After months of rumors and hypothesis, Microsoft, in partnership with ASUS, has lastly revealed the long-awaited ROG Xbox Ally. We acquired our first have a look at the Xbox handheld on the Xbox Showcase on June 8, marking the corporate’s first official foray into the transportable gaming house. Nonetheless, it additionally got here with a shock: a customized Home windows 11 expertise optimized for handhelds, very like Valve’s SteamOS for Steam Deck. After some questioning, Microsoft has confirmed some thrilling information for those who already personal a transportable gaming console with Home windows 11.
In line with Stephen Totilo at Sport File, Microsoft confirmed that the customized ‘Xbox Expertise’ OS, seen on the ROG Xbox Ally, shall be coming to different handhelds. “The Xbox full display screen expertise will come first to Ally and Ally X, and we’ll replace the in-market ROG Ally and Ally X. Comparable full display screen Xbox experiences shall be rolling out to different Home windows handhelds starting subsequent yr.”
The ROG Xbox Ally, beforehand often called ‘Venture Kennan,’ was a real shock on the Xbox Showcase on June 8, contemplating current rumors that Microsoft had scrapped plans for a devoted handheld. Out there in two fashions coming later this yr, the handhelds make the most of AMD processor {hardware} and include a minimum of 16GB of reminiscence. Each gadgets run on a customized model of Home windows 11, known as ‘Xbox Expertise,’ which seems to be like Microsoft’s tackle SteamOS.
The reveal of the Xbox-like interface was arguably as massive a shock as seeing the Xbox Ally on June 8, as we did not anticipate to see a model of Home windows 11 optimized for handhelds till subsequent yr a minimum of. Microsoft’s weblog asserting the gadgets, the working system seems to be like a cross between SteamOS, the Xbox dashboard, and the Xbox Sport Bar. That is going to be very interesting to players who personal a bunch of Xbox and PC video games, because it’ll be a far simpler method of accessing these as a substitute of utilizing a vanilla model of Home windows 11 that feels annoyingly clunky on even the greatest handheld consoles.
The revamped software program additionally boasts Straightforward Anti-Cheat (EAC) options, which seek for gamers utilizing cheats and mods in on-line matches in video games similar to Fortnite and Dragon Ball FighterZ. As a result of EAC works with Home windows 11, this function may give Microsoft an enormous benefit over SteamOS, as Valve has but to unravel compatibility points with video games which have EAC. If Microsoft places the pedal to the gasoline and makes Xbox Expertise obtainable for different handhelds sooner reasonably than later, it may probably leapfrog SteamOS.
For now, we’ll have to attend and see if the ROG Xbox Ally can dethrone the Steam Deck OLED, however given this newest replace, it seems to be promising for Asus and Microsoft. Within the meantime, check out our Steam Deck 2 hub to see what Valve could also be planning for its subsequent gaming handheld to tackle the ROG Xbox Ally. Or, for those who’re one thing extra cell to your pocket, take a look at our guides to the greatest gaming telephones and the greatest gaming tablets.
