Xbox’s Ally handheld is real, and can play “every game” in the Xbox Showcase

Yes, it’s real. The rumored team-up between Microsoft and Asus is happening, as we finally have a proper look at the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. Previously known as Project Keenan, the Asus-powered device is based on the brand’s handheld PCs, promising a fully-fledged Xbox experience with the flexibility of Windows. However, the biggest boast it has right now is that it can supposedly play every game shown in the Xbox Showcase.

We reported on the claims of an Asus ROG Ally and Xbox collaboration earlier this year, with the new portable gaming console all-but-confirmed in leaks that depicted a mock-up of the handheld. Set to launch later this year, the initial look at the Xbox Ally shows the console seamlessly flicking between multiple game launchers, including Activision’s Battle.net, and the Xbox Store. And yes, Steam is included in the lineup too.

The console offers its own version of Steam’s Big Picture Mode, bringing a full-screen experience that makes the handheld’s controller easier to engage with. According to Windows Central‘s extended report on the Xbox Ally, it claims that running the handheld in this mode significantly reduces Windows 11’s idle power consumption. Specifically, it frees up around 66% of the device’s power, pumping it back into overall battery life.

To further streamline the Xbox Ally’s usability, the Xbox Store app will disengage all currently running processes that aren’t related to gaming goodness. Remember how I mentioned it can flick between launchers and apps quickly? That’s because the Xbox Ally also uses an alt-tab style feature to jump around faster.

During the Xbox Showcase, Microsoft Gaming’s president, Sarah Bond, shares that “our next step is to unify your gaming, no matter where or how you play […] on this Xbox, you can play games across your entire library, including all the Windows PC games stores.” Bond impressively adds that “every game you see in today’s show will be playable on the Xbox Ally.”

I’m eager to see this in practice, though. While triple-A games can, in theory, run on the current Asus ROG Ally X or Steam Deck in some circumstances, performance isn’t always excellent. Nevertheless, both models leap from the Asus ROG Ally X and Z1 Extreme’s hardware to Z1 and Z12A components, with either 512 GB or 1 TB of storage. RAM-wise, the Xbox Ally features 16 GB, while the higher-spec Xbox Ally X uses 24 GB.