Xbox-Branded Handheld Photos Leak, As Xbox App Gets Handheld-Friendly Update

The odds of an Xbox-branded handheld arriving this year look like they're increasing. That's because images have leaked of the ROG Ally 2, with one version sporting an Xbox button and better specs, according to VideoCardz. This would confirm reports from earlier this year that Microsoft was partnering with Asus on a portable device.

On X, user Huang514 posted pictures of two different variations of the ROG Ally 2. The black version is supposedly the Xbox-branded edition of the hardware, apparently boasting an eight-core AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor and 64GB of memory. The images were discoverable after website 91mobiles spotted Indonesian certification office entries for the devices from Asus. Keep in mind that the official Xbox account on X teased a collaboration with Asus in March, too.


ROG Ally 2
RC73XA Black 20V 5A 100W
RC73YA White 20V 3.25A 65Whttps://t.co/jgx4HFHUUu https://t.co/QUwZwa8t9a pic.twitter.com/dq3CP2SbA9

— Huang514613 (@94G8LA) May 7, 2025

This all certainly sounds like project Kennan. In addition, in possibly a happenstance moment, The Verge's Tom Warren noted on BlueSky that the Xbox app on PC just received an update that adds battery status and Wi-Fi signal icons for the compact mode. These newly implemented features certainly seem relevant in light of the leaked images.

The ROG Ally launched in mid-2023 and became a Steam Deck competitor. Last year, Asus delivered a mid-generation refresh with the ROG Ally X, sporting a bigger battery and more RAM. Meanwhile, it's believed Microsoft is working internally on its own Xbox handheld that could come out in 2027 along with a new home console.

What will be intriguing for this apparent Xbox edition of the ROG Ally 2 relates to the handheld's price tag. Microsoft just raised Xbox Series X|S console prices--Series X now costs $600--and stated that select first-party games will retail for $80 this holiday season.

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