On Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:18:45 +1300, I wrote:
Microsoft has been racking its corporate brains to come up with an answer to the Linux-based SteamOS. There was talk of some kind of fused Windows/Xbox frankenproduct, but it turns out this was mainly just a branding exercise: the first product in this line is now out <https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/10/rog-xbox-ally-x-the-ars-technica-review/>.
That review, as negative as it is, is almost kind compared to this one <https://www.theverge.com/games/799698/xbox-ally-x-review-asus-microsoft-full-screen-experience>, which is distinctly savage in places: But fixing the bugs won’t be enough to save the $599 Xbox Ally. Microsoft, Asus, and AMD would also need to fix its performance — because even the two-year-old, $549 Steam Deck OLED is beating Microsoft’s brand-new handheld by an average of 13 percent in my tests. This is a “you had one job” moment, because the AMD Ryzen Z2 A in the $599 Xbox Ally is basically the same chip you’ll find in the Steam Deck, only with a 20W turbo mode when you plug it into the wall. (Valve’s tops out at 15W.) But as you can see above, it usually didn’t beat the Deck even when I plugged it in. I can’t say whether that’s because the drivers are immature or because Windows is holding it back — but seeing how half-baked Microsoft’s changes to Windows have been and how Lenovo’s SteamOS handheld beat its Windows one, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the latter.