Microsoft dives into the handheld gaming PC wars with the Asus ROG Xbox Ally
-
wrote on last edited by [email protected]
This will probably be the biggest competition the Steam Deck has within the handheld PC space.
Most noteworthy is that windows is finally focusing on providing a decent handheld experience, including booting straight to a controller friendly interface, and reducing background processes for better fps and battery.
Edit: The handheld Xbox UI will.come to all windows PCs, but it's not clear if the reduced performance bloat version will be available. It sounds like only Xbox branded devices may get the full benefit of optimized windows.
It's also the ugliest handheld PC yet (imo), but I can appreciate that they're pushing for comfort over looks.
-
This will probably be the biggest competition the Steam Deck has within the handheld PC space.
Most noteworthy is that windows is finally focusing on providing a decent handheld experience, including booting straight to a controller friendly interface, and reducing background processes for better fps and battery.
Edit: The handheld Xbox UI will.come to all windows PCs, but it's not clear if the reduced performance bloat version will be available. It sounds like only Xbox branded devices may get the full benefit of optimized windows.
It's also the ugliest handheld PC yet (imo), but I can appreciate that they're pushing for comfort over looks.
I fail to understand why hardware manufacturers are so afraid of dual track pads and 4 back buttons. Do they think that including these features will reduce sales?
-
I fail to understand why hardware manufacturers are so afraid of dual track pads and 4 back buttons. Do they think that including these features will reduce sales?
I didn’t think I would use the trackpads much, but now that I have them, I can’t move to a handheld that doesn’t have them. They are just too convenient.
-
I fail to understand why hardware manufacturers are so afraid of dual track pads and 4 back buttons. Do they think that including these features will reduce sales?
Trackpads cost "money", and besides you already have a touchscreen.
The thing that really makes me jealous is the Freesync panel. The secret to getting a battery-powered GPU to keep up with the screen is to stop making it keep up with the screen.
-
I fail to understand why hardware manufacturers are so afraid of dual track pads and 4 back buttons. Do they think that including these features will reduce sales?
wrote on last edited by [email protected]I understand the trackpads somewhat since they take up space, but the lack of back buttons is inexcusable.
Personally though, I'd buy a trackpad only deck (maybe with a real d-pad) but I know I'm in the minority on that one.
-
I didn’t think I would use the trackpads much, but now that I have them, I can’t move to a handheld that doesn’t have them. They are just too convenient.
Mainly I use them for more keybindings but they are essential for that.
-
This will probably be the biggest competition the Steam Deck has within the handheld PC space.
Most noteworthy is that windows is finally focusing on providing a decent handheld experience, including booting straight to a controller friendly interface, and reducing background processes for better fps and battery.
Edit: The handheld Xbox UI will.come to all windows PCs, but it's not clear if the reduced performance bloat version will be available. It sounds like only Xbox branded devices may get the full benefit of optimized windows.
It's also the ugliest handheld PC yet (imo), but I can appreciate that they're pushing for comfort over looks.
Ah shit Microsoft responded to steamOS. If this this matches or whoops linux in performance its going to make it very hard to convince people to move away from Microsoft.
-
I fail to understand why hardware manufacturers are so afraid of dual track pads and 4 back buttons. Do they think that including these features will reduce sales?
Well, it makes the hardware more complicated to manufacture, more error prone, more bigger, more costly. The software becomes also a little bit more complicated. Maybe they are afraid that trackpads wouldn't appeal to normies, because it looks weird first and most "console" gamers might want to use a "normal" gamepad like handheld, like any other handheld. Trackpads look so different and weird compared to the Switch in example. Being similar to the Switch in the look might be a reason for them to exclude it. But most importantly, it makes it more costly. So, I can see reasons for this.
Having said this, I would never buy a PC handheld without a single trackpad again. I love them (not in the literal sense BTW :D). Compared with good software for input, like Steam Input, they become invaluable.
-
I understand the trackpads somewhat since they take up space, but the lack of back buttons is inexcusable.
Personally though, I'd buy a trackpad only deck (maybe with a real d-pad) but I know I'm in the minority on that one.
Personally though, I’d buy a trackpad only deck (maybe with a real d-pad) but I know I’m in the minority on that one.
I can't understand this. There are a few fans of the original Steam Controller (I have one too from launch of it) and they seem to be okay for the missing d-pad. Maybe if you play games where d-pad is never needed, I can see it. But games like Fighting Games, classic Platformer or anything that requires precise single clicks (even menus, like RPGs) are better with d-pad in my opinion. And if you are a fan of emulation like me, then there is no discussion, a d-pad is a must.
Do you really never use the d-pad?
-
Ah shit Microsoft responded to steamOS. If this this matches or whoops linux in performance its going to make it very hard to convince people to move away from Microsoft.
It probably won't whoop Linux, but if it can at least get the performance closer, we could have an excitingly competitive handheld OS market.
-
It probably won't whoop Linux, but if it can at least get the performance closer, we could have an excitingly competitive handheld OS market.
You are sitting here saying finally a competitive os market but the competition has pretty much just ended.
-
You are sitting here saying finally a competitive os market but the competition has pretty much just ended.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]They would both have different strengths, so handheld Windows will never snuff out SteamOS when it has a pretty good head start already. Not to mention that any windows handheld will be more expensive than a SteamOS one unless Microsoft is willing to give the license away for free.
-
I didn’t think I would use the trackpads much, but now that I have them, I can’t move to a handheld that doesn’t have them. They are just too convenient.
Conversely I bought a Steam Deck specifically because of the trackpads but I find I only ever use them on the rare occasion that I need to go to desktop mode. I love my Deck but I've discovered that could easily live without the trackpads if they weren't there.
-
Personally though, I’d buy a trackpad only deck (maybe with a real d-pad) but I know I’m in the minority on that one.
I can't understand this. There are a few fans of the original Steam Controller (I have one too from launch of it) and they seem to be okay for the missing d-pad. Maybe if you play games where d-pad is never needed, I can see it. But games like Fighting Games, classic Platformer or anything that requires precise single clicks (even menus, like RPGs) are better with d-pad in my opinion. And if you are a fan of emulation like me, then there is no discussion, a d-pad is a must.
Do you really never use the d-pad?
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Well, I did say "maybe with a real d-pad", it's just the thumbsticks that aren't necessary.
I actually did play with the Steam Controller for years using the trackpad as d-pad. It was more of a comfort thing that made it less than ideal which was due to the shape/texture of the original SC, but I could live without it personally if it's done right.
I've even played shmups with it, with the right settings, but I get there is a learning curve and its easier to use a physical d-pad.
-
Well, I did say "maybe with a real d-pad", it's just the thumbsticks that aren't necessary.
I actually did play with the Steam Controller for years using the trackpad as d-pad. It was more of a comfort thing that made it less than ideal which was due to the shape/texture of the original SC, but I could live without it personally if it's done right.
I've even played shmups with it, with the right settings, but I get there is a learning curve and its easier to use a physical d-pad.
Oh, I'm sorry, I completely misread that part about "with a real d-pad". Not sure what happened there.
-
This will probably be the biggest competition the Steam Deck has within the handheld PC space.
Most noteworthy is that windows is finally focusing on providing a decent handheld experience, including booting straight to a controller friendly interface, and reducing background processes for better fps and battery.
Edit: The handheld Xbox UI will.come to all windows PCs, but it's not clear if the reduced performance bloat version will be available. It sounds like only Xbox branded devices may get the full benefit of optimized windows.
It's also the ugliest handheld PC yet (imo), but I can appreciate that they're pushing for comfort over looks.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]So... if this device does not come with some kind of even more locked down than normal bootloader/uefi/tpm system...
We know that SteamOS is roughly 15% faster at running games, 15% more fps in a same for same hardware and game settings comparison.
They say its running a stripped down (aka debloated) version of Win 11, but frankly, I call bullshit.
Sure, it may take a bit for proper driver support to be developed for the new Z2 apus... but uh...
You can just buy this thing, wipe out windows, flash SteamOS or Bazzite onto it, and get more FPS, and now you basically exist in the SteamOS ecosystem (or also GOG or whatever).
At that point, MSFT has functionally built a product that will be used on their competitor's ecosystem... when the whole point of this thing is to keep people in the Xbox ecosystem.
Uh, also... does this thing come with CoPilot?
Is it just gonna be or at least be capable of ... snapping automatic acreen grabs of everything you are doing, all the time?
Also, don't forget to keep paying for Xbox
LiveGamepass... for the privelege... of all of this? -
I fail to understand why hardware manufacturers are so afraid of dual track pads and 4 back buttons. Do they think that including these features will reduce sales?
@tiberius @Fubarberry If they put trackpads will scare away many users. The handheld needs to look like a console. Many gamers don't want to go into PC gaming territory so xbox is wrapping this one as a "console".
-
They would both have different strengths, so handheld Windows will never snuff out SteamOS when it has a pretty good head start already. Not to mention that any windows handheld will be more expensive than a SteamOS one unless Microsoft is willing to give the license away for free.
SteamOS has had a good start but its not a headstart. Its still a minority OS in the handheld space. Now that you can get a slick UI with good preformance, 100% software compatibility, im failing to see the advantages that will draw windows users onto steam.
Im a linux users so I place a lot of value in the freedom of the ecosystem but most non linux users dont think about that or care. SteamOS needed this win to convince people to leave the microsoft ecosystem and now microsoft has closed the gap.
-
SteamOS has had a good start but its not a headstart. Its still a minority OS in the handheld space. Now that you can get a slick UI with good preformance, 100% software compatibility, im failing to see the advantages that will draw windows users onto steam.
Im a linux users so I place a lot of value in the freedom of the ecosystem but most non linux users dont think about that or care. SteamOS needed this win to convince people to leave the microsoft ecosystem and now microsoft has closed the gap.
Steam Deck sold about 3.7 million units, while the handheld PCs have sold around 6 million since the Steam Deck was launched. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a minority to me unless you're counting the Switch, as well.
However, neither this Xbox handheld and the Steam Deck will be able to even compare to the volume being sold by Nintendo, so what's the point of even including it in this comparison? We might as well include Android gaming in that comparison, then, which should dwarf everything else by comparison.
-
Conversely I bought a Steam Deck specifically because of the trackpads but I find I only ever use them on the rare occasion that I need to go to desktop mode. I love my Deck but I've discovered that could easily live without the trackpads if they weren't there.
I can't and won't play any first person perspective game with a regular controller. Track pad + gyro is so much fun! It love to at least see capacitive touch sticks + gyro adopted by other manufacturers.
