Digital Foundry review of the ROG Xbox Ally: good sensations with the hardware, doubts with the software

The new portable device surprises for its format, but the interface still needs improvements.

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During the recent video game fair, Microsoft’s new portable console was available for testing and left mixed opinions among Digital Foundry experts. The device, provisionally known as ROG Xbox Ally, drew attention for its design and ergonomics, but the software experience showed that there is still work to be done before its release.

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Richard Leadbetter, one of the most veteran members of DF, highlighted the hardware format as a strong point, ensuring that the device is comfortable and very complete in its functions. However, his tests were marked by several failures in the interface, which led him to describe the experience as unpolished and closer to that of other Windows devices than a traditional Xbox console.

ROG Xbox Ally: Portable Power with a Still-Immature Interface

According to Leadbetter, the system presented crashes and navigation problems from the start. Among them, a freeze in DOOM: The Dark Ages, a situation where the joysticks stopped working within the menus, and, even more striking, a failure when switching between Gears of War: Reloaded and DOOM: The Dark Ages. In the latter case, the system did not close the first game, and both remained loaded in memory, causing a significant drop in performance.

The expert emphasized that these errors should be resolved in a product so close to its release and warned that the current experience “does not convey the feeling of a finished console ready for the user”. However, he also acknowledged that the device is very promising due to its design and functionality, as long as Microsoft can polish the interface in the coming months.

• On the other hand, Alex Battaglia was also able to test the machine and claimed not to have experienced any crashes, although he did so for a much shorter period. His opinion reinforces the idea that the device can be solid in the hands of the end-user, although it still needs to overcome the limitations of an environment so close to a PC.

The ROG Xbox Ally offers an attractive format for those looking to play anywhere with an experience closer to a computer, but those who expect a portable console that works exactly like a traditional Xbox may feel disappointed if the software is not perfected before its market release.