So far, most of our ROG Xbox Ally focus has been on the more powerful X model - you know, the one that's finished in black and has been talked about as the next all-powerful handheld gaming machine. But, we shouldn't forget that the most accessible version is going to be the base ROG Xbox Ally, and Microsoft has just spent a bit more time detailing the key differences between these two devices.
Speaking on a new episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, next-gen gaming boss at Microsoft Jason Ronald was asked about how the two systems compare. In short, Ronald says that the base machine is aimed at lower-spec 720p gaming, while the Ally X is targeting 1080p playback.
"So the Xbox Ally is really designed for 720p gaming on the go, so it uses AMD's Z2A processor, includes 16 gigs of memory, and it includes 512 gigs of storage. So it's really designed to be the more mainstream, more accessible version of the Ally. Whereas, the Ally X is really designed for the most demanding gamers who want that premium experience, so that's leveraging AMD's AI Z2 Extreme SoC. It comes with 24 gigs of memory, and it's got a full terabyte of storage, and that's designed around 1080p gaming."
What's more, the Xbox exec went on to mention that "it doesn't matter what kind of games you play" if you're using the more powerful Ally X - it should be able to tackle pretty much anything you throw at it, and "is going to be the home for all of your games". Ronald also namedrops Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, DOOM: The Dark Ages and Indiana Jones as some of the big games he's been playing on the X model.
Now, it's our understanding that such games should still be playable on the base machine, but you're going to have to sacrifice some that top-level fidelity to do so - and at a lower resolution, as Xbox's 720p target suggests. Just this week, Gears of War: Reloaded has been named as a ROG Xbox Ally 'certified' game, and we're hoping that this becomes a widespread program so that we all know what kind of experience we're getting with each title per device.