Microsoft announced Wednesday during Gamescom 2025 that not only will its Xbox Ally handhelds be released on October 16, but the company is spinning up a new initiative to support optimized gaming on these devices called the Handheld Compatibility Program.

Two years ago we learned, thanks to the FTC, that Microsoft was working on a separate “dedicated” version of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Microsoft Gaming CFO Tim Stuart then hinted, a few months later, that there could be a free version Xbox Cloud Gaming in exchange for ads.

Today, Microsoft has made its release date official, declaring that on October 16 we’ll be able to get hold of both models, with pre-orders due “in the coming weeks.” Despite this, we still don’t have a price for either model. However, rumors about the potential cost continue to appear—see below.

Microsoft and ASUS have confirmed that ROG Xbox Ally and the high performance ROG Xbox Ally X will arrive in stores on October 16.

ASUS reveals the release date for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, partially confirming one recent leak about the upcoming devices.

Microsoft has officially confirmed the release date for its line of handheld consoles. The price, however, remains a mystery.

An Xbox executive has suggested the brand wants to offer cloud gaming at a lower price. An exact plan from Microsoft has yet to be announced.

Microsoft delays the price announcement for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X despite revealing more information about the handhelds at Gamescom.

Sony is reportedly driving a hard bargain with Microsoft to bring Housemarque's cult classic Returnal to Xbox Series X|S.

The era of Xbox as we know it is finally coming to an end, but fans shouldn’t despair, as it is only going to be more interesting from here on out.