means higher price tag as these companies earn on hardware and will charge markup.

@Kaloudz reminds me of when you're a kid watching summat with your parents and you see your first sex scene 🤣

No kids, beggar off, I'm trying to play death stranding here. Come back when marios on

I do love gaming on a TV, but my deck has just become my go to now, due to it's versatility and the fact I can cloud game and stream from my PS5 (plus connect to my TV) and play that way. Ultimately, this could be the future of gaming.

Jez Corden advises readers to take the information with a "grain of salt"

When it concerns Mr Corden I usually do.

However:

• $499 - $599
• The Xbox handheld isn't expected to run console versions of Xbox games
• It's believed the system will feature support for Steam, the Epic Games Store, Battle.net

So, zero mass market appeal if any of the above rings true. It'll be just another version of the ROG Ally with an Xbox logo slapped on the front. 🤷

What’s the difference from rolly and steam deck ? It better have a oled and good speakers . Is this the official Xbox console or the partnered oem one ?

More options for gamers. Each person can decide whether they want one themselves or not. Me, I spend a lot of time travelling in planes, ferries, and vehicles so I will definitely pick one up. My current ROG Ally gets a lot of good use.

I have been saying here, and elsewhere, that the next generation of Xbox will be a disguised PC in a box and that Asus would be the first partner with hardware.

But nobody listens to me. ☹️

Just another flop PC handheld and lmao at the people pretending the ROG is some kind of powerhouse when it's weaker than a Series S.

This will be nice, I really hated the Rog ZX1 because I essentially needed to plug a mouse and keyboard in it to set it all up and adjust settings. Simpler UI for handhelds would seem like a minimum requirement but obviously not as the target market was PC and not the every day gamer.

Aside from that, are the real Xbox fans watching Minecraft the movie in a few weeks or nah? Where da fanboys at?

I have absolutely zero interest In this no thanks I'll stick to my switch

I would have been interested in a portable series s. But I don’t want a rog ally that streams cloud games. Oh well. Sounds interesting tho. Maybe I just don’t understand the concept yet.

If it can't play my digital xbox games then the only reason to buy it over any other windows handheld is the price... Unless it's as good as the MSI claw 8 but costs about 600 I don't see a reason to buy it...

@Dalamar73 could be with a better OS or at least more user friendly and with lower price because MS most likely won't charge Asus for the license. After all thats how Steam Deck became the most popular pc handheld. User friendly OS (even tho steam os is a joke compared to windows) and low price (even tho it is by far the weakest pc handheld).

Not a bad price at all if the kit is right. I'm intrigued.

@Coletrain LMAO! That's practically a step-by-step accurate portrayal of the first time I saw O_o

@VisitingComet1 I'm glad it's not just me. It's infuriating isn't it. Meanwhile, they never pester the other half when they're doing the same. Abuse or what lol.

If they can put something like series s in small package and at reasonable price like 300-400€ that could work otherwise I don't think so.

Could gaming? No thanks, instant deal breaker. Absolutely no purpose in having a dedicated handheld for that when my phone can do that just fine.

Wow.

A heavily subsidized PC handheld that's competitive in power with what's out there right now, but with a price closer to something like the Switch 2, would actually be pretty awesome.

$500. Performance in line with an Ally X. Decent battery life. Can run Steam. Bundle it with Game Pass. I would buy that.

I wonder if the interface is a version of Asus's Armor Crate or something microsoft has cooked up. Armor Crate is decent but has room for improvement.

@Rog-X Yes correct, I have Ally not Ally X. Googling direct from ASUS website they state Ally X battery life for AAA gaming on the X is double the previous generation at 2.7 hrs. That is certainly more reasonable than the max 1.5hrs I would see, but I still see this as a niche product. And yes I could also carry a big powerbank as a simple solution to battery life issues, but this is still not a portable gaming device (won't fit into any of my pockets...), it is luggable, I still need a backpack to carry it, but then I might as well game on my laptop's larger screen.

@jesse_dylan. It let's you download and Play games, including Gamepass games Xbox/PC, PS5 etc, streaming is just part of Ultimate Gamepass.

This is actually Microsoft moving into the portable PC market, the Xbox handheld is supposibly coming in 2027.

@GoldenPants Well as you have the old Rog Ally, there is always the much more powerful battery upgrade kit from Amazon etc.

Playing AAA games portable all the time is obviously not the best idea, especially as you can't use turbo mode at 30W without a power bank or dock.

For less heavy games just turn the watts down manually, the battery will last for ages

You won't find any modern handheld with this sort of power small enough to put in your pocket.

@Rog-X Ah, okay. It's worded a little confusingly! Depending on what all it can do, I actually do need to replace my PC. But I guess it depends if it does windows stuff as well, or if that'll be the next one (or the NextBox). Could be an option for me.