Microsoft shows off two Xbox-branded handheld consoles

After months of leaks, rumours and speculations and conflicting information from multiple sources, the first Xbox-branded handheld console has been officially shown off at Xbox Games Showcase 2025. As foretold my an earlier leak, there is not one, but two consoles lined up: the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. As their names suggest the Xbox Ally X is the more powerful console, while the Xbox Ally X aims to offer the same experience in a more affordable package. 

ROG Xbox Ally X

The ROG Xbox Ally X will get AMD's shiny new Ryzen Z2 Extreme SoC, 24 GB of LPDDR5X-8000  RAM and 1 TB of storage. This will be the first handheld to feature AMD's next-gen handheld chip after it was shown off at CES 2025. It features a 7-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and 500 nits peak brightness. Like many handhelds launched this generation, it comes with two USB-C ports. However, one of the is USB 4.0 and the other USB 3.2. Lastly, it draws power from a 80 Wh battery. 

ROG Xbox Ally

The ROG Xbox Ally, as stated earlier, is a weaker version of the ROG Xbox Ally X. It replaces the Ryzen Z2 Extreme with a Ryzen Z2A, an unannounced chip that is a part of AMD's Van Gogh family of APUs. It cuts down memory to 16 GB LPDDR5X-6400  and storage to 512 GB. Thankfully, it has the same screen as the Xbox Ally X. However, it comes with two USB 3.2 Type-C ports, sacrificing on the USB 4.0 port. It cuts down on battery capacity, too, opting for a 60 Wh cell. 

Based on what Xbox showed off, both consoles will run a fork of Windows and come with a dedicated Xbox button like their larger siblings. Unfortunately, their prices have not been revealed yet. Both consoles will launch in 'Holiday 2025', implying they're some time away from launch. Ideally, we should get another glimpse at their specifications at a later Xbox event.