Asus Manufacturing Xbox 5d682e Branded Handheld That Combines Windows and Xbox Experiences: Report

Asus ships its own Windows-based gaming handheld, the ROG Ally. 70p4o

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 13 March 2025 20:36 IST

Asus Manufacturing Xbox-Branded Handheld That Combines Windows and Xbox Experiences: Report

Asus launched the ROG Ally X in 2024 70s6v

Highlights

Microsoft aims to offer a unified PC and Xbox games storefront
The Xbox handheld device is codenamed "Project Kennan"
The handheld device could be very similar to the Asus ROG Ally

ment

Windows and Xbox experiences for gaming and will likely feature a revamped Windows interface closer to the one present on Xbox consoles.

Asus Making Xbox-Branded Handheld 485110

The information comes from The Verge's Tom Warren, who said in a new report published Wednesday that Microsoft's plans for its gaming division for 2025 and beyond were focussed on combining Windows and Xbox experiences. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report claimed that the handheld device planned for later this year would be part of the company's larger push to bring together Windows and Xbox for a unversal library of PC and console games.

The Asus ROG Ally. The device is internally known as “Project Kennan” and not “Project Keenan” as the Windows Central report had claimed earlier this week.

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The Xbox-branded Asus handheld will likely launch later this year, the report said. It will run on Windows but will come with a modified interface that looks a lot like what you can find on an Xbox console. The platform to unify Xbox and Windows experiences is reportedly codenamed Project Bayside, which will essentially bring Xbox interface to Windows-based devices.

The idea, according to the report, is to get Xbox games working on other devices and offering a single PC and Xbox games storefront and library that can work for variety of devices — Xbox consoles, Windows PC and handhelds.

The Asus ROG Ally X seen at Computex 2024

Project Kennan Details 23q3y

Windows Central corroborated The Verge's new report, claiming that the partner handheld was indeed being manufactured by Asus and was codenamed “Project Kennan”. According to the publication, the device will feel a lot like the ROG Ally but with design conventions of an Xbox device, with “more prominent grips and a dedicated Xbox guide-style button”.

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As the device will be Windows-based, players will be able to run other game strorefronts and launchers like Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, the EA app, Ubisoft Plus and others, the report said. Additionally, the base model Xbox-branded Asus handheld could be priced between $499 and $599 (roughly between Rs. 43,400 and Rs. 52,000) and could come in two different SKUs. Finally, the device could be revealed this summer before it's launched later this year, the report said.

Neither Microsoft nor Asus have announced their plans for an Xbox-branded gaming handheld yet. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, however, has expressed interest in an Xbox handheld and has said the expectation was for the company to bring its own handheld device to market.

In an interview with Bloomberg in November 2024, the Xbox chief had said the company was working on prototypes for a device in that form factor. Spencer said he had asked his group to develop its vision for the device based on its learnings from the market. However, he believed an Xbox handheld was a “few years out”.

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Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More