Xbox has just announced plans for two new handheld devices, launching by the end of the year. The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X look a lot like you'd expect an Xbox handheld to look like: Xbox controls, branding everywhere, and a new handheld Xbox UI. "This is an Xbox", proclaims Microsoft's Sarah Bond… so, why is it a PC?
If it looks enough like an Xbox, does that make it one? That's the gist of the argument from Microsoft this time around, as its new handheld devices are actually running Windows 11. They're made by Asus, makers of the excellent ROG Ally and Ally X, and it's no coincidence that they all share a similar name. These Xbox devices are effectively redesigned versions of the popular ROG handhelds with different AMD processors under the hood: the Z2 Extreme, which is pretty much brand new, and the Z2 A, which is actually quite old.
