Xbox has announced that preorders for its upcoming handheld consoles, the ROG Ally and Ally X, will reportedly begin on August 20th, coinciding with the start of Gamescom in Cologne. The gaming convention runs from August 20th to 24th, where attendees will have the opportunity to try both devices firsthand at Xbox’s booth.
According to reports from Dealabs, the standard ROG Ally will be priced at €599 (approximately £518), while the premium Ally X model will cost €899 (approximately £777). Both handheld consoles are expected to become available in October, aligning with Xbox’s previous statement that the devices would launch during the “holiday” period in select countries worldwide.
Both the ROG Ally and Ally X are powered by Windows 11 and feature an immersive full-screen Xbox experience designed for portable gaming. The devices offer an aggregated gaming library with access to games from various PC stores including Steam, Battle.net, and GOG. Additionally, both consoles support Xbox Play Anywhere titles, with over 1,000 compatible games currently available for cross-platform play.
In terms of specifications, the standard ROG Ally comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. The Ally X model upgrades to an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor and 24GB of high-speed RAM for enhanced performance, making it suitable for more demanding gaming applications and multitasking.
Xbox has confirmed that its Gamescom booth will feature playable demos of the handheld consoles, including the highly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong, which has been eagerly awaited by fans. Other games available for testing on the new devices include Roblox, Sea of Thieves, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, showcasing the versatility of the new handheld gaming system.
