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Manila Bulletin devider Technews devider Microsoft allies with ASUS for a handheld Xbox

Microsoft allies with ASUS for a handheld Xbox

Published Jun 9, 2025 07:40 am

The console wars ended when Sony launched the PS2 in 2000. (Yes, I am a PS fan, if you haven’t noticed.)

Nintendo started a whole new one in 2017 when it released the Switch and now we have a bunch of high-caliber handhelds capable of playing games that require demanding specs. 

And now I’m crying why Sony discontinued the PSP and Vita lineup and self-sabotaged the Portal. Cause the newest player entering the ring isn’t fooling around. 

Xbox comes stomping in with their partner, ASUS, introducing the Xbox Ally and the Xbox Ally X. 

Specs below!

Xbox Ally X has Ryzen Z2 Extreme, 24GB RAM, and 1TB storage.

Xbox Ally has Ryzen 2A, 16GB, and 512GB storage.

It seems pretty obvious which one Microsoft and ASUS wants you to pick between these two. 

Both devices sport a seven-inch 1080p screen with 120Hz. It comes with both bluetooth and a headphone jack.

The handheld has an Xbox app, which lets you access your Xbox library as well as your games in the cloud. You’ll also be able to access other apps such as Discord and Battlenet. Microsoft mentioned other apps will include “leading PC storefront,” which means maybe we’ll have access to Steam and Epic as well, which are more than welcome.

However, it boils down to the OS being Windows 11. Yikes. I was really hoping something like XboxOS. But, Microsoft promised they have optimized the systems. So, I don’t know. It’s Microsoft. We’ll see.

On the bright side, Microsoft used the long overdue, much-awaited, near-mythical status, Silksong, possibly confirming the game’s release this year. 

No official price has been said. But let’s speculate. The Xbox Ally X will be either 799 USD or 849 USD. The base Xbox Ally either at 399 or 499.

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