The focus was on the video games during the recent Xbox Games Showcase 2025, of course, but there was one major surprise hidden in the flood of trailers: the reveal of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally gaming handhelds.
As someone who loves the ASUS ROG Ally (and especially my ASUS ROG Ally X), but wish Windows 11 didn't fight you so hard to make gaming unenjoyable, I was immediately interested in this unique partnership between Microsoft and ASUS.
There's still a lot we don't know about the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, and there are plenty of discussions to be had about these devices, but there's one part of the hardware that has already disappointed me.
It's ultimately a small complaint that will likely have no bearing on the success of the Xbox Ally, but I seriously wish ASUS had taken this opportunity to upgrade the display, at least on the more premium Xbox Ally X.
The same good (but not great) 7-inch display
If you compare the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally to the original ROG Ally, or pit the high-end Xbox Ally X against the current handheld champion, the ROG Ally X, you'll see a long list of upgrades, enhancements, and changes.
You won't find any differences in the display, however. ASUS is using the same 7-inch screen that debuted in the original ASUS ROG Ally two years ago across the entire Xbox Ally family.
To be clear, this really isn't a bad display. It's a wide 16:9 aspect ratio with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, and both performance and image quality is solid. It's simply not as good as some of the other best gaming handhelds, though, and I wish ASUS had taken the opportunity to make some improvements.
I'm not necessarily asking for an OLED display, as much as that'd be awesome to see, but it would've been awesome to at least get a bigger, taller, and more vibrant IPS LCD display, similar to what you'll find in the Lenovo Legion Go S.
I would've been perfectly happy if only the more expensive ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X enjoyed the display upgrade treatment, considering pricing will be incredibly important to the success of the entry-level Xbox Ally.
ASUS' handhelds keep getting more expensive, and that 7-inch display can't compete with the Lenovo Legion Go, MSI Claw, or even Nintendo Switch 2.
I'm still very excited for the future of gaming handhelds
I may wish that ASUS and Microsoft had truly gone all out with the Xbox Ally's hardware, but the hardware is arguably the least important part of this handheld. This is part of Microsoft's efforts to make Windows 11 better for everyone, and it could complete change the market landscape.
With the Xbox Ally, Microsoft is finally committing to trimming down Windows for gaming-specific hardware, removing unwanted bloat and processes to improve performance, efficiency, and intuitiveness.
The early looks at this endeavor are extremely promising, and the Xbox Ally could simply be the first step in making all PC gaming handhelds miles more fun to play than they are now.
I'm almost certainly going to try and get my hands on an Xbox Ally just for that, but I also know that, even so long after my Lenovo Legion Go S review, I still miss that gorgeous 8-inch display when playing on my ROG Ally X. Considering how expensive the Xbox Ally X is likely to be, that one upgrade would've made it perfect.
