Is Xbox cooked as a console brand?

[RatsTheDonkey]

A review of the Xbox Ally X handhelds (yes, there are two models) is in. In short: its a glorified Windows 11 PC (which is a red flag in itself) in an overpriced handheld shell, and it can only play Xbox games that have already been ported to PC--forget about playing the real Xbox classics like Panzer Dragoon Orta and others. Just save up for a Steam Deck instead.

https://www.theverge.com/games/799698/x ... xperience#

[ActRaiser]

A review of the Xbox Ally X handhelds (yes, there are two models) is in. In short: its a glorified Windows 11 PC (which is a red flag in itself) in an overpriced handheld shell, and it can only play Xbox games that have already been ported to PC--forget about playing the real Xbox classics like Panzer Dragoon Orta and others. Just save up for a Steam Deck instead.

https://www.theverge.com/games/799698/x ... xperience#

Is it wrong that the only thing I'd play on it are the games from Good Old Games? If they can confirm they'd play I'd be interested. I looked into the Steam Deck and it didn't seem like anyone had luck getting GOG games to play.

[GStratos]

Is it wrong that the only thing I'd play on it are the games from Good Old Games? If they can confirm they'd play I'd be interested. I looked into the Steam Deck and it didn't seem like anyone had luck getting GOG games to play.

Really? A quick google suggests doing so is easy if you install a specific launcher such as Heroic Launcher or Lutris. I'd look into it again if I were you.

Also, you can probably play Panzer Dragoon Orta on these handhelds using Xemu. Last I heard, it runs perfectly on that and thus on PC systems in general if they can run the program.

[ActRaiser]

Is it wrong that the only thing I'd play on it are the games from Good Old Games? If they can confirm they'd play I'd be interested. I looked into the Steam Deck and it didn't seem like anyone had luck getting GOG games to play.

Really? A quick google suggests doing so is easy if you install a specific launcher such as Heroic Launcher or Lutris. I'd look into it again if I were you.

Also, you can probably play Panzer Dragoon Orta on these handhelds using Xemu. Last I heard, it runs perfectly on that and thus on PC systems in general if they can run the program.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into it more.

[BlasteroidAli]

https://www.ign.com/articles/asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-review?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=68efc88d47c5070001476853

Interesting article about the new Xbox handheld. I must say that now, it seems like, it might be something to purchase. Too expensive but wow, it looks great.

[VideoGameCritic]

Yeah I saw a similar article:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/10/ ... ca-review/

Two take-aways:
Microsoft once again scored an EPIC FAIL with the naming:
ROG Xbox Ally X? I don't even know how to pronounce that.

And then I read it does NOT play XBOX games!! Unreal!

[matmico399]

Yeah I saw a similar article:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/10/ ... ca-review/

Two take-aways:
Microsoft once again scored an EPIC FAIL with the naming:
ROG Xbox Ally X? I don't even know how to pronounce that.

And then I read it does NOT play XBOX games!! Unreal!

Lol they always find a way with those names.

[GStratos]

One thing the Ars Technica article correctly says is that Microsoft can only be blamed so much when it comes to unifying the landscape of different game launchers and clients. The truth is, except for Steam and to an extent GOG, all of them suffer from awful interfaces and tons of glitches, because they have been hastily put together in an effort to compete with Steam which, on the other hand, has literal decades of programming behind it and is thus significantly more stable and easy to use. In well over a decade of using Steam, I've never had any trouble with it, but I've always avoided the other platforms (except GOG) because of everyone else I know complaining about them.

On the other hand, despite what this review says, the Steam Deck is not in fact just limited to Steam or GOG games but pretty much any game that runs under the Proton compatibility layer, and that as far as I'm aware nowadays includes the vast majority of the Windows library, including games from the 90s to today. And then of course there's emulators. Pretty much any game outside of Switch 2 or Playstation 5 and a few other things can be played on a PC nowadays, be it Windows or Linux, so I don't think this new handheld offers this advantage over the Steam Deck except for a handful of exclusives that require specific DRM from non-Steam launchers to function.

All told, there is definitely a case to be made for waiting until 2028 for the Steam Deck 2, provided the rumors for the release of that platform are accurate.

And then I read it does NOT play XBOX games!! Unreal!

Well, Xbox has been used on the PC for many years now as part of the rebranding of Windows Live and Microsoft Game Studios, so it makes sense for them to keep using it as they already had an Xbox application on PC, in my opinion.

Besides, if it's as powerful as they say, it can at least play most original Xbox and Xbox 360 games via Xemu and Xenia, respectively, so at least there's that

[BlasteroidAli]

The 500 quid one is sold out on Amazon in the UK. I was looking at it. It has such a great title. Plus it plays Xbox games, well the play anywhere ones that is. As they play anywhere. I have the Microids Arkanoid battle royal which i can play on PC. It is atrocious. Doom games. So whoever said that it cannot play Xbox games was being disingenuous.

Though, at the end of the day. If I got one, I would want it to play Gog games, Steam and Xbox.

Not that I have the cash for one right now.

[GStratos]

There is a new article over at Eurogamer from Xbox regarding the company's direction. In his words:

In an interview with The New York Times, primarily discussing the shock announcement that Xbox's longtime brand mascot, Master Chief, and exclusive first-party game, Halo, would be coming to PS5 in 2026, Booty said the decision came as a result of "seeking to meet people where they are", moving away from console exclusivity in a bid to reach more players.

I also saw a comment that had this to say about it:

it's not a controversial statement to say that screentime elsewhere is eating in to games, that's been observed elsewhere. the coronavirus got people inside, tik tok was there at the right time to hook to the endless content stream, netflix has pivoted to pandering to background noise so that they get paid while people do something else. the world is shifting away from what gamers think of as games. before mobile, everything was a tentpole release. the revolution started there and is being carried along by roblox. the world wants the gaming equivalents of survivor, who wants to be a millionaire, the real housewives, etc etc etc

Personally, I think there is merit in saying that games face heavy competition from platforms like TikTok nowadays, but at the same time, I don't want games to be endless content mills like that either. If Xbox can provide good single player experiences (like Forza Horizon 4 or Age of Empires II for example) then I'll play their games, but if their intention is to become more and more like mobile games or reality tv, then those are games I won't be spending my time with.