XBOX IS DEVELOPING A HAND-HELD, BUT IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK

Meet The Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X

- Dayna Eileen

Xbox, Microsoft and ASUS ROG have come together to create a handheld that could meet the needs of gamers everywhere.

The rumours have been swirling about Xbox finally creating their own handheld gaming system, and it turns out people were mainly right.

Xbox has partnered with ASUS ROG to bring their very own version of the Ally, called the Xbox Ally and the Xbox Ally X. I was lucky enough, ahead of the Xbox Game Showcase, to go hands-on and learn about the development process between Xbox, ASUS, Windows and, that's right, AMD. The Xbox Ally and Ally X will be AMD-powered devices, with the Xbox Ally featuring an AMD Ryzen Z2 A, and the Xbox Ally X hosting an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme.

Of course, this isn't the first time AMD has powered a handheld device; beyond many of the previous PC-based handhelds based on AMD, MSI also created an AMD model at Computex this year, which previously featured Intel chips. What IS notable, however, is that this is the first time a handheld gaming device will feature AI Acceleration. This is the first time an NPU with this capability is being used for handheld gaming.

Other specs vary between the two models, and some things were not entirely clear during my brief session, but here is what I DO know:

Xbox Ally Specs:

AMD Ryzen Z2 A
16 GB Memory
512 GB Storage
720p Display
On-Board Microphone

Xbox Ally X Specs:

AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme
24 GB Memory
1TB Storage
120Hz Refresh Rate
1080p 7-inch Display
On-Board Microphone