At the Xbox broadcast during gamescom 2025, Xbox officially announced the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handheld gaming devices, set to release on October 16, 2025, just in time for the holiday season. First introduced at the Xbox Games Showcase earlier this year, these devices usher in a new era of handheld gaming, allowing players to seamlessly access their favourite titles from Xbox, Battle.net, and other top PC storefronts, anytime, anywhere.
The ROG Xbox Ally handhelds will also be available in Australia on October 16, with details about pricing and pre-orders to follow in the coming weeks.
In addition to the hardware announcement, Xbox unveiled the Handheld Compatibility Program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at optimizing more games for handheld play. At launch, players will be able to identify compatible games in their library through clear labeling, look for the “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible” badges. By collaborating with game studios to test, refine, and verify thousands of titles, Xbox ensures players can dive in with minimal setup or adjustments. A new Windows Performance Fit indicator will also show expected performance on supported devices for added clarity.
Xbox is also introducing features designed to elevate the handheld gaming experience on the ROG Xbox Ally devices:
Advanced Shader Delivery preloads game shaders during downloads, enabling select games to launch up to 10 times faster, run more smoothly, and conserve battery life during your first play session. This feature ensures a seamless gaming experience right from the start.
AI-powered features are also set to arrive early next year on the ROG Xbox Ally X. Among these innovations is Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR), an AI-driven tool that upscales lower-resolution games to deliver stunning visuals and smooth frame rates, all without requiring any adjustments from game developers.
Another exciting addition is Highlight Reels, which uses AI to automatically generate clips of your best gameplay moments. Whether it’s an epic boss battle or a hard-earned victory, these clips are ready to share with friends or on social media.
Also announced is the ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless Controller, created by ASUS under the Designed for Xbox program, offers a 1000Hz polling rate in PC mode, anti-drift TMR joysticks, and dual-mode triggers for superior precision.
I’ve got to say, with all this coming, It’s been an impressive Gamescon for Xbox in 2025.
