Things have changed over the past few years for the video game industry. With the help of cloud gaming becoming a more viable option, players want to enjoy games anywhere. Microsoft, for one, is looking to try to answer the call of players who want to play some of their favorite PC games on the go natively or through the cloud. There are a few options available already in the marketplace, but Xbox is hopeful you’ll consider the ROG Xbox Ally.
These handhelds are not developed by Microsoft in-house. Instead, we knew early on that this was a joint venture with Microsoft partnering up with ASUS to deliver these two devices. What we didn’t know is just when exactly these two handhelds would be available in the marketplace, or how much they would set consumers back.
ROG Xbox Ally Launches October 16
Taking to the official Xbox Wire, Microsoft confirmed that the two handhelds will be available on October 16, 2025, across multiple markets. As mentioned, these devices are made to allow players to enjoy some of their favorite PC games on the go or through cloud gaming. However, to go one step further, Microsoft has rolled out what they are calling the Handheld Compatibility Program.
This program is aimed at helping verify and optimize games. Essentially, players can expect the game to run without any issues or setting changes if they see the “Handheld Optimized” badge. Meanwhile, if there is a “Mostly Compatible” badge, this indicates that only a few minor tweaks might be required to run the game optimally.
While it’s nice to see that we finally have a release date attached to these two handhelds, there’s still one major factor missing here. Microsoft is still not sharing the official price points for the ROG Xbox Ally or the ROG Xbox Ally X. Those details, along with when consumers can pre-order the handhelds, will be shared in the coming weeks.
