Xbox’s New Handheld Gets An October Release Date

The marketing for these new handhelds has emphasized a few key features. Powered by Windows 11 and performing with AMD processors, the Ally and Ally X will allow players to access their game libraries from other PC storefronts like Steam and Battle.net. It will come with the ability to play games natively, by cloud where available, and Remote Play should a player have an Xbox already. The release date announcement also came with news of an initiative called the Handheld Compatibility Program, a program where, notably similar to how Valve labels Steam Deck compatible games on Steam, games in a player’s library will show badges saying “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible” for verified titles. 

The Ally and Ally X are coming at a strange time. Their release follows a summer effectively dominated by a different handheld, the Nintendo Switch 2, which has been selling at record-breaking speeds. And while the prices of Xbox’s new products are unconfirmed, which is already peculiar within itself given how close October 16 is, they are suspected to be more expensive than the Switch 2—which received a lot of flack for its high price initially. This may not be as much of an issue for Xbox given their consoles are no strangers to higher prices (an Xbox Series X goes for $599.99 as of writing this), but it could still be a pain point in the U.S.’s current climate of tariffs and economic instability. 

Then, there’s the other growing elephant in the room: Microsoft has been increasingly under fire for its complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians following several damning reports. This has caused a litany of responses, from a BDS boycott against Microsoft’s gaming products (a boycott that unions under the publisher are supporting) to developers pulling their games off the Xbox store. Concerns have even followed the tech giant to this year’s Gamescom, as Game Developer reports that Xbox personnel shut down questions related to Microsoft’s mass layoffs and relationship with Israel. Players and observers alike won’t have to wait long to see how this and the other caveats attached to the company affect Ally and Ally X sales this Fall.