Why the ROG Xbox Ally is the ultimate gaming device

If you’re about to invest in a gaming device and only have the wherewithal for one perfect gadget, the ROG Xbox Ally — or its souped-up brother, the ROG Xbox Ally X — might just be the ticket. It can go with you anywhere, act as the heart of an at-home big-screen setup, and do everything in between, letting you play your games whenever, wherever. Let’s break down why the ROG Xbox Ally is the ultimate device for any gamer in need of a one-stop-shop gaming solution.

The ROG Xbox Ally is portable and powerful

As a gaming handheld, the ROG Xbox Ally is supremely portable. It fits in just about any bag and, with Windows under the hood, still wields the power and flexibility of a proper gaming PC. This means you can take your favorite AAA games anywhere with ease, carrying less weight and size than most gaming laptops.

The ROG Xbox Ally also packs more impressive battery life thanks to its smaller power envelope and energy-efficient chip. The AMD Z2 series processors inside the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X power AAA games like a champ even at low wattages, enabling long gaming sessions before you need to grab your charger. And with a few tweaks in Armoury Crate Special Edition, you can further fine-tune power settings to get the most out of your handheld's battery. Check out our guide for how to extend the ROG Xbox Ally’s battery life.

The ROG Xbox Ally is a complete package

When you buy an ROG Xbox Ally, you’re all set to game. And we mean set.

The ROG Xbox Ally has Xbox-inspired controller grips and buttons built in, so no additional gamepad or keyboard is necessary. Its high refresh rate FHD 120Hz display delivers clear, colorful visuals, meaning there’s no need to buy a gaming monitor to keep up with your opponents in Call of Duty or Fortnite. The handheld’s built-in speakers are loud and crisp, sparing you the pressure to buy an extra soundbar or speaker set (though a pair of wireless earbuds would probably be appreciated in public). Truly, the ROG Xbox Ally has everything a gamer needs to dive in and get going.

We also bundle three months of Game Pass Premium with every unit, meaning you don’t even need to spend more on games when you buy the device. You’ll have access to hundreds of incredible Ally-friendly Game Pass games right out of the gate — it's basically like knocking $45 off the price of the handheld. Game Pass Premium also includes access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, so you can skip downloads and get right to playing the most demanding AAA games on the market with incredible fidelity.

And if you have an existing library of PC games, you can bring them all to your ROG Xbox Ally. Unlike many other handhelds that lock you into one storefront, the Ally runs on Windows. This means you can play all your PC games from any launcher just like you would on a standard gaming rig — whether you bought it on Steam, Xbox, Epic, or elsewhere.

Similarly, not all handhelds can run the latest, most popular multiplayer titles because those games use kernel-level anti-cheat systems designed exclusively for Windows. Think Battlefield 6 and Valorant. As the pack leader in Windows-powered handheld gaming, the ROG Xbox Ally gives you unfettered access to those games and more.

The ROG Xbox Ally features robust support

As a collaborative product built by ASUS and Xbox, you’re getting the combined talent and support of two gaming giants when you buy an ROG Xbox Ally.

This fine-tuned handheld welcomes you into the fold from the moment you boot it up, starting your gaming journey with the Xbox full screen experience. Designed to feel just like an Xbox, this controller-navigable interface puts your games front and center — no need to mess around with the Windows desktop (unless you want to, fellow modders).

Many games also support the Ally’s new Default Game Profiles, allowing your handheld to balance performance and power usage for that specific game — no need to tweak any settings (again, unless you want to). It’s just pick up and play. The ROG Xbox Ally also supports Advanced Shader Delivery for select titles, enabling said games to launch faster and run more smoothly, without having to wait for that “compiling shaders” screen.  To learn more about Advanced Shader Delivery and Default Game Profiles, click here. The roster of games that supports these features keeps expanding, so your favorite title might already be on the list.

And the future’s looking bright. Microsoft has outlined continued enhancements to the ROG Xbox Ally experience, including refinements to the docking experience aimed at smoother big-screen play. The company has also highlighted improvements to microSD formatting options, helping streamline storage management directly on the device. AI-powered innovations are part of that evolution as well, such as Automatic Super Resolution, designed to boost game performance while preserving visual clarity. Read more about what’s ahead on Xbox Wire.

All these features are just a few examples of how Microsoft and ASUS are committed to the future of the ROG Xbox Ally. Don’t forget that Microsoft is always improving Windows, the operating system under the hood of the device, too. So as Windows and the PC gaming platform get better and better, so will your ROG Xbox Ally gaming experience.

At the same time, we at ROG are always enhancing our Armoury Crate Special Edition app, the software that gives you convenient control over your ROG Xbox Ally’s hardware functions. From built-in gyroscope controls to button remapping and a heck of a lot more, Armoury Crate SE is your one-stop shop for customizing your Ally. And we’re making sure it only gets better over time.

The ROG Xbox Ally can transform into a living room console or desktop battlestation

With all the ROG Xbox Ally’s many perks, it may seem obvious how the handheld situates itself as the ultimate all-in-one proposition. You can take it out of your bag and get playing on a bus, plane, or train with no peripherals or setup required. It’s that simple.

But maybe you want to kick back on the couch, grab a controller, sit in front of a big TV, and use your ROG Xbox Ally in a traditional living room setup. You can do that. Just grab our 100W Gaming Charger Dock and use it to connect your handheld to any TV you want. Then connect a controller — say, for example, an ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless Controller — and voila. You’re set to play competitive Call of Duty or Halo Infinite’s blockbuster campaign just like any console gamer vibing in their living room.

Power users can even turn the ROG Xbox Ally into the heart of a PC gaming battlestation. With our ROG Bulwark Dock, you’ll have the ports you need to connect all your accessories, including a gaming keyboard, gaming mouse, gaming monitor, and an Ethernet cable for the speediest Internet possible. So if you’re a hardcore gamer who wants to dominate esports titles with modern monitors’ insane refresh rates, the precision of cutting-edge ROG keyboards and mice, as well as the speed of wired internet, you can do that. The ROG Xbox Ally will play the role of the PC powering all the action. You can even supercharge this setup with a 2025 ROG XG Mobile, an eGPU that’ll give you the graphical power of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 or 5070 Ti Laptop GPU to handle just about anything PC gaming currently offers. To learn more about turning an ROG Xbox Ally into a proper PC battlestation, check out our best accessories for the ROG Xbox Ally guide.

These various scenarios illustrate what we’ve been saying from the start: if you’re looking for one device to rule them all — one magic machine to handle all your gaming needs whether you’re at the desk, on the couch, or on the go — give the ROG Xbox Ally a look.