Late last week, at the preview event for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, I had the opportunity not only to get hands-on experience with the upcoming devices but also to speak with ASUS’s gaming division marketing team. We discussed the devices’ reception, the current handheld ecosystem, improvements from the original ROG Ally series, and more.
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**Shacknews:** Since you folks were at Gamescom, how was the reception for the ROG Xbox Ally, since that was a more public event?
**Sascha Krohn, Director of Technical Marketing, ASUS:** The reception was great. People were super excited. Especially at an event like Gamescom, which is all about the games, seeing people excited about hardware is always a very good sign. We had so many demos there, and people were trying all sorts of games on the device. The feedback was fantastic.
Interestingly, when people first saw the device, many had concerns about its aesthetics. But once they held it, they said, “Oh, wow, this feels amazing. It’s so comfortable. It doesn’t feel heavy at all.” All their concerns just melted away. Even skeptics who came over, tried it, and had a good time walked away with smiles. Reception was very positive.
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**Shacknews:** For people who already own a handheld system, like a Nintendo Switch 2 or a Steam Deck, how does Microsoft plan to attract players who already have ways to play handheld games?
**Krohn:** From our standpoint, we have many products that overlap. People ask why we’re making something that isn’t drastically different. The answer is simple: more options are better. We aren’t one-size-fits-all. We want to give users as many options as possible.
Competition in this market is healthy. For PC gaming handhelds, we believe we nailed it and are dominating the competition. We see others using similar panels, layouts, and joysticks. We welcome competition because it drives innovation.
Even those satisfied with Steam Deck or Switch 2 will appreciate having more alternatives. I encourage them to give the ROG Xbox Ally a try. It offers more performance, and ergonomics are arguably better than the Steam Deck’s—no offense to Gabe [Newell].
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**Shacknews:** When playing more intensive games, handhelds tend to overheat or fans get loud. How is the ROG Xbox Ally mitigating such issues to handle high-profile games?
**Krohn:** For the original ROG Ally and the Ally X, we already did a great job with cooling and performance, and most users are happy. For the ROG Xbox Ally series, we further improved cooling — the fan is thicker, airflow is increased significantly because the Z2 Extreme processor now runs at a higher Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 35 Watts compared to 30.
Our goal was to maintain the same low fan noise as the previous generation despite the higher wattage. You get the same noise levels in both performance and silent modes, with headroom to make it even quieter by 2–3 decibels.
This is important because many people play in bed at night with the device close to their face, where even small noises are noticeable. We’ve improved both thermals and acoustics to enhance the experience.
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**Shacknews:** For Xbox players, is it easy to transfer their game library to the ROG Xbox Ally? Is the process seamless?
**Whitson Gordon, Senior Manager of Marketing Content, Gaming at ASUS:** It depends on the game. Over a thousand games in the Xbox library are playable anywhere, and those sync your saves automatically. For games not playable anywhere, many older Xbox titles can be streamed through Xbox Cloud Gaming, so you still have access to them seamlessly.
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**Shacknews:** It usually takes years to improve on a predecessor. How did you manage to do it in just two years? When did you expedite a lot of work?
**Gordon:** Both our team and Microsoft’s Xbox team worked incredibly hard. Microsoft wanted to get a handheld out quickly, knowing that handhelds allow for agility in development. Since we’re a hardware manufacturer, we were already thinking about the next generation alongside working on the original.
Microsoft values seamless console experiences and fostering good relationships with developers to target this hardware. The collaboration between Xbox and Windows teams was unprecedented — they shared deep insights about background processes, which was new and exciting.
We remain agile. Just a year after the original Ally, we released the Ally X. When there’s user demand and community passion, which we saw with the original Ally, we move fast. We’re always thinking about the future, even if we can’t publicly say what’s next yet.
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**Shacknews:** How has the reception been for the ROG Xbox Ally so far?
**Gordon:** Very positive. Early previews were received well, but seeing it in the public’s hands is entirely different and exciting. One common piece of feedback at Gamescom was how much lighter the device felt than expected.
That’s due to the ergonomic grips, which spread the weight differently across your hands. Comfort changes your brain’s perception of weight, making it feel lighter. It was surprising how much that resonated with people.
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**Shacknews:** Battery life was a big issue with the original, especially with intensive games lasting only about an hour. How has that been addressed?
**Gordon:** When building the original ROG Ally, we prioritized weight to make it as lightweight as possible. We quickly learned that users cared more about battery life than minimal weight.
So with the Ally X, we doubled the battery size to 80Wh. That’s what people want the most — longer battery life. For those holding onto older handhelds, this is a significant upgrade in many ways.
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With these updates, ASUS and Microsoft are delivering a compelling handheld gaming experience that combines performance, comfort, and usability, aiming to broaden the handheld ecosystem for gamers worldwide.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146354/asus-developer-rog-xbox-ally-interview