Xbox has revealed its new handheld line, the ROG Xbox Ally and the Xbox Ally X, made in partnership with Asus. And I got the chance to play it during Summer Game Fest. My colleague Tom Warren has already broken down how the handheld works with its operating system, UI, and integration with the Xbox app and third-party game stores. Meanwhile, I’ll get into the simple experience of playing the dang thing — and the biggest selling point, for me, was comfort.
Despite my best efforts, the Xbox PR reps did not let me peek at the device’s storefronts or play the much-anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong. So for this brief hands-on overview, I’ll cover the game that I did get to play — Gears of War: Reloaded.
I can sum up my experience with the Xbox Ally X (as I recall, the less powerful white Xbox Ally was not available) with a few words: I need this. The Xbox Ally X felt roughly the same weight as a Steam Deck. But with its hand grips, modeled to resemble the form factor of an Xbox controller, it felt like a literal dream.
I’ve struggled with my Steam Deck for a long time because it’s not comfortable to hold. After extended gaming sessions, my hands stiffen into claws that take a moment to regain their flexibility and normal use. While I wasn’t able to spend hours playing the Xbox Ally X to test my hands’ endurance, I could already notice the difference in my fingers within moments of picking it up. It felt good to hold, both in weight and form factor.
As for playing Gears, it was a seamless experience. Microsoft had the remaster of the seminal Xbox shooter (its second remaster in the game’s 25-year history) set up across the different platforms that the game supports. I played on a regular Ally at first, then I moved over to the Xbox Ally X, and the differences were subtle but noticeable. The device’s weight felt comparable to a Steam Deck. I performed better on the Xbox Ally X, which could be a component of having already warmed up, but my shooting was tighter and more accurate.
Visually, between the Ally and the Xbox Ally X, I didn’t notice a difference, but I really wasn’t looking for one. I was so enamored with how comfortable it felt in my hands that any graphical differences seemed less important in comparison. I wish I could have seen more of the home UI to judge the ease of loading in games or jumping from Steam games to Xbox games or judge Xbox Play Anywhere games versus those streamed from an Xbox or over the cloud. But like I said, the eagle-eyed PR folks kept this to a Gears demonstration only.
I love the portability of my Steam Deck, Switch, and PS Portal. Those three are my preferred ways to play over my desktop and consoles. While there are still a lot of question marks around the Xbox Ally X, particularly with its interface and how it holds up over long sessions, that little bit of comfort has gone a long way to selling me on a portable Xbox.
