The most notable difference between the Xbox Ally and the Steam Deck is the operating system. Like the ROG Ally, the Xbox Ally will also use Windows 11, while the Steam Deck uses Valve's SteamOS.

Xbox and Asus reveal the ROG Xbox Ally handheld. Specs, features, and what to expect on pricing and release date.

Now that both the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X have been fully unveiled during Gamescom 2025, my skepticism is waning. In fact, you could say I’m optimistic about the upcoming handheld. I like that Xbox is working with its game studio partners to test and optimize the best PC games for handheld compatibility,