LTT describes that the XBOX team have also trimmed down 2GB of W11 desktop bloat with this and have attempted to make the W11 experience more similar to a console. I’m curious to follow this. I’d imagine Microsoft are a bit intimidated by the fact that SteamOS is a better handheld gaming OS than Windows. Obviously this must have been in the pipeline for a long time now.
I would be interested if it also supported quick resume from sleep like the Deck does. Imo that’s the killer SteamOS feature that’s keeping Windows alternatives from being even a consideration.
If they can’t do that then this thing is kind of DOA. I’ve just assumed for some reason that this is what they’re doing.
It will run better on Steam OS.
Is this the rumoured Xbox handheld that everyone has been going on about for months?
I still think the real XBox handheld is another 2-5 years out. This is Microsoft dipping their toes in the water and the ROC is a great system to start that partnership
Yep.
I believe I read somewhere else that idea/project was taken back to the workshop and this is something else but close to that.
hide away the complexity of Windows
for 720p gaming
the ability to log in via the Windows lockscreen with your controller
Seems like they’ve finally taken some notes from the Steam Deck, interested to see if they can actually make something decent. It seems unlikely, but I’m still interested!
I am whelmed. Never been the biggest mobile gamer, will skip
It’s not “mobile gaming” it’s more “handheld pc gaming.” I get it sounds pedantic but “mobile games” and “mobile gaming” for 99% of people means games released for smartphones.
A steamdeck isn’t a mobile gaming device. This is a steamdeck competitor.
Competition…lol
I mean conservative estimates have over 20 million people using game pass and the steam deck is getting long in the tooth technology wise - valve has also made it very clear there are no plans to release a new one any time soon, if ever.
Also, Ilove my steam deck so much, but it is not the most user-friendly for newbies sometimes. You have to be comfortable troubleshooting occasionally, especially if you ever plan on using desktop mode. Which is not required of course, but you are leaving a lot of the appeal of the device in the first place on the table if you don’t use that ever.
I fucking hate Microsoft, I am over the Xbox ecosystem, but ultimately this will be a very pick up and play device. It will likely sell at least half decently (likely underperform their estimates as always). I think anybody saying it’s doomed to fail however is honestly not up to date on the current state of gaming.
If I had to ignorantly shoot from the hip, I would say they will probably sell ~500,000-1mill units
Well, at least the base model Xbox Ally has essentially the same SoC as the Steam Deck. The Z2 A has 4 Zen 2 cores and 8 RDNA 2 CUs. It will be configurable up to 20 watts TDP instead of 15 on the Deck, but that’s it. So much for “long in the tooth technology wise”.
Sure, the Z2 Extreme variant will be more powerful, but it’ll also be in a different price category (800-900,-€).
And in terms of user-friendliness: the Xbox Ally will run Windows. It won’t launch into the regular desktop shell (by default), and it won’t have as many services running in the background which might help with performance and battery life, and you’ll probably be able to update drivers and Windows through it. Maybe it will have some preconfigured scripts/shortcuts to install Steam, Battle.net etc. But that’s it. Expect to fall back to the desktop mode (or open a browser, terminal and Explorer window in the new gaming mode) for anything more advanced like installing emulators.
In terms of pick up and play this won’t be much different to the Steam Deck, with the one exception being Game Pass - but even then don’t expect any of the more demanding titles to run well.
This machine will be the same desktop-mode-not-required-but-allows-for-more-functionality thing that the Steam Deck is, but it will chew through battery faster in exchange for more compatibility.
And the crowd went …ok?
This is sick if the pricing is good.
It won’t.
Insert credit card to find out
I suspect handhelds are going to be the future for awhile now. It’s not just out of a growing demand or simply because portable graphics processing and battery power have improved (although those factors do help) but it’s another chance to:
- Push locked hardware
- Funnel to controlled storefronts
- Bring down and moderate the increasingly unsustainable AAA development costs
Those first two aren’t particularly surprising, they’re the key elements that Nintendo has honed in on while Sony and particularly Microsoft continue to struggle. Microsoft feels like they’ve just left XBox to languish while they focus on Game Pass as a means to ensnare you into their economy which is why they’re first down this path, but I think Sony will follow shortly. In an ideal world, I’d love to see Sony get back to hardware manufacturing with a Vita like device you could load Linux/SteamOS onto. Vita was a great little product, done so dirty. EDIT: I know the Portal exists, but that’s mostly just a dumb receiver as far as I understand it. Still, they’re already not too far off … come on guys, just a little further.
But moreover it’s that last point, really. It’s hard to continue to push out these extraordinarily big budget, bordering on AAAA (lol) territory games that continue to flop. I know the Switch 2 is already doing stuff like Cyberpunk 2077, but that stuff can still be hell on battery life as well as requiring lower resolution and lowered visuals in portable mode.
I feel like Nintendo is making a big mistake pushing that 4K60 envelope with the Switch 2, although I see why they made that maneuver. The Switch was perpetually underpowered and they felt the need to close that gap, but they already struggle to push out big budget tentpole franchises as is illustrated by Mario Kart World being the only big release title. Also, I just want to generally point this out, Nintendo suffers from needing to up the stakes. It’s what lead to Mario Galaxy being such a grand adventure, then Odyssey going even bigger than that. Now we have Kart World because … gotta get bigger than 8 Deluxe somehow I guess.
I don’t know what any of this means or where it’s going, I just wanted to try and call out some of these observations. Turbulent times ahead, I don’t know that anyone really knows what the next 2-3 years will look like.
I sincerely doubt that this device will satisfy criteria #1 or #2, unless you’ve got a generous definition for #2.
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damn asus not reading the room…
You mean the Linux room? You think the average person cares on what OS their stuff runs?
You, my dear friend, are a very loud and vocal minority.
Anyone member when IBM decided it was an “ideas company” or some bullshit like that?
I mean, they still make more than I do, but when was the last time anybody thought of IBM?
For consumer electronics? Probably a long time. For industrial applications? Quite often.
That’s true, it took them 10-15 years but they built a huge service business. I was specifically referring to the loss of the desktop market to the “clones” which has a rough equivalence.
It was more of a cheap shot than a serious prediction ☺️ As long as MS controls the licensing and software this is a completely logical move.
If I had more disposable income I would probably get one, but the global economy is so garbage right now I can barely afford my basic utilities.
Needs to provide FSR 4 to compete with Switch 2.
The fact that it’s the first handheld to get DLSS is bullahity
Needs to provide FSR 4 to compete with Switch 2.
It can’t unless FSR4 is backported to RDNA2/3. There’s some work on Linux to do that, but there is a significant performance hit at the moment.
Booooo
Steam deck ftw
This will likely only play pc games… And that is the big disappointment.
Who cares? We already have pc gaming handhelds. Unless this is subsidized to hell so it beats all other pricepoints… why should anyone care?
If my xbox library was made mobile… That would be something new and worthwhile. NO, I DONT WANT TO STREAM. I cant always stream on a handheld either. I want to possess my games!(As much as i can anyways)
Xbox will be disappointed by the sales of this handheld and might give up on their own that could play the xbox library locally. If they do that their next generation is screwed. Lets see how this plays out.
They have given up on their own handheld. And why wouldn’t you prefer the PC library when it’s so much larger? The appeal to this device at this point is that the new UI is better for the handheld use case than desktop Windows.
Its not that i dont prefer the PC library, its that there are already dozens of other handhelds that play PC games already.
So then the UI is the sole reason people should want this device?
I see no reason why this UI shouldnt also work on the plethora of other windows handhelds in the market currently. This leaves nothing new for this device to offer… Unless its really cheap.
At least at first, it will be the only handheld running this version of Windows. So maybe after a year or two, it won’t be all that unique, true, but a year or two is a long time at the rate these handhelds are advancing.
What a weak sell then, i understand your point, i just wish Xbox came out swinging with a compatibility layer for the Xbox game library. A portable device with that capability would have the potential to put them back on top.
Instead we get a less bad version of windows, that will likely be inferior to its direct competitor(steamOS) anyways, sans the ability to play a few multiplayer games.
I see no reason to believe it wont be.
i just wish Xbox came out swinging with a compatibility layer for the Xbox game library
Though not officially announced, signs of that are appearing already, including a hint or two in the speech of the conference.
And for plenty of people, being able to play live service games that don’t work on SteamOS, with a UI that’s almost as good finally, will be enough.
Oh and about the potential for native Xbox games running on PC handhelds… God i hope youre right.
Is it good enough for you? Is that why you will get it? Where are these people you speak of…?
I highly doubt there are enough people that want that super particular use case to make this particular handheld stand out at all, especially ones that didnt meet their needs with another handheld already.
I hate live service games and Windows, so no, this device is not for me, but those are also the most popular games on the market by a wide margin. Despite how awful the Windows experience is today, there’s still one Windows handheld sold for every two Steam Decks. That situation can only improve with a version of Windows designed for handhelds.
