Many rumours about the release date, price and pre-orders lead many to believe Microsoft and Asus would show the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds in the Gamescom Opening Night Live show, but that didn’t happen. We didn’t have to wait much longer, though.
Microsoft confirms that the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will both launch on the 16th of October (in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, China (Xbox Ally X only), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam). The rumoured pre-orders won’t start yet, however, as the company doesn’t want to announce the price due to “macroeconomic conditions”.
They aren’t quite ready to reveal all the games that will be able to run great on the handhelds, either. That’s because many developers are still testing and optimising their games for them. It’ll be fairly easy to identify them at launch, though, thanks to the “Handheld Compatibility Program”. Games will either have the “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible” badge next to them.
Handheld Optimized means the game will have default controller inputs, accurate icons, and the correct screen resolution in full-screen mode, while Mostly Compatible games “may require minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience.”
All of these things are only the start. Microsoft and Asus promise to keep improving the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X with better shaders, new AI powered features, compatibility with even more accessories, enhancements to the docking experience and much more in the near future.