I was skeptical about the ROG Xbox Ally, but this one feature has me excited

(Image credit: Future)

I wasn’t impressed when the Asus ROG Xbox Ally was originally unveiled. While the promised performance gains that the AMD Z2 Extreme chip could offer over the Z1 Extreme-powered Asus ROG Ally X sounded appealing, this new handheld seemed like little more than the latter with Xbox branding and some reworked controller grips. The fact that it would be a Windows 11-based handheld was also a turn-off, especially since Valve allows SteamOS on other platforms.

Now that both the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X have been fully unveiled during Gamescom 2025, my skepticism is waning. In fact, you could say I’m optimistic about the upcoming handheld. I like that Xbox is working with its game studio partners to test and optimize the best PC games for handheld compatibility, and that the Z2 Extreme model will utilize AI upscaling to deliver sharper graphics and smoother performance. And if rumors are true, the $599 starting price isn’t as high as it could have been.

Everything I mentioned above is reason enough to be excited about the ROG Xbox Ally. However, there’s one aspect that my colleague Jason England discussed in his Asus ROG Xbox Ally hands-on preview that has me truly hyped for this system—and it’s something I’ve wanted from Windows handhelds for years. What is that? A simplified Windows 11 that boots into an easy-to-use UI. If this feature makes the ROG Xbox Ally as user-friendly as a Steam Deck, it could be one of the best handheld gaming consoles.

Windows 11 sucks for handhelds

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld gaming PC on a table — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

This is something we’ve said for years, but Windows 11 sucks for gaming handhelds. Since Windows 11 isn’t designed for controller inputs, you’re forced to use touch controls to do anything outside of a device’s game launcher, which isn’t exactly easy on a small screen. You can use the right analog stick to move the mouse cursor, but it’s a clunky exercise. Also, I don’t want to be offered a free subscription to Office 365 when setting up a gaming device!

Windows 11 also impacts battery life and performance since the operating system is running tasks in the background, most of which have nothing to do with whatever game you’re playing. When Jason turned his ROG Ally X into a Steam Deck by replacing Windows 11 with SteamOS, he noticed a significant difference in performance and battery life, with both improving by an average of 25%.

Windows 11 has been the proverbial albatross around the neck of handhelds utilizing Microsoft’s operating system. Yes, Windows 11 offers greater game compatibility and customization than SteamOS, but if you want a handheld you can pick up and play, Windows 11 machines don’t provide a seamless experience. Thankfully, it appears the ROG Xbox Ally will have a gaming handheld-centric version of Windows 11.

A handheld-friendly Windows

As Jason explains in his preview, the Xbox Ally boots directly into an Xbox UI. It’s not only a simpler front end, but it also dumps all of those aforementioned unnecessary background processes. This leaves more headroom for the processor and RAM to focus on gaming, which results in higher frame rates.

This also allows for a more controller-friendly interface, with quick settings available with the press of a button and a multitasking viewer. Asus’ Armoury Crate launcher is still here, and you can use it for further fine-tuning power profiles and more. This sounds like a complete departure from what we’re used to from Windows handhelds, and I’m absolutely here for it.

This is something we’ve yet to see, but I’d like to know if we’ll still have to set up Windows 11 when we power the ROG Xbox Ally for the first time. That would be annoying, but if I don’t ever have to see the Windows 11 desktop after the initial install, then I can accept that—even if I'd still have to decline the free Office 365 subscription.

Outlook

It’s possible that this simplified Windows on the ROG Xbox Ally isn’t exactly simple, but if it works the way I hope, handhelds with SteamOS might have serious competition. A handheld UI and launcher with the elegance of SteamOS and the game compatibility of Windows could truly be something special.

With the ROG Xbox Ally arriving in less than two months, it won’t be long until we can see for ourselves if its UI can match SteamOS and if the machine can deliver enhanced performance and battery life. Color me excited!

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Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.

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