Xbox has revealed its new handheld line, the ROG Xbox Ally and the Ally X, made in partnership with Asus. And I got the chance to play it during Summer Game Fest. My colleague Tom Warren has already broken down how the handheld works with its operating system, UI, and integration with the Xbox app and third-party game stores. Meanwhile, I’ll get into the simple experience of playing the dang thing — and the biggest selling point, for me, was comfort.
Despite my best efforts, the eagle-eyed Xbox PR reps did not let me peek at the device’s storefronts or play the much-anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong. So for this brief hands-on overview, I’ll cover the game that I did get to play — Gears of War: Reloaded.
I can sum up my experience with the Ally X (as I recall, the less powerful white Xbox Ally was not available) with a few words: I need this. The Ally X felt roughly the same weight as a Steam Deck. But with its hand grips, modeled to resemble the form factor of an Xbox controller, it felt like a literal dream.
I’ve struggled with my Steam Deck for a long time because it’s not comfortable to hold. After extended gaming sessions, my hands stiffen into claws that take a moment to regain their flexibility and normal use. While I wasn’t able to spend hours playing the Ally X to test my hands’ endurance, I could already notice the difference in my fingers within moments of picking it up. It felt good to hold, both in weight and form factor.
As for playing Gears, it was a seamless experience. Microsoft had the remaster of the seminal Xbox shooter (its second remaster in the game’s 25-year history) set up across the different platforms that the game supports. I played on a regular Ally at first, then I moved over to the Ally X, and the differences were subtle but noticeable. The device’s weight felt comparable to a Steam Deck. I performed better on the Ally X, which could be a component of having already warmed up, but my shooting was tighter and more accurate.
Visually, between the Ally and the Ally X, I didn’t notice a difference, but I really wasn’t looking for one. I was so enamored with how comfortable it felt in my hands that any graphical differences seemed less important in comparison. I wish I could have seen more of the home UI to judge the ease of loading in games or jumping from Steam games to Xbox games or judge Xbox Play Anywhere games versus those streamed from an Xbox or over the cloud. But like I said, the eagle-eyed PR folks kept this to a Gears demonstration only.
I love the portability of my Steam Deck, Switch, and PS Portal. Those three are my preferred ways to play over my desktop and consoles. While there are still a lot of question marks around the Ally X, particularly with its interface and how it holds up over long sessions, that little bit of comfort has gone a long way to selling me on a portable Xbox.
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![‘Backrooms’ Wants You Back and Is Adding More Rooms (Footage)
Backrooms, the surprise hit of the summer, wants you back in the room. And by room, we mean theater. Its distributor, A24, is reportedly gearing up to release a new version of the film with 15 extra minutes of footage starting on July 3. According to the AMC Theaters website, the Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition “includes 15 minutes of new, theatrically exclusive post-credit bonus footage from [director] Kane Parsons.” What exactly is in that footage, we don’t know, and surely A24 is hoping you go to the theater to find out. We would be very, very surprised, though, if it expands too greatly on the mythology of the world or its creepy, ambiguous ending. That’s certainly the hope, but with a sequel almost certainly on the way, we’d imagine most secrets will be held until then. And yet, what about Backrooms has been traditional so far? We’re just speculating. It could very well be a whole new ending with twists and turns about what exactly the backrooms are, where they came from, and what their purpose is. The move comes as the summer season really heats up with the upcoming releases of Minions & Monsters, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day over the next few weeks. Currently, Backrooms sits at about $185 million domestically but grossed only about $4 million this past weekend, good enough for sixth place.
Adding additional footage to get a few more repeat viewings is probably aimed at crossing the $200 million mark domestically, which would be an incredible feat. Not that grossing over $185 million in the U.S. and over $330 million worldwide isn’t already an incredible feat on its own.
Are you ready to head back to the theater to see more Backrooms? Is there anything that could be added that would be a disappointment? Let us know below. And to check if the Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition is coming to your local theater, check its ticketing website. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Backrooms #Adding #Rooms #FootageBackrooms,Kane Parsons ‘Backrooms’ Wants You Back and Is Adding More Rooms (Footage)
Backrooms, the surprise hit of the summer, wants you back in the room. And by room, we mean theater. Its distributor, A24, is reportedly gearing up to release a new version of the film with 15 extra minutes of footage starting on July 3. According to the AMC Theaters website, the Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition “includes 15 minutes of new, theatrically exclusive post-credit bonus footage from [director] Kane Parsons.” What exactly is in that footage, we don’t know, and surely A24 is hoping you go to the theater to find out. We would be very, very surprised, though, if it expands too greatly on the mythology of the world or its creepy, ambiguous ending. That’s certainly the hope, but with a sequel almost certainly on the way, we’d imagine most secrets will be held until then. And yet, what about Backrooms has been traditional so far? We’re just speculating. It could very well be a whole new ending with twists and turns about what exactly the backrooms are, where they came from, and what their purpose is. The move comes as the summer season really heats up with the upcoming releases of Minions & Monsters, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day over the next few weeks. Currently, Backrooms sits at about $185 million domestically but grossed only about $4 million this past weekend, good enough for sixth place.
Adding additional footage to get a few more repeat viewings is probably aimed at crossing the $200 million mark domestically, which would be an incredible feat. Not that grossing over $185 million in the U.S. and over $330 million worldwide isn’t already an incredible feat on its own.
Are you ready to head back to the theater to see more Backrooms? Is there anything that could be added that would be a disappointment? Let us know below. And to check if the Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition is coming to your local theater, check its ticketing website. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Backrooms #Adding #Rooms #FootageBackrooms,Kane Parsons](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/06/Backrooms-furnature-pile-1280x853.jpg)
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