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The official Xbox Ally handheld is so exciting.
(lemmy.world)
It runs Windows
You lost everyone here
This reads exactly like an astroturfing bot post lol
Yeah, me -- an astroturfing bot who gave away 50 games to members of this community just a few weeks ago. All part of my master plan. 🙄
I make no claims for what you are. I said it reads like .
Very generous of you to give games away to the community for free. Thanks for your contributions. A bit odd to bring it up though.
Sorry you're getting downvoted too much. I mean, the joke is that Lemmy is all about Linux so it gonna be bad, but I didn't think this much :P
I'm kinda excited too? Kind of?
Like this isn't for me. I'm more of a Steam Deck guy.
If this lives up to the MS Marketing BS, this would be a handheld that I'd buy for a friend or I'd recommend a friend to buy.
I’m not motivated by upvotes, so it’s fine.
And at least the Linux zealots aren’t as insufferable as elsewhere.
Competition is good and I hope this device succeeds.
That said I'm happy with my Steam Deck and Steam OS.
"Exciting" is not the word I would use. It is nice to see Microsoft at least attempting to show up to the PC gaming arena to create competition. My expectations are low though.
What is interesting and unexpected is to see it supporting 3rd party stores. I thought for sure it would be limited to XBOX store. Probably later.
I suspect it will be released for other PCs as well.
It's mostly an iteration on existing handhelds with extra Microsoft changes on top. It's exciting if you don't want to leave the comfort of Windows. Unfortunately, it's just as much of a nightmare for privacy and other ethical reasons as other Windows handhelds. It also seems like it's going to be power hungry and not aimed at directly competing with the Steam Deck, which is still the industry standard right now. Handhelds need more efficiency, not more performance.
Also it's Z2 Extreme, not Zen 2 Extreme. The Steam Deck's APU is based on Zen 2, the Z2 is based on Zen 5.
Also it’s Z2 Extreme, not Zen 2 Extreme
um akshually 🤓
It's the AI Z2 Extreme in the Xbox Ally X. There is a non-AI variant, which is the same, except of course the AI hardware, but that's not used for these.
Couldn't be AMD without dogshit mobile processor names.
The Steam Deck’s APU is based on Zen 2, the Z2 is based on Zen 5.
Well, "Z2 Extreme" is, as you noted, Zen 5 based.
"Z2", though, is anything from zen2 to zen5, depending on the specific SKU
Good point (I shouldn't drop words). The Z2 A, which is in the lower-end Xbox Ally X, is basically the Steam Deck's chip. AMD naming is so strange.
It'll be a long time before I trust Asus again
The ROG Ally and similar devices have already existed for years. What's the big deal with just an Xbox branded one?
I think they're supporting "suspend" and other OS/software improvements so it feels more like an xbox handheld and has optimizations for battery and performance. They're also introducing updating the microsoft store to have a "steam deck" compatible -- like system with caveats and stuff.
If you own an Xbox series X or whatever they have now, you can stream seamlessly and stuff.
The real question is if this is will be available for other windows handhelds. If it is, people who already have a first or second Gen ROG Ally /X will likely not upgrade. 30% increases in chip performance sounds great on paper but don't necessarily mean anything in real world use depending on games and other specs. I can't say because I don't play a whole lot of AAA games on my ROG Ally X, but my opinion is that it's unlikely to make enough of a difference to get me to buy the new one. That's probably true for most of the people who own a handheld (including the steam deck). The suspend feature is useful, and the Xbox os optimization of windows sounds great, but I want to see side by side specs and benchmarks, and I want to know how upgradeable this thing is. You can already get a 2TB ROG Ally X for just under $1000. Is this thing gonna come in a 2TB variant? Can I dual boot steam os? Will changing the edition of windows (home to pro) lock me out of the Xbox style interface? I have lots of questions.
All very good questions. If a lot of these are software updates ... I was genuinely hoping they would go back and make it easier for those with the earlier handhelds. I bought my friend's kid a ROG Ally (not an X) and it'd be nice if they got some of these benefits too.
I'm dubious until I see benchmarks from Steve, Linus, Dave2D? I think most of the videos that have been out have been what they've advertised/marketing rather than independent testing.
None of those guys were particularly happy with the original slate of handhelds from everything I watched. Steve and Linus especially seemed to quibble a lot over performance and battery life. I watched so many reviews before I bought a handheld and I ended up not really enjoying the Legion Go I originally bought. It's lovely but it's way too big. So I ended up giving it away to my sister (who doesn't use it as a handheld but as an entertainment center PC), and I bought myself the Ally X.
For sure though we can at least trust that Steve and Linus and Dave will put out reliable benchmarks. So there's that.
it’s not stock Windows but an optimized version for gaming
The software side is definitely the most exciting part for me, since it's not just for the Ally devices, but for all Windows handhelds.
It can go straight into the landfill with the windows phone and zune
this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2025
-12 points (37.5% liked)
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