With the success and spotlight on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStations Portable console... could it finally be Xbox's time to shine? With the new Xbox handheld device confirmed for a 2025 release, it's time to take a look at what we can expect.
Please note: Some aspects of this blog are currently based on rumours.
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Is there a new handheld Xbox coming out?
On June 8th 2025, 3 days after the Nintendo Switch 2 released, Xbox have announced their upcoming collaboration with tech giants Asus to create a brand new handheld gaming console, the Rog Xbox Ally. There's two consoles releasing in the series, the Ally and Ally X. As you can guess, the Ally X is the 'better' console, it's bigger with better storage and power. The Ally X is a black design whilst the Ally is a white design. It's been confirmed the consoles will release in the holiday period of 2025, so we can assume November or December 2025.
The console itself looks like an Xbox controller, just with a giant screen in the centre. Both handhelds offer AMD processors which help deliver premium performance and immersive visuals. They both also have Windows 11 as their operating systems, with charger stands that come in the box. We're yet to know the exact release date and price of the consoles, but we are guessing that the console is priced around £600+. There's rumours it'll be more expensive than the Switch 2 which is currently available for £400.
But there are two different versions of the new Xbox handheld, each with different specs:
| Rog Xbox Ally | Rog Xbox Ally X | |
| OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen Z2 | AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme |
| Storage | 512GB | 1TB |
| Display | FHD FreeSync Premium | FHD FreeSync Premium |
| Memory | 16GB | 24GB |
| Battery | 60wh | 80wh |
| Included | Charger stand | Charger stand |
| Ports | 3 | 3 |
Is Xbox coming out with a new console soon?
Next up is the console that has been in talks for the last year or so, Xbox's next-gen console. It's been 5 years since Xbox released the X/S Series, and usually, it takes them about 7 years to create their next console. (We know this because the Xbox One was released in 2013 and the Series X/S was released in 2020.)
The only aspect we're going off is the fact that Xbox released their updated Series X/S console in 2024, the digital-only edition with additional storage space, so could this new console be digital only? There's also been talk about the console being 'fully greenlit all the way up to CEO Satya Nadella'. In the announcement they described the model as a 'console' not 'consoles', so there's also a chance we could only see 1 release.
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Conclusion:
Xbox have rarely released anything over the last 10 years in terms of hardware (specifically only 2 main consoles and 2 digital editions) so a new console on the horizon and a handset are great developments for the company.
Nintendo has constantly been releasing new consoles, OLED editions, special editions and various controllers. Xbox needed to step up their game and follow Nintendo's steps or risk the chance of becoming obsolete.
