HANDHELD NEWS – The Xbox-branded Asus handheld PC won a prestigious award for both Asus and Microsoft.

A few months ago, the gaming industry was abuzz over rumors of a dedicated Xbox handheld. That project never materialized, and reports suggest that Microsoft scrapped the idea of an entirely in-house device. Instead, we got an excellent alternative: the ROG Xbox Ally X. The Time Magazine has now listed it as one of the best inventions of 2025, confirming that gaming is becoming more portable than ever, and that handheld PCs are finally reaching their full potential.

The ROG Xbox Ally X appears on Time Magazine’s list alongside other major 2025 releases. Its inclusion makes perfect sense, as it is one of the most powerful handheld PCs available today. It costs around $1,000, and in Europe, the price can easily exceed the equivalent of $1,100 due to VAT. Despite the price, consumers don’t seem discouraged—the most expensive version sold out quickly, and other editions are performing well too. While there’s a base ROG Xbox Ally, the X variant offers several notable improvements.

The ROG Xbox Ally X is powered by the new AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme APU, which delivers impressive performance gains. In Doom: The Dark Ages, the handheld reached over 70 FPS at 1080p with ray tracing enabled—an impressive feat for a portable device. Yes, it’s pricey, but the ROG Xbox Ally X is an excellent piece of hardware and fully deserves its place among the best inventions of the year. Still, the competition will heat up once the rumored PlayStation 6 handheld surfaces, a topic already surrounded by plenty of speculation.

The only question now is when Valve will make its move. It might finally be time for the second-generation Steam Deck…

Source: Tech4gamers, Time