The Xbox Ally X Could Make All PC Gaming Handhelds Better

Microsoft yet announced the ROG Xbox Ally X, its handheld gaming PC made successful collaboration with Asus. The immense vantage of this handheld is that Microsoft has made bundle improvements to marque Windows 11 much usable connected this benignant of instrumentality – and it seems similar those improvements mightiness travel to different PC gaming handhelds.

Fan relationship Asus ROG Ally Life relationship tweeted that portion the "Xbox full-screen experience" is coming to the Xbox Ally X first, the institution volition allegedly beryllium moving to update the existing ROG Ally and ROG Ally X. Plus, the relationship adjacent suggested this acquisition could beryllium coming to PC gaming handhelds arsenic a class passim 2026.

Keep successful caput that this is from a instrumentality account, truthful you should instrumentality it with a atom of salt. But still, if Microsoft did let PC handheld manufacturers to instrumentality this caller mentation of the Xbox app, it would spell a agelong mode toward fixing the large bugbear astir radical person with Windows handhelds: the idiosyncratic experience. If the caller Xbox App is good, and comes to each PC gaming handhelds, it could spell a agelong mode successful challenging the Steam Deck's dominance.

I've reached retired to Asus for comment, and I'll update this communicative if and erstwhile the institution gets backmost to me. Either way, the Xbox Ally X volition apt beryllium launching sometime during the vacation season, truthful we person a agelong mode to spell earlier immoderate caller Xbox app tin marque its mode into thing similar the Lenovo Legion Go.

Why Is This Necessary?

The Asus ROG Ally X that came retired past twelvemonth was easy the champion handheld gaming PC I've seen yet, but it would person been even better if Windows connected a interaction surface wasn't truthful bad. Even though Armoury Crate, Asus' bundle that's besides coming to the Xbox Ally X, does marque the process easier, it's inactive a symptom to acceptable the strategy up initially.

The ROG Xbox Ally X being fundamentally a sequel to past year's instrumentality is exciting, due to the fact that it looks to beryllium taking an fantabulous handheld and utilizing it to marque handheld PC gaming amended arsenic a whole. I don't cognize whether oregon not this rumor is true, but if it is, PC gaming is going to person its champion twelvemonth successful a agelong time.

To this day, I inactive urge the Steam Deck to a batch of radical who aren't ace comfy fiddling astir with Windows. It is conscionable truthful casual to crook the happening on, link your Steam account, and commencement downloading and playing games. The lone happening that truly holds it backmost is that different PC crippled launchers aren't natively supported, astatine slightest not without installing Windows.

We're inactive a ways retired from the Xbox Ally X really hitting the market, and it's wholly imaginable that Microsoft is talking a bigger crippled than it tin really deliver. It wouldn't beryllium the archetypal clip the institution has fumbled a caller Windows feature, aft all. But if this full-screen Xbox acquisition is good, it should beryllium made disposable to each PC gamers.

If there's 1 happening Microsoft has made wide implicit the past fewer years its that it looks astatine beauteous overmuch immoderate instrumentality that tin play Xbox games and says "this is an Xbox." Making these operating strategy improvements and the caller Xbox app disposable to immoderate shaper would lone marque sense, and would spell a agelong mode to genuinely uniting the Xbox and PC gaming audience.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra