I'm consistently fascinated with the handheld PC space right now, and the Xbox Ally marks a turning point going forward. Attempting to merge the candid, casual nature of Xbox gaming with Asus' raw portable gaming console power, there's a lot to like about it. But you really need to spend $600 or $1000 to enjoy the ROG Xbox Ally's greatest feature? The answer is no, as a brand-new Armoury Crate update is all you need.
One of the ROG Xbox Ally's biggest selling points is the unification of every gaming experience you can load onto the handheld. From your Steam library to your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate downloads, the combination of a better full-screen experience and tweaks to Armoury Crate is the juice that Microsoft is proudly showing off. Luckily, Asus is rolling out an update to Armoury Crate from Monday, October 13, 2025, according to ROGAllylife, that merges this experience with the ROG Ally Z1e and ROG Ally X.
This update pushes Xbox Game Bar into Armoury Crate, too. Other features include the option to sync performance modes within the app, dedicated titles for each setting you want to tinker with in the app, and a less intrusive and overall more polished experience. It appears over your game slicker, rather than booting up the sluggish application to view every game currently installed on your handheld PC. For me, the overhauled Command Center screen is the highlight, making it quicker than ever to toggle between my settings or games.
With the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X already arriving in the hands of players ahead of launch on Thursday, October 16, 2025, you can already get a sense of how well it performs. I'm happy to see these features appear on the previous two Asus handhelds, as my initial concerns suspected that they might be gatekept to encourage purchases of the Xbox Ally instead. Whether this update is compatible with older ROG Ally models before the Z1e will be clarified soon. Either way, you can see what I think about the upcoming model in my Xbox Ally X preview.
The Asus ROG Ally Z1e is my favorite handheld console out there. I leaped from the Steam Deck ship a year after launch, not because it's a bad platform (it's great, actually), but because the games I want to play require more juice. Thanks to last year's Christmas discounts at Argos, the Z1e gives me fixes of The Finals wherever I may be.
It's even a useful boon for writing on the go, with the majority of my Gamescom previews getting published straight from the device. But Armoury Crate is the console's fatal weakness. I detest using this tool - until now.
If the hefty Xbox Ally price isn't for you, don't worry. Be sure to check out guides to the best gaming tablets or the best Steam Deck alternatives you can get right now.