Xbox has revealed its new handheld line, the ROG Xbox Ally and the Ally X, made in partnership with Asus. And I received the prospect to play it throughout Summer Game Fest. My colleague Tom Warren has already damaged down how the hand-held works with its working system, UI, and integration with the Xbox app and third-party sport shops. Meanwhile, I’ll get into the straightforward expertise of enjoying the dang factor — and the largest promoting level, for me, was consolation.
Despite my greatest efforts, the eagle-eyed Xbox PR reps didn’t let me peek on the machine’s storefronts or play the much-anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong. So for this transient hands-on overview, I’ll cowl the sport that I did get to play — Gears of War: Reloaded.
I can sum up my expertise with the Ally X (as I recall, the much less highly effective white Xbox Ally was not out there) with a couple of phrases: I want this. The Ally X felt roughly the identical weight as a Steam Deck. But with its hand grips, modeled to resemble the shape issue of an Xbox controller, it felt like a literal dream.
I’ve struggled with my Steam Deck for a very long time as a result of it’s not snug to carry. After prolonged gaming periods, my fingers stiffen into claws that take a second to regain their flexibility and regular use. While I wasn’t in a position to spend hours enjoying the Ally X to check my fingers’ endurance, I may already discover the distinction in my fingers inside moments of choosing it up. It felt good to carry, each in weight and kind issue.
As for enjoying Gears, it was a seamless expertise. Microsoft had the remaster of the seminal Xbox shooter (its second remaster within the sport’s 25-year historical past) arrange throughout the completely different platforms that the sport helps. I performed on a daily Ally at first, then I moved over to the Ally X, and the variations had been refined however noticeable. The machine’s weight felt corresponding to a Steam Deck. I carried out higher on the Ally X, which could possibly be a part of getting already warmed up, however my capturing was tighter and extra correct.
Visually, between the Ally and the Ally X, I didn’t discover a distinction, however I actually wasn’t in search of one. I used to be so enamored with how snug it felt in my fingers that any graphical variations appeared much less necessary as compared. I want I may have seen extra of the house UI to guage the benefit of loading in video games or leaping from Steam video games to Xbox video games or choose Xbox Play Anywhere video games versus these streamed from an Xbox or over the cloud. But like I mentioned, the eagle-eyed PR people stored this to a Gears demonstration solely.
I really like the portability of my Steam Deck, Switch, and PS Portal. Those three are my most popular methods to play over my desktop and consoles. While there are nonetheless lots of query marks across the Ally X, notably with its interface and the way it holds up over lengthy periods, that little little bit of consolation has gone a protracted method to promoting me on a conveyable Xbox.
