Xbox's first handheld console is already confusing gamers - and it's easy to see why

Xbox has revealed its first ever handheld consoles and it's easy to see why they're confusing gamers so much.

During an Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday (June 8), the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X were revealed, two new portable consoles Microsoft and ASUS have worked together on.

The ROG Xbox Ally is for 720p gaming whereas the more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X can reach up to 1080p.

Sounds great, right? Being able to enjoy your favourite Xbox games on the go?

But here's the catch - it isn't quite as simple as gamers being to enjoy their entire digital Xbox library on these consoles.

Microsoft has revealed the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X / Xbox

Games available through Game Pass can be played, as can games purchased that are included in Xbox Play Anywhere, of which there are more than 1,300 at the time of writing.

Xbox Play Anywhere is a library of games that can be played across Xbox and PC at no extra cost.

The two new handheld consoles are basically portable PCs with Xbox UI (user interface) and features; as well as the Xbox storefront, PC storefronts will be available too.

But with it being a portable PC, and not specifically an Xbox, unless games in a player's digital Xbox library are available on Game Pass or on Xbox Play Anywhere, they cannot be played on the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. The console is designed to natively play PC games.

For example, indy100 has an Xbox copy of Final Fantasy XIII in its digital Xbox library but we wouldn't be able to play this on ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X as it not on Game Pass or listed on Xbox Play Anywhere. We could only play this on ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X if we purchased the separate PC version of it.

A bit confusing, right?

While there has been a lot of support for the new consoles, it has also led to confusion across Reddit.

On one thread, one user commented: "So... Can I play all my Xbox games on it? If not I'm good thanks."

"It's confusing the hell out of me," another replied.

One said: "As someone who is as casual as it can get, this is what confuses me. Majority of games I play are from Game Pass and I own very few like RDR2 and a couple others but I can't tell what I can actually play on this handheld."

And that confusion was shared on a separate Reddit thread.

One user pointed out: "So many people in these comments don't know what this is."

Another commented: "Correct me if I am wrong but I believe I won't be able to download all games I have purchased from the Xbox Store?"

ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X release in Holiday 2025 with information on preorders, pricing, accessories and more coming soon.

Elsewhere from indy100, check out our review of DOOM: The Dark Ages and our first impressions of the Nintendo Switch 2.

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