Asus and Microsoft will be launching their ROG Xbox Ally series of handheld gaming PCs starting October 16, according to an Asus announcement that went out today.

Microsoft announced Wednesday during Gamescom 2025 that not only will its Xbox Ally handhelds be released on October 16, but the company is spinning up a new initiative to support optimized gaming on these devices called the Handheld Compatibility Program.

Earlier this year, a Windows Central report stated that Microsoft had sidelined its own internal plans to build a portable Xbox gaming device in order to double down on the ROG Xbox Ally line in the short-term. However, that report also suggested that Microsoft's own ambitions were only shelved "for now".

The engineers on Microsoft's DirectX team are always busy bees, constantly working on one improvement or another. Today, the team announced that it's taking initial steps to get rid of a perennial annoyance in PC gaming: shader compilation waiting times and stuttering.

The ROG Xbox Ally draws understandable comparisons to Nintendo's Switch 2. But really, it's closer to Steam Deck. How do they compare?

Still, 2025 is a very different time from 2022. Nintendo is back with a vengeance, and there are more powerful handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally. Even Xbox is looking to get in on the action, so if you’ve not picked up a Steam Deck as of yet, have you missed your chance, especially as rumors swirl of a Steam Deck 2?

( NewsNation) — Global sales of PC gaming handhelds, including Valve’s Steam Deck, are projected to reach 2.3 million units this year, according to new research from Omdia. That would mark a 32% increase from last year, when 1.7 million devices were sold. Omdia forecasts yearly sales will grow to 4.7 million by 2029.