Last weekend, Microsoft revealed the ROG Xbox Ally line. A partner device with Microsoft OEM ASUS, it promises to be a portable way to play Xbox games with an Xbox device.
However, there seems to have been a mixup over what the device actually is, in spite of the detailed explanations Microsoft gave during and after the Xbox Game Showcase. PureXbox had to clarify in an article a few days later that it does not offer a way to play Xbox console games natively on the device.
There was certainly a lot of speculation on what Microsoft was planning to announce in the leadup to this Xbox Game Showcase, as there was a lot of hinting about Xbox being more closely connected to PC. To sum up, this is the big selling point Microsoft gave for these new devices:
We’ve optimized Windows 11 to be easy to use on the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X from the moment you power on. Game Bar makes it easy to return home, browse your library, launch or quit games, chat with friends, open apps, adjust settings, and more.
Now, with the integration of ASUS’s innovative Armoury Crate, Game Bar also gives you streamlined access to advanced device and input controls. Details like the lock screen and task switcher have also been adjusted for easy navigation with a controller.
Microsoft also explained that as a Windows 11 device, every game that can be played on Windows can be played on the ROG Xbox Ally. That includes PlayStation games that were published on PC, and presumably, even the PlayStation Plus Windows app.
Microsoft did not make any specific promises on how they would bring Xbox and PC together, but the disappointment about this announcement is justifiable to some degree. There were rumors that Microsoft was working on an Xbox emulator on Windows, which could still be true, but were not proven right at last weekend’s event.
On the flip side, there were rumors that Microsoft set aside their internal Xbox handheld for partner devices last month as well, before the recent claim that that initiative has been completely cancelled. It’s entirely possible that this is the same rumor, from similar sources, that’s been filtered out an interpreted differently. So unless Microsoft makes an official announcement, we wouldn’t consider the idea cancelled completely.
The truth is, there’s a lot of rumors about what Microsoft is doing that still haven’t been proven true. Here and now, we do know that Xbox account owners have several options to play their Xbox console games on the ROG Xbox Ally. That includes Xbox Play Anywhere, Game Pass overlap between console and PC, xCloud streaming, and cross-progression, which you can use on both games you had to double dip for and free-to-play titles alike.
It’s also true that a better Windows gaming experience on handhelds will be a huge game changer, whether you have an Xbox account or not. So we’ll see how the ROG Xbox Ally, and Microsoft’s future Xbox handhelds, work out.
