As we near its release date, we’re receiving more information on the upcoming ASUS ROG Xbox Ally. With that, Xbox is trying to highlight what makes it the ideal handheld. But it does have an uphill battle, as it chooses to stick to Windows in a time when SteamOS has proven to be the best performing option.

As we saw with the Legion Go S in May, the SteamOS version vastly improved on the performance, with an uplift of up to 25%. Battery life also increased drastically. So Windows isn’t exactly a go-to, as even its design is more desktop-oriented, rather than being tailor-made for handhelds.

Now, Xbox is working on Windows improvements. Making it more lightweight for battery longevity, better performance, and making it a unified experience are some of the things it has to do to get on the same level as SteamOS; otherwise, the release of the new Xbox Ally isn’t going to get it anywhere, even if the pricing is potentially less than we expected.

How can Windows improve for handhelds?

One of the big things that Xbox is already working on is the full-screen experience. Seeing as Windows is made for desktops, it isn’t exactly controller-friendly with a desktop made for a mouse and keyboard. That’s where the full-screen experience comes in as a new version made for the controller, much like Steam Big Picture or Game Mode on Valve’s Steam Deck handheld (the latter is based on the former).

Not only will it make the controls easier, but it will also improve the performance. Targeting and eliminating multiple processes that consume your hardware’s power should improve the framerate on the handheld. This should also extend to the battery life, prolonging it to actually make it a playable experience over time, without you losing it all before your game even gets going. ROG Ally Life says full-screen mode reportedly saves up to 2GB of RAM and cuts idle power consumption by two-thirds.

Offering up an aggregated library should also make the gaming experience a lot better, especially as it will extend the offering to plenty more libraries than just one. As SteamOS has its own library, Xbox looks to add to it by bringing Battle.net, Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, and Steam, and EA it already includes. You can already access this in the preview, and can make it a better option for a wider range of games and where you get them from.

Another addition is the Play Anywhere feature, expanding on its ‘This is an Xbox’ campaign. Allowing you to play any game across a variety of devices, it can make it the platform that lets you truly play anywhere you want.

This combination of features will make Windows an equally good platform for gaming. Since SteamOS is such a prominent option for handhelds, Xbox really has to make its platform an equally good option; otherwise, the Ally will be dead in the water. Plus, hopefully, this comes to desktops too, so we can reduce our bloat, too.

About the Author

Sebastian Kozlowski

With a fascination for technology and games, Seb is a tech writer with a focus on hardware, news, and deals. He is also a tester and reviewer for the site. Contact him @ [email protected]