Yep, PlayStation's PC Games Will Be Playable on Xbox's New Handheld System

I mean, they're still going have to buy them (even if it's through Steam), so I don't see this problem, They can finally play HellDivers 2 👍

Edit: To answer the proposed question, nah handhelds aren't my thing.

It's basically an Xbox branded ROG Ally, and PlayStation's PC games already run on those.

I think it's disingenuous to claim this is an Xbox console. It's an Xbox branded ROG. Am I playing PlayStation games on an Xbox if I put an Xbox sticker on my PS5?

So is Steam fully supported?? Like for example, I have the original Deus Ex in my Steam library - would I be able to play that no problem??

I wonder if this changes Sony’s porting strategy to PC in any way.

I still see this more as PC handheld though, not a real Xbox

PC handhelds have been doing this for years. Certain fanboys trying to console war with this are especially hilarious and ironic. The real question is: How will PlayStation respond, if at all, should the next Xbox console launch with Steam, EGS, etc?

Well it's just a ROG with Xbox aesthetics so I doubt Sony will be caring much as its not an actual Microsoft Xbox console. Plus not many people are going to spending £800 on this.

@IronCrow86 yes. The system has 2 modes. One acts like a pc, the 2nd is a custom Xbox 'platform' where you can load games from all your various other platforms in one place without jumping hoops.

It's not an actual Xbox device. It's a partnership between Asus and Xbox, which benefits windows users as there is now hope for a debloated version of windows 11. Also the better grip for hands and better ergonomics are always welcome on a handheld. Other than that, it's ROG Ally 2 sponsored by Microsoft.

I think something like 7 out of my 115 Xbox games are Play Anywhere, so this handheld makes zero sense for me. And I'd hate to see how low someone would have to crank settings down to get stable performance from current PS5 ports...

Phil Spencer "Everything will be an Xbox"

Also Phil Spencer "Everything will be a PlayStation"

this article is wrong isn't it? you CAN'T play your Xbox console library on this, it's a PC! So much misinformation and the internet full of people wrongly thinking their whole Xbox (console) library will be playable natively on it.

@ButterySmooth30FPS yes, exactly this! I don't understand why SO MANY people online don't get this - it ISN"T an Xbox handheld console it's another windows PC handheld. Nothing new, it just has an Xbox button!!

I started to check my library to see which XSX games were play anywhere. After Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 weren't I gave up!

It's taken 25 years since the "console wars" "started" but it's so nice to finally see the realization of no matter what you play on just being able to play almost all the games at some point.
Obviously this only holds true for Xbox and PS but still cool to see that bridge becoming shorter and shorter between the 2 companies.
Makes absolute sense from a business standpoint too cause it's just additional income for an older game that has been out for a while.
Keep em coming Microsoft. I'll gladly renuy then having played and owned and Xbox and 360 back in the day.
Gears of War is gonna be awesome

“This is an XBOX!”

@AdamNovice you have a body and a head and nipples and xy chromosomes and pert buttocks, don't you? You're not different to chris Hemsworth. We are all chris Hemsworth!

We are Spartacus! Oh hang on... wrong movie and rugged beard man.

I mean technically, I CAN play Mario on my Vita.

The hardware used is absolutely meaningless.

You're not playing Playstation games on an Xbox. This device isn't even an actual Xbox, but do these distinctions even matter? I guess that's up to the individual haha.

And I think this is were somehow Xbox will go with their next gen PC console hybrid, with store front switching.

Store one Xbox
Store two game pass
Store three steam deck, access to PS games.

I do not understand all the tech and how it all works but I think that is what Xbox will bring next generation

Yes, PC games are playable on PC devices.

You still need to buy the games from Steam though, meaning 70-80% of your revenue goes to Sony, and 20-30% will go to Valve. So, it’s not really the win for MS it might appear to be.

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother what will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me

It’s a PC with an Xbox skin. That’s all.

Claiming it as a Xbox handheld is a bit of a stretch tbh
It's just an Asus Ally x with windows and xbox marketing

Got your new ad ready, Phil.

@Slideaway1983 I'm Chris Hemsworth... and so is my wife!

"and it will allow you to play your Xbox library natively" That simply isn't true, as only 13 out of the 126 digital Xbox games I own will be available for me to play on this.

It's just a handheld PC and not an Xbox at all

@Perturbator Well if that’s an Xbox, because you can play Xbox games on it. Then i guess this ROG Xbox Ally X is actually a Playstation 😝

@Slideaway1983 @Dimey @AdamNovice Will the real Chris Hemsworth please stand up?

@LogicStrikesAgain huh???

When Nioh 3 comes out, that'll be the first exclusive I'll be interested in.

@wildcat_kickz
Why on earth do you want to cheapen your PS5 by putting an Xbox sticker on it? Thats just asking for it to "blue screen of doom" on you. Lol

Only on PlayStation.

@crackeastwood There seem to be a bunch of guys here claiming they are Chris Hemsworth, which is ridiculous. It’s lame, stupid and pretty unfunny. Also they are totally lying.

Because I am the real Chris Hemsworth

@Rich33 Cheapen?? You know how much Xboxs are going for these days? 😂

Think I might as there's tonnes of games not on any consoles. Biogun n tonnes of other mvs I wanna play 😭 also seen ratchet and clanks on steam which is the main ps game I'd like to play 😎

@Perturbator Sony should just do that now 🤣🤣

Huh? Just when we're hearing about a low powered mode for ps5/ps5 pro leading up to rumors of a updated sony handheld..

@wildcat_kickz
Ah, good point... if I fit an old PS5 with a 1Tb expansion, and put one of those Xbox stickers on, I'll be able to trade it in for more than the cost of a Pro! Lol

Lotta cope going on in this thread. Loooootta cope. Playing anything on anything is damn good future for me and everyone else.

@Jenson1975 What cope? The fact that everyone is pointing out that this handheld isn't actually an xbox but a Windows handheld made by Asus?

As they were playable with millions of PC's running windows and the xbox store. 🤷‍♂️
I'd worry more about the price on those things.

Well they are on Steam, so who cares. XD If people want them and to play on any handheld with Steam support why not. It's great. I don't care for them but I mean it's a great benefit to play on these types of handhelds if fine with the power/price/other benefits.

Is it an Xbox if I play them through an Edge browser. Or the Wii U, Vita, PS4 browsers? Besides third parties not just PS/Xbox IPs on Steam.

Honestly anything with a internet connection/screen & play Xbox cloud games or Steam Link you know that PS Remote Play/Xbox Remote Play thing Steam has.

Like as if that wasn't obvious besides that I research this stuff.

I get that yes people don't get how casting works even though they own Fire Sticks, Apple TVs and Google Chromecasts, use a QR code or the Youtube cast button. Sigh. The signs are always there and missed. Besides me researching.

No wonder Portal/dual screens have been confusing, most people are idiots. Sigh. This is why we can't have nice technology feature things. Besides if people want games and to be the same way they sat on their couch for 20+ years and stagnant of hardware ideas and to just up the RAM/CPU/GPU every 7 years. I like their experiments whether they go well or wrong, it's exciting stuff.

Apps to socialise for the 100th way/people too stupid to understand basic things that don't even require an IT degree that businesses spell out how to use their products/services very easily.

I had to explain that saves stay on one's computer/console after you uninstall a game. So I get people don't get things but it's their own fault for having a brain for other things when it's super easy to understand yet emptied out of their minds so quick because it isn't socially/dramatically nonsense important to them emotionally or other important tasks that's sure have more value but come on.

Besides Impulse Triggers while not the same as HD Rumble (I prefer Impulse Triggers over anyway after being sad how pathetic HD Rumble is for a 2017+ to 2013+ Impulse Triggers technology) or Dualsense differences but it's good enough. Besides the additional menu buttons and other fair core component stuff.

It's not going to have a PlayStation game blacklist or anything. XD Also it's an Xbox branded handheld it's not the other one that was delayed. So even more reason why I wouldn't have considered it to have any PlayStation game restrictions on it compared to that one.

Stop playing into fanboy logic article writers, please. Like this is common sense, a question that can be valid to inform yes, but also doesn't need answering really compared to other things out there that deserve it more so, but I guess some business sense isn't as clear sometimes yes.

Just because many of us are in the know, I get it for those that aren't but it's still pretty obvious.

I do think its great to see it customised well so it isn't bogged down by Windows 11 at least. Even if Windows ARM and Pocket PCs (tech enthusiasts/business) or Windows Mobile. None of this is NEW unless people are too gamer brained to realise you could game on many PCs even Pocket PCs or PDAs, even if you only had big name IPs on cellphones so that's probably why people didn't pay attention let alone tech directions before the iPhone let alone other 'smartphones' before the iPhone approach ones.

Is it nice to see yes, is the article THAT necessary not really.

@PeakUnagi Pocket PCs/PDAs weren't even gaming focused but have been around for years even before the Steam Deck or the GPD/Aya Neo ones have continued things before the niche upcoming popularity of this new wave, but unless it's gaming most people don't even register things or certain product categories. Regardless of if I do tech research or not.

But cast icons between phone and TV in apps or QR codes have been a thing and people don't understand Portal so what does it matter.

There is a reason people remember the Wii U (if they do) but not SmartGlass or OnLive or even understood dual screens yet they use their phone to set up a TV with a QR code let alone know the Youtube app has a cast button and you can use apps to cast the phone to any screen. It depends what people are used to sure but like some things have to be made super clear for people that don't get it. So many signs, all missed by people over the years.

People too into gaming or those that see branding. It says a lot.

Then again having to explain saves stay on the console even after you uninstall a game recently (when it's pretty obvious, but other things on people's minds). Says a lot about casuals besides fan boys here.

@Ravix you’re a girl?

honestly i have so many games i've gotten for free on gog , epic , ect , that im pretty interested in this. give me a playstation branded handheld that lets me play ps4/ps5 games from and i'd be happy.

@nomither6 no, I'm an Xbox

For someone that doesn't know anything about these handhelds...what reason would there be for me to purchase this over a Steam deck?

I'm genuinely curious

@twitchtvpat maybe a ps6 portable in 2028 as long as sony doesn't shelve it like microsoft.

How is this an xbox hand held system? It's just a pc hand held with an xbox sticker. Talk to me went they make a dedicated handeld that plays their games natively.

Not sure what this article is about? Is it advertising a new xbox branded hand held pc steam deck thingy or is it some subtle form of trying to antagonise ps5 gamers into some kind of vitriolic outburst about how their 1st party games are no longer 1st party? Exactly what is the aim here? Anyway mission successful as you have my click...

Sweet! More gamers gaming, don’t see the issue.

That is so pathetic. When you can't sell your machines, you start calling everything your machine. Even your cat's litter box is now a Xbox.

Well this isn't really anything new or shocking, since they do everything to destroy console gaming as we know it. Ruin physical media, buy every major publisher/ip, pump up the individual release price to bait people into your subscription service. Going full publisher mode and calling everything Xbox suits this disgusting goal perfectly.

@Majin_Deicide Steam Deck doesn't allow for playing Xbox PC games natively because those games use a different file format that requires Windows to run, and Steam Deck doesn't run Windows (unless you install it yourself, which kindof defeats the purpose of and best thing about the Steam Deck, which is SteamOS). There's a few other things, such as it being more difficult to add PC games that don't come from an official store front to Steam Deck that is simply easier to do within Windows and stuff like that. Steam Deck offers ease of use, and other handheld PCs such as the ROG Ally offer more options/freedom, generally speaking. Just to be clear, I own a Steam Deck and love it, but as a Game Pass subscriber, sometimes it does kinda suck that I can't download and play Xbox PC games on it.

/facepalm.... as many mentioned, this is a PC handheld with a XBox sticker. Check you sister site on what you can play on it https://www.purexbox.com/guides/what-games-can-you-play-on-the-rog-xbox-ally-handheld There is nothing special or extra from a "simple" ROG Ally. Game Pass for PC, not XBox. Your Xbox games only in there are "play anywhere". There is a high chance games you have purchased not being playable. Really low effort from MS to enter a niche market. They market the new UI overlay, but I bet it will be available in other devices sooner or later. It may trick people into buying it and dominate this specific expensive market of ~5-6m devices...

also apart from this site and a few youtubers, no one cares, not even Sony, that this thing can play their exclusives. They are on the PC market for some years now.

As a primarily handheld gamer, this is great news for me. Since Sony isn't making a handheld and there is only so much the portal can do, I may actually go for it, depending on price, of course.

I have enough Steam games for several lifetimes mainly thanks to Humble Bundle.

There are a lot of angry people on here. People who were claiming that their PlayStation is an Xbox because it plays Xbox games are now suddenly getting very defensive.

The whole point of Microsoft's new strategy is that they want you to play Xbox games on as many devices as possible. Therefore, this is an Xbox. I can currently play Xbox games on my laptop, Quest 3, Firestick and Series X. And if I ever decide to buy one of these, I'll be able to play them there. Most of those pieces of hardware weren't made by Microsoft. But I can still play Xbox games there.

I've said many times before on this site that bespoke hardware will be irrelevant after next gen. I don't believe their will ever be a PS7.

Surely the end game for both Sony and Microsoft is to get their games in as many places as possible. Content and access to that content is king and while Sony are focussed on tying you to their plastic box (aside from a few PC ports), Microsoft are removing the barriers to have as many people playing as possible.

Some people here were upset when PlayStation PC ports became and thing and now they'll be even more angry about this because they enjoy feeling superior about their choice of where they play games.

@SMJ Because MS is such a large company, everything it does has consequences. It has a monopoly in consumer PC OS-segment, big role in cloud market and after one hundred billion dollars worth of acquisitions it is the largest publisher. It has the most popular franchises for the masses, bought up without contributing anything to this popularity.

In my opinion they are not removing any barriers, only creating other ones defined by them. Inside those barriers you will play MS owned franchises without the possibility to own physical media. I like console gaming and I don't want to see it become just another PC sidequest controlled by Microsoft. Keep PC and consoles separate things with all their strengths and weaknesses.

@quality_assurance Physical gaming isn't ending because of Microsoft. It's ending because gamers have been making that choice.

Take PlayStation as an example. The shift towards digital only has been incredibly rapid despite the fact that all first party and virtually all third party games receive a physical release. That's consumers telling publishers what they want and not the other way round.

Personally, my preference has always been for physical purchases but this will be my last generation of buying physical copies. Lack of space and convenience have finally outweighed the joy of having a nice looking box on my shelf.

@SMJ You are partly correct. Yes, gamers have been making choices leading to this. But then again, what are those choices given to them? Digital/physical ratio is often a bit problematic, since more often than not there is not a choice to be made. There are a lot more digital releases than physical releases.

If you look at MS and what it has done to speed this process:

1) First digital only console from the big three (One S)
2) Bought the most popular franchises that masses play and put them on GP despite the cost. For now, they can get their money back from Playstation and PC, but wonder what happens after that is not the case anymore. Pushing GP is the same as pushing the death of physical
3) Look at the "physical" releases of MS published games. They are a joke. Usually just a installer file on a 50gb disc. Often they just skip the physical release.

Physical media is not just about "a pretty box on shelf". It's about owning things that you bought. And no, an installer on a disc is not owning.

It lacks finesse.

@wildcat_kickz This is standard for Xbox. Their marketing has always included white lies and misdirection similar to this.

This is not an Xbox, it does not even play Xbox games. It plays PC games.

@Dimey lucky you... and her! My cousin would like to meet both of you 😉🤣

@LogicStrikesAgain yes im chris hemsey, yes im the real hemsey, all the other chris hemseys are just im-ar-tatin' 🤣🤣🤣

This thing is likely to cost at least £800. I cant see it being a great seller at that price. Will be interesting to see what sort of hardware Sony offer up as this proposed new handheld they are working on. You just have to look at the sales for the PS5 Pro and that was only £700 and people found that price almost unfathomable when it was announced.

@ElectricWizard The ASUS Rog Ally with Windows, Xbox Store and Steam already exists though, you can buy it right now. You can also buy a Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and play all those Sony games on Microsoft hardware if you really want, that will also have access to the Xbox store, Gamepass and Steam. Oh, and you can also install GOG Galaxy in it and put all your games from different stores together into one place.

As it is a Handheld Windows PC - just like the RoG Ally, Lenovo Go, MSi Claw etc, it is able to play ALL PC games. It is NOT an Xbox Console playing Xbox Console games!

Xbox has 'Play Anywhere' so if you buy an Xbox Game digitally, you get the PC version too so if you have a RoG Ally - or the Xbox branded version - you don't need to double-dip as you already own the PC version and with Game Pass Ultimate, required on Xbox Consoles for 'Day 1' releases, you also get Game Pass PC and EA Access offering more games to download and play on PC's too.

As a PS5 owner, buying a Handheld PC (or gaming on ANY PC) won't offer any 'benefits' to me. If I want to play Spider-Man or God of War on the PC, I'd have to buy these again and shared saves are not the standard. I'd have no access to games I 'own' on Playstation,

Xbox and Windows are both 'Microsoft' so everyone that buys a PC or Xbox Console is a MS customer - they are both Microsoft OS and API's - the only difference is that the PC is an 'Open' Platform so allows others like Steam, Epic etc to compete.

We all know Windows is a not the 'best' OS for Gaming so MS has been working on reducing the 'Bloat' and making Windows more optimised for Gaming. Xbox and Windows development teams have worked together to create a 'Windows gaming' OS that boots straight to your Game Library and only loads what's necessary for gaming - but you could switch to Desktop mode and have the Full Windows PC experience - but most buying a Handheld Gaming PC aren't buying it to do spreadsheets or use MS Office. This is supposed to make it more 'Console' like, but still be a PC that plays EVERY game you'd be able to play on a Desktop PC.

I am seeing a lot of inaccurate information about the level of involvement Microsoft had in this device. They helped design the device and rebuilt the OS from the ground up, specifically for Xbox gaming. This is not just a Rog Ally with an Xbox button. It's a custom-built piece of hardware/software with equal inputs.

There is literally a 10-minute video on the Xbox YouTube channel which explains this, but of course, I can imagine certain people have not watched it and made assumptions.

And tbh I don't think many PS5 players care that more players get access to the games.