Xbox Confirms ROG Ally and ROG Ally X Release Date for October 16

These new handhelds are a collaboration between Xbox and Asus to release a device made for and targeting Xbox games. It’ll come tuned for playing games booting from the Xbox app, including Xbox Game Pass games, as well as Battle.net. Of course, you’ll also be able to access other storefronts on this device as well, including Steam.

To see how well a game may perform on the new devices, Xbox has announced the ‘Handheld Compatibility Program,’ which will add a new ‘Handheld Optimised’ or ‘Mostly Compatible’ badge next to games in your library, allowing you to see how well it will, or should, play. This is similar to what Steam has been doing with ‘Steam Deck verified’ games, which helps you know what to expect in terms of performance from a game.

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Xbox also announced some other new features that will be available on the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds, including AI technology and a way to preload shaders. Details on these below:

Advanced shader delivery: A new feature that preloads game shaders during download, so select games launch up to 10x faster, run smoother, and use less battery on first play.
New upcoming AI-powered features starting early next year on the ROG Xbox Ally X that enhance play, including:
Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR): A system-level feature that uses the power of the NPU to upscale games running at lower resolutions—delivering high-resolution visuals and smooth framerates across a wide range of games, with no additional changes required from game developers.
Highlight reels: AI captures your standout gameplay moments—like epic boss battles or victories—and generates short replay clips for you to share with friends or on social channels.