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.

The Steam Deck is a product from Valve, which runs the Steam storefront and hosts some of the best games. That makes the Xbox Game Pass a product from its industry competitor, Microsoft.

Microsoft’s latest Steam Deck support for Xbox Cloud Gaming comes just weeks after the company detailed its Xbox Game Studios titles for the handheld. The Steam Deck is also now able to run ...

Microsoft's wide array of Xbox Game Pass titles are accessible for Steam Deck players to enjoy with this workaround using Xbox Cloud Gaming. By Joey Carr on September 27, 2022 at 9:42AM PDT

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.