Asus Teases Next-Gen ROG Ally Model That Could Arrive as a Portable Xbox Handheld

Asus has teased its next-gen ROG Ally handheld gaming console with multiple hardware upgrades, days ahead of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 showcase. The Taiwanese firm announced the Asus ROG Ally on this day in 2023, and a mid-cycle refresh was announced last year. According to a recent report, the company is working on an Xbox-branded handheld that would combine Windows and Xbox experiences, feature a user interface (UI) inspired by Microsoft's consoles, and launch later this year.

Asus Teases Hardware Upgrades on Next-Gen ROG Ally Console

In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), we can see Asus' "robot friend" Omni sitting at a machine that presents it with multiple performance upgrades. These include "marathon stamina", "more capacity", "faster speeds", and "fresh look". The mascot then spins off its chair and into a pod, and it is swiftly joined by an Asus Raikiri Pro PC controller and an Asus ROG Ally.

The video ends with the outline of a new handheld that is obscured, except for the display, which shows Omni's face. There's no mention of a release date, or any hardware specifications of the next-gen gaming console. Hours after the teaser was posted, the official Xbox account on X responded with the 'awkward look monkey puppet' meme.

An earlier report suggested that Asus was working on an Xbox-branded gaming handheld, codenamed “Project Kennan”, that would combine the Windows and Xbox experiences. The purported partner device is also said to run on Windows, along with a revamped UI that appears similar to the one used on Microsoft's Xbox consoles.

If the teaser video's performance upgrades are any indication, the next-gen ROG Ally model could arrive with the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU, which was unveiled earlier this year. This octa-core processor is built on AMD's Zen 5 architecture and is equipped with 16 GPU cores.

Similarly, the mention of a "fresh look" in the teaser might refer to the redesigned Xbox app on Windows, which could be used to showcase games on the upcoming Asus handheld console — or even act as a launcher.

While some might caution that the next-gen Asus ROG Ally teaser was posted on April 1, it's worth noting that Asus unveiled the first generation ROG Ally on the same date in 2023. The company has yet to announce a launch date for its next-gen handheld gaming console, but previous reports suggest it will arrive later this year.