ROG Xbox Ally Gets New Update And Teases Even More Improvements to Come

ROG Xbox Ally devices get a slew of upgrades as part of Microsoft’s latest update, introducing improved functionality, performance adjustments both big and small, and lots of other things. ROG Xbox Ally came out in mid-October 2025, with the basic model being roughly comparable to the Steam Deck in most situations. Over time, ASUS and Microsoft have delivered key improvements to it that helped make using Windows on the device a much better experience.

This long-term approach to software polishing is set to continue as ROG Xbox Ally and the bigger, faster ROG Xbox Ally X age. Whereas Windows was a poor choice for handheld gaming in 2022, when the Steam Deck came out, it has since improved massively. ROG Xbox Ally X is a 2025 highlight for TIME, even, which speaks to these devices’ flexibility and utility in gaming.

Microsoft has gone into substantial detail on all the new ROG Xbox Ally updates via a recent blog post. Highlights include substantial improvements to how the docking experience works, Auto SuperResolution availability, the Collective Library for aesthetic game overviews, improved vibrations, and lots more. The Gamepad Cursor is proving to be a particularly useful feature in games that aren’t optimized for handheld controls, as it allows users to use their controller as a mouse stand-in where necessary. As there’s allegedly no first-party Xbox handheld on the horizon anytime soon, it should come as no surprise that Microsoft would be going all-in on the ROG device lineup from ASUS in the interim.

Another big boon is the refreshed Xbox PC app, which also extends to how the game library is displayed on the Ally devices. This makes it much easier to add, remove, edit, and launch games and applications installed on the handheld even if it’s not a full-featured Xbox App. A bit of a must-have for any serious Windows-based gaming device, really. This boon in particular should make it much easier for users to customize their ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, which is always a good thing.

ROG Xbox Ally devices get updates rather quickly even compared to Valve’s SteamOS efforts. There’s no denying the fact that Microsoft is thoroughly dedicated to making Windows the place to be if one wishes to play all their games without compatibility or anti-cheat concerns. These are something SteamOS is still struggling with, even though it’s becoming an increasingly interesting alternative to the entrenched Windows ecosystem. Had Microsoft not done something to finally make the OS work on handhelds, the usability gap would’ve simply kept growing, which thankfully hasn’t happened in the end.

Image by Microsoft

In fact, all the big improvements ROG Xbox Ally handhelds have been getting will end up being a net positive for gaming on Windows as a whole. AutoSR upscaler will be broadly supported on all Windows PCs, for example, giving users a decent alternative to Nvidia DLSS, Intel XeSS, and AMD FSR upscalers. More competition is always a good thing, so that’s excellent news for the end-users no matter what hardware they use.

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Drag weapons to fill the grid

EasyMediumHardStart

Loadout Logic

Tap on a weapon to rotate it or press R while dragging.

Time—

Filled0/36

NewFinish

ROG Xbox Ally Patch Notes for April 2026