Microsoft and ASUS announce release dates and more for ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds

Microsoft and ASUS have announced the dates for the release of the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X announced back in June, with the mobile consoles due to hit shelves globally (including Australia) on October 16th. 

While pricing is still yet to be released, the announcement has also given Microsoft the opportunity to talk about the ‘Handheld Compatibility Program’. 

This program introduces two new badges for games “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible”. These badges offer an insight to if a game is ready to go on these new mobile devices, or need a little tweaking. 

As well as the compatibility program, Microsoft has spoken about other features for the Xbox ROG Ally and XBOX ROG Ally X, with new AI features powered by the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. 

AI features will include Automatic System Resolution (Auto SR), a feature that uses the NPU to upscale games running at lower res, while Highlight Reels will capture all your standout moments from your gaming session and generate short replay clips for your friends, family or socials. 

The handheld consoles will also use Advanced Shader Delivery, that pre-loads game shaders during downloads, so they’re ready to go when you are, running smoother and faster. 

ASUS and Microsoft still have more to announce – most importantly the pricing – but they have teased a more improved docking experience that will support ‘big-screen gaming, Auto SR, intuitive controller pairing, optimized display output, and more!’ 

After playing with both generations of the ASUS ROG Ally, I can’t wait to get these new Xbox versions in hand and playing games.