Column: The brand new Asus ROG Ally 2 handheld was apparently developed in collaboration with Microsoft. I hope this implies higher optimization of Home windows for controllers.
Yesterday, the primary pictures and details about two new gaming handhelds from Asus had been leaked. These are very possible the brand new Asus ROG Ally 2 consoles. One in every of them might be the Xbox handheld that was teased by Asus in a video on April 1. Though most individuals locally are presently discussing the looks of the prototypes, one thing else is bothering me:
Is Home windows lastly optimized for controllers, or is XboxOS put in?
First issues first: the leaked photographs present two completely different white fashions and one black mannequin with buttons and analog sticks that also look unfinished. So it’s very possible that these are unfinished prototypes. However, the photographs reveal a couple of issues that we are able to talk about right here.
ROG Ally 2
RC73XA Black 20V 5A 100W
RC73YA White 20V 3.25A 65Whttps://t.co/jgx4HFHUUu https://t.co/QUwZwa8t9a pic. twitter.com/dq3CP2SbA9— Huang514613 (@94G8LA) Might 7, 2025
I’m most within the black model as a result of we are able to see an Xbox button on the left facet. So it’s very possible that this handheld was developed in cooperation with Microsoft.
However does that additionally imply that it is a moveable Xbox? Perhaps. Or perhaps not? Earlier leaks and studies point out that Microsoft is working with Asus to develop a handheld system that runs the Home windows working system however is best optimized for controllers. That is indicated by a screenshot unintentionally printed by Microsoft, which exhibits the Xbox app with a brand new button labeled “Steam.”
Steam on Xbox tab has surfaced… pic.twitter.com/ft66BN2Yfn
— Xbox_Serious_X|S (@Xbox_Series_XS) March 20, 2025
I would like this Asus handheld to have the Home windows working system for full entry to all PC video games and launchers. If Microsoft had been to combine Steam into the Xbox app, it will make it loads simpler to make use of on a handheld system.
Nonetheless, that wouldn’t be sufficient for me. It seems that the Asus Rog Ally 2 will nonetheless not have a trackpad. This might not solely be helpful for video games which can be managed with a mouse, but additionally for working the working system. With at present’s Home windows handhelds, we regularly need to work together with the desktop interface, and a trackpad can be useful there.
It will be higher to have Home windows 11, which adopts the person interface of the Xbox Collection consoles and could be managed totally with the controller. The desktop interface ought to ideally be an choice, as with SteamOS, slightly than the default.
The Xbox button provides me hope.
What else is thought in regards to the Asus ROG Ally 2
The entry on the FCC and stickers on the again of the prototypes reveal the primary technical particulars in regards to the new handheld:
The black mannequin with Xbox button is to be powered by the brand new AMD Ryzen Z2 Excessive with 8 cores and 36-watt TDP. It’ll additionally function LPDDR5-8553 RAM. The RAM capability remains to be unclear. The hand held ought to have both 32 and even 64 GB. It’ll additionally function a very massive 100 Wh battery.
The white mannequin of the Asus ROG Ally 2 is claimed to be outfitted with a slower chip with AMD Aeirth Plus structure – a successor to the Van Gogh APU from the Steam Deck. The processor is claimed to have 4 cores and a 20-watt TDP, and the RAM is claimed to be 16 GB. In keeping with the sticker on the again of the prototype, the battery has a complete capability of 60 Wh.
The display of each fashions will apparently proceed to function a panel with a diagonal of seven inches and a refresh fee of 120 Hz. The thick display bezels of the earlier mannequin stay.
In any other case, the design differs vastly from its predecessor. The handles are actually considerably bigger and total it jogs my memory of the GameCube controller or the PlayStation Portal. The hand held positively seems to be very ergonomic. Very snug. That’s a very powerful factor in design, proper?
