Microsoft unveils Xbox gaming handheld launching in 2025

Microsoft announced that it is diving into the handheld gaming market with its own Xbox-branded handheld in partnership with PC maker Asus.

It’s called the ROG Xbox Ally (16GB) and ROG Xbox Ally X (24GB). It has Hollow Knight game available at launch.

“The Xbox experience grows with you,” said Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, in the Xbox Showcase.

The company plans to launch the handheld in 2025. As such, it will compete with rivals such as the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Valve Steam Deck. There are already a number of Windows-based devices on the handheld PC market, but those have had mixed results.

The move could inspire both fear and derision, as the prospect for such a move has done in the past. Microsoft considered launching an “Xboy” handheld back in the early days of the Xbox. But the dual challenge of taking on Nintendo’s GameBoy ...