As part of Microsoft's day one Gamescom broadcast, the team has gone into a lot more detail on its ROG Xbox Ally devices, including the software experience we can expect on launch. While that experience will evolve over time as more and more games get tested, the team has announced its 'Handheld Compatibility Program' that will help curate the library - detailing the sorts of frame rates we can expect from each title.
Basically, much like Valve's Steam Deck 'Verified' program, Microsoft will let you know if it's tested a certain game on ROG Xbox Ally. Then, if it passes, it will get one of two tags - depending on the results of that testing:
- Handheld Optimized: This indicates games that are ready to go
- Mostly Compatible: This indicates games that may require minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience
From there, Microsoft is taking things one step further. The team says that if an ROG Xbox Ally game is aiming for 60FPS, it will get a "should play great" badge through its new 'Windows Performance Fit' indicator. If 30FPS is the game's frame rate target, it'll get a "should play well" badge on ROG Xbox Ally instead.
Of course, much like the aforementioned Steam Deck, this will all evolve over time as Microsoft continues to test the thousands of games that are available on Windows PC. Still, it's good to see such a sharp focus on ROG Xbox Ally performance, and we particularly like those frame rate tags that will give us a better idea of how each game will play per device.