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PC Gamer
PC Gamer
Shaun Prescott

The ROG Xbox Ally borrows a heck of a lot from the Steam Deck, proving that the old gated console concept is a thing of the past

An ROG Xbox Ally X and Ally shown during Microsoft's Xbox stream in June 2025.

With the ROG Xbox Ally set to launch in October and hands-on reports going live, Microsoft is opening up about how it'll feel to use the handheld on a moment-to-moment basis. And, well, judging by the latest info drop concerning the way it deals with compatibility and performance, it seems like the ROG Xbox Ally is less a handheld Xbox and more an Xbox Steam Deck.

Because it sure does borrow a lot from the Deck, especially when it comes to how it categorizes different levels of compatibility, though I would argue Xbox's approach is marginally better than Valve's. Games that run at 30 fps or above will be marked "Should perform well on your device", while games that hit 60 fps and above will be marked "Should perform great on this device".

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