Home windows might show a wonderfully appropriate platform for gaming on a standard PC, however on handheld units just like the ROG Ally, Legion Go, and even the Steam Deck, it’s one other story. Microsoft’s working system is usually too clunky and irritating while you’re restricted to a gamepad for enter. The upcoming Xbox-branded Ally from Asus, nonetheless, has promised an answer with a devoted, controller-friendly consumer interface for operating PC video games on the go. These units have but to hit cabinets, however a downloadable preview of a brand new model of Home windows 11 is giving of us entry to the brand new interface on nearly any Home windows handheld gadget.
Learn Extra: Steam Ate Microsoft’s Lunch On PC, It’s About To Do The Identical On Handhelds
As famous by The Verge, The upcoming 25H2 replace for Home windows 11 helps you to launch the brand new gaming-focused, fullscreen Xbox app for Home windows with only a few tweaks to the registry and the assistance of a third-party device (a Reddit put up by consumer Gogsi123 outlines the entire course of). In contrast to the overlay that software program corporations like Asus present for his or her Home windows handhelds, this new Xbox app skips the complete Home windows desktop surroundings in favor of a fullscreen, controller-friendly expertise. And individuals are discovering, by the use of the preview workaround, that it appears to result in marginal efficiency good points as properly.
Learn Extra: The Xbox Ally PC Gaming Handheld Feels Nice, However At What Value?
Whereas this model of the fullscreen Xbox app requires some legwork to get working, its availability throughout Home windows handhelds undercuts one of many primary appeals of the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X–which is distinctly totally different from Asus’ ROG Ally X–which is anticipated to reach on October 16, 2025.
The ROG Xbox Ally X is lower than a month away, and we’re nonetheless undecided of pricing
Although the perfect graphical experiences are nonetheless had on well-kitted PCs and cutting-edge consoles, we’re within the midst of a handheld arms race kicked off by Valve three years in the past when it launched the Steam Deck. Since then, different PC producers have jumped in with Home windows-based choices. Extra lately, the facility of the Change 2 has made it one thing of a competitor on this area as properly.
It’s all of the stranger, then, that we’re not truly certain precisely how a lot Microsoft and Asus’ collaboration goes to value. In response to a report from former IGN author Destin Legarie, an area Finest Purchase indicated {that a} $549 model and an $899 one can be accessible when he referred to as to ask about it. If that is correct, that places the lower-tier model of the Xbox Ally on the similar worth because the smaller-capacity Steam Deck OLED, and inside aggressive pricing vary of the present ROG Ally and Ally X, which retail for about $649 and $899, respectively.
Having loved my time with the ROG Ally X, I can undoubtedly attest to the worth of getting extra video games accessible on a handheld that’s operating Home windows as a substitute of Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS, although I usually favor the shape issue and controller-focused interface of the Steam Deck. Now, if a number of tweaks to the Home windows registry may give individuals that have on a non-Xbox Ally X, I think about it’ll be tougher to discover a use case for the Xbox Ally for individuals who already personal a handheld gaming gadget and aren’t afraid to tinker with their machines.
