The updates sound incredibly promising.
Microsoft is waiting on that 90 day Tariff thing before announcing the price. Basically, theyâre waiting as long as possible to see how it goes.
https://x.com/gamernewsonx/status/1958205382951637180?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ
And the best version goes toâŚ
https://x.com/wario64/status/1958312734212468939?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ
Well, time to get two more jobs.
Really feel like getting the original Z1 Extreme model considering it seems to run close enough and seems to fit between the 2 new Xbox ROG Ally except maybe for the battery and controls. Wonder when theyâll have the OS available for all handhelds though. The new models are quite expensive while the Z1 Extreme model can be had for super cheap right now.
Microsoft did announce the full screen experience was coming to other handhelds âsometime in 2026â starting with the older ROG Ally devices. I think itâs understated how big of a deal this could be for windows gaming beyond these devices. A dedicated Xbox branded gaming experience on windows that frees up resources boosting performance is huge. This is what everyone has wanted on windows since before the Steam Deck. And itâll only get better. Iâm personally excited for them using this same tech in something like a âtabletâ mode on windows and more. They could literally turn windows into an all in one OS if they leverage this idea properly.
Anyway thatâs the musings. Just to give an answer, yeah you should be good in buying the older handhelds. I have a legion go and am just gonna wait for the update. I view this move like I did Microsoftâs copilot+ initiative on PC. The goal is to have a dedicated system to show off the new software experience while optimizing it for more devices and pushing that update out for broader availability. I think Microsoft really wants to win against the likes of SteamOS and potentially even try to scoop up some PC market share for the MS store & Xbox services.
I think Ive settled in on skipping this. Its a good first step, but I dont NEED one of these and I will wait till the software and hardware matures more.
Yeah I am going to wait and see what happens with the AMD chips and the rumoured merging of Xbox and PC so that my Xbox games will play on the device.
Thatâs the main thing. If you buy this and then in 2 years you have a handheld that plays everything natively along with PC Games, it makes it very hard to swallow considering what we know of the rumoured asking price of the Ally X.
Thatâs why I feel if you really want something right now, a Z1 Extreme Ally on the used market is probably the best purchase since it will have the updated windows in 2026 to match the one in the Xbox Ally.
The Z1E should also hold up great. AFAIK itâs more powerful than the Z2A base model Xbox Ally and the Z2E isnât a massive leap over the Z1E (more of a modest one; it kinda just feels like the Z1E is the early adopter beta version and the Z2E is the final based on current benchmarks (information isnât clear right now so full benchmarks would help)).
I have a Lenovo Legion Go and the only thing tempting me to buy this is jumping into the Xbox Mode update faster. And kinda the AI uoscaling stuff. The Digital Foundry test on super resolution was pretty positive and that wasnât really on gaming tech. But even not being super hung up on the potential future of Xbox compatibility on windows, Iâd just rather wait for the Z3EAI chip to upgrade.
The Z1E may hold up in the interim, and if you already have one I would probably stick with that. However, the Z2E has the NPU to run ASR (Automatic Super Resolution) which I think is being slept on. As games become more demanding, that could make the difference.
As someone who has a Steam Deck, I plan to get the Xbox Ally X day one. I have owned my Steam Deck since 2022. Itâs been a good soldier, but there were always two things that stopped me from fully enjoying it - the lack of native Game Pass and anti-cheat support.
The Xbox Ally X seems (based on the hands-on reactions) to give me what I want - a console-like experience similar to Steam OS, with Windows compatibility (ie. Game Pass and Anti-Cheat).
As confirmed by Destin Legarie
- Xbox ROG Ally - $549.99
- Xbox ROG Ally X - $899.99
(Oops, posted this before I saw Sparda3gâs post.)
I meanâŚcould literally be a Best Buy Placeholder, no offense to Destin here. For what its worth, I think youâll get âofficial pricingâ next week direct from Xbox.
While you could be right, the credibility is higher than online detail like release date placeholder. Itâs not guaranteed, but the chance is strong. Still, if you have any other chance left, then thereâs still a chance.