Three big features coming to the new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds post-launch
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Last week saw the launch of the latest gaming PC handhelds – the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. Along with the launch, Microsoft has teased some future improvements coming to the new handhelds, with one big feature being Default Game Profiles, a system that’ll make sure users spend less time tinkering with settings and more time gaming.
The ROG Ally’s biggest rival, Valve’s Steam Deck, already enjoys default game configurations; many developers focus on this to ensure ‘Verified’ status. The flagship ROG Ally X model sold out not long after it was released (on October 16), despite its thousand-dollar price tag, which drew criticism from fans and remained one of the main downsides in Xbox Ally reviews.
Microsoft’s roadmap for the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X
The first thing to note is that Microsoft hasn’t released a detailed roadmap graphic. Instead, a few upcoming features were revealed in a recent launch day blog post. “New features on the Xbox Ally handhelds in the months ahead” are already planned and are currently in development. Here are three you should look forward to.
Default Game Profiles
Instead of launching a new game and then spending valuable time finding the best graphics settings for your ROG Ally online, Microsoft wants to do the work for you. The upcoming Default Game Profiles feature, slated to arrive in the coming weeks, “balances frame rate and energy use for select titles”. In other words, games should launch already optimized for your Xbox Ally. Of course, this will rely on extra work from developers, Microsoft, or a mix of both. We’ve already seen some optimizations for DOOM: The Dark Ages, a game directly linked to Microsoft (id Software and Bethesda Softworks are both subsidiaries).
That’s not to mention ongoing improvements to optimize the performance, battery life, and continued work on the Windows handheld compatibility system. The default settings put in place will no doubt have a bearing on the compatibility ratings of games moving forward. Microsoft has also outlined a ‘Windows Performance Fit’ feature that uses real-world data to reveal expected game performance on a game’s store page.
Automatic Super Resolution
Next up is Auto SR, or Automatic Super Resolution. This is an OS-integrated feature that was first announced last year. Like any other upscaling tech, Auto SR is designed to improve your framerate without compromising on the visuals by rendering the game at a lower resolution and upscaling it to look close to native. As the name implies, it is automatically applied to games without any extra effort from you. And since it is OS-integrated, we could expect the tech to be supported on alternative Windows handhelds such as Legion Go or MSI Claw devices.
Auto SR is expected “early next year,” so there’s still a fair amount of time to wait. This will arrive alongside “enhancements to the docking experience” (for both the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X) and is one of the AI features Microsoft will be keen to push; the other big one being Gaming Copilot, an AI assistant or part-time ‘gaming coach’ if you will.
Highlight reels for ROG Ally X
A new feature that lets you create clips/highlights is briefly mentioned in the official blog post and is coming specifically to the flagship Xbox ROG Ally X, not the cheaper non-X model. Highlight reels are slated for early next year. We suspect it will be similar to Nvidia Highlights via ShadowPlay, or, to use another handheld for comparison, the Game Recording feature available on Steam Deck. However, the exact details of what you can create and/or edit directly on your ROG Ally X are yet to be revealed.
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