Asus’s ROG Xbox Ally handhelds have been located at a European retailer and official distributor, starting at €599. The Spanish store has listed both console variants powered by AMD’s Ryzen Z2 series processors, giving users an idea of the price to expect when they actually release later this year.
Co-developed with Microsoft, the ROG Xbox Ally will be available in two variants – the Xbox Ally, powered by AMD’s Z2 A chip, and the Xbox Ally X, featuring the stronger AI Z2 Extreme. The former is listed at €599, offering four Zen 2 CPU cores alongside eight RDNA 2 compute units (CUs) for graphics duties. The latter ups the performance ante, packing three Zen 5 plus five Zen 5c cores alongside 16 RDNA 3.5 CUs, for €899. The architectural improvements alone would make a noticeable difference between the two models, let alone the massive increase in core and CU counts.
But that’s not all, the Ally non-X is also cut down in the memory and storage departments, where it bundles only 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and 512GB SSD storage against the Ally X’s respective 24GB plus 1TB. The same goes for battery, where the non-X makes do with a 60Wh capacity, against 80Wh on the Xbox Ally X. Lastly, the Xbox Ally X offers additional features such as impulse triggers for localised vibrations and expanded connectivity with USB 4 Type-C.
| Model | ROG Xbox Ally | ROG Xbox Ally X |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen Z2 A | AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR5X-6400 | 24GB LPDDR5X-8000 |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 2280 SSD | 1TB M.2 2280 SSD |
| Display | 7in 120Hz 1080p IPS | |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.4 | |
| Weight | 670g | 715g |
| Battery | 60Wh | 80W |
To put it simply, the Ryzen Z2 A is essentially an updated version of the Steam Deck’s custom Aerith APU, clocked slightly higher at 2.8GHz base and 3.8GHz boost on the CPU and 1.8GHz boost on the GPU. The AI Z2 Extreme, on the other hand, is considered a copy of the Z2 Extreme found inside MSI’s Claw A8, mainly adding a 50TOPS NPU (Neural Processing Unit) to its flagship specs. The latter is clearly the go-to option for those planning to play demanding games or prefer higher graphics fidelity. Still not enough? You can further boost performance using Asus’s 2025 XG Mobile, offering up to an RTX 5090 mobile external GPU.
Note however that the ‘Deck’s Aerith APU scaled between 4W and 15W, unlike the Z2 A which can be configured from 6W to 20W, giving the new chip more power to spread its wings. Not to mention the faster LPDDR5X-6400 memory which should help the GPU extract more performance.
Regardless of the model you opt for, both handhelds are equipped with a 7in 1080p IPS panel refreshing up to 120Hz, with FreeSync Premium support. Both devices will feature the redesigned Xbox portable experience based on Windows 11, offering access to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, Battle.net, and even Steam libraries.
The ROG Xbox Ally series is Microsoft’s response to the strengthening handheld market that has been dominated by Valve’s Steam Deck. Interestingly, instead of going the proprietary way like Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft opts for third-party partners experienced in such products.
The Redmond giant leaves the hardware part to Asus and AMD, focusing on improving the UI experience to suit a console-like device. We hope the result is as great because the benefits may trickle down to regular Windows PC users. For now, these Xbox handhelds are expected to launch during the 2025 holidays.
