Why the ROG Xbox Ally Debut Is Important for the Gaming Market

On October 16, the ROG Xbox Ally, the portable console from Asus and Microsoft, debuts in Italy. Technically, it's a Windows 11 mini-PC disguised as a gaming machine. Unlike the Steam Deck, which runs SteamOS (Linux + Proton), the Ally doesn't require translations or special compatibility: it can install and run any PC client. What sets it apart from its natural competitors like the MSI Claw A8, Lenovo Legion Go, and other Steam Decks is its partnership with Xbox.

ROG Xbox Ally is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor with four Zen 2 cores and eight threads, an eight-core AMD RDNA 2 GPU, 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 RAM, a 512GB M.2 SSD, and a 60Wh battery for extended gaming sessions. Xbox also brings an advanced shader management system to Ally, allowing the Xbox client to preload shaders as they download. This allows supported games to launch up to 10 times faster, run more smoothly, and consume less battery life on the first run. Technically, the promise is to have a powerhouse capable of enabling AI features like Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR), a system feature that uses the NPU to upscale games to higher resolutions, ensuring more detailed graphics and a smoother frame rate without developer intervention. And Highlight Reels automatically captures key moments of your gaming sessions—like epic boss fights or major victories—and generates short clips to share with friends or on social media.

For Microsoft, the mission is to bring its dominance as the largest video game publisher ever to a dedicated hardware platform. Technologically, it's an important step toward a unified Windows–Xbox experience. Windows 11 has been criticized for not being a suitable software platform for hosting console-like gaming experiences. The success of this device will depend on Windows, but also on its decision to be agnostic and therefore allow access to platforms like Steam, Xbox Game Pass, Epic, Ubisoft Connect, and any PC launcher. Conceptually, it's a machine born from the philosophy of Microsoft CEO Satya Natella, a machine that doesn't seek exclusive experiences but intends to federate different services. In this sense, we are at the opposite end of the spectrum from Nintendo's closed and perfect world. Precisely for this reason, the two models are worth keeping an eye on, as they vividly represent the two souls of the video game industry. Spoiler alert: there won't be a clear winner. The Nintendo Switch 2 has no rivals. They've proven it over time: they're the best at what they do and know more than anyone else what gamers want. What will be interesting to see is whether a new type of video game optimized to take advantage of this platform will emerge. If so, we might have something new in an industry going through one of the most difficult moments in its history.