The ROG Xbox Ally has a better launch window game lineup than the Xbox Series X did

This week, we’re finally getting gaming handhelds with Xbox branding. Microsoft and Asus partnered to create and release the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, which are Steam Deck-like handhelds with a tailor-made version of Windows 11 for on-the-go PC gaming. And while no first-party Xbox games come out on the exact same day as these handhelds, the general launch window lineup is fairly strong.
With the first month of ROG Xbox Ally handhelds being on the market, Microsoft-owned studios will publish four brand-new games playable on the handhelds. If you’re willing to spend a lot of money on the handheld at release, you won’t have a shortage of Xbox-made games to play. Even with all the other issues Xbox is currently facing, this is the strongest launch window lineup for new Xbox hardware since the Xbox 360.
In particular, it’s much stronger than the Xbox Series X and S’ launch window lineup, which was one of the worst in Xbox history for new games.
Looking back at the Xbox Series X’s launch lineup
Gears Tactics and a lot of remasters
Nearly five years ago, Microsoft launched the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles on November 10, 2020. Normally, console manufacturers have a suite of new first-party games launching around that window. In the PS5’s case, we got games like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Demon’s Souls in addition to the pack-in title Astro’s Playroom.
For a more modern example, Nintendo Switch 2 launched with Mario Kart World, Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of Zelda games, and Welcome Tour, with Donkey Kong Bananza following close behind about a month after launch. In Microsoft’s case, the crown jewel of its Xbox Series X and S launch window lineup was the console port of Gears Tactics, a strategy game released on PC in April of that year.
You may remember that Halo Infinite was supposed to be the marquee title at launch, but it was delayed by a full year. After the delay, the first-party launch window lineup consisted only of Gears Tactics and next-gen upgrades for previously released games like Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Sea of Thieves, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and State of Decay 2.
While those are all good games, in retrospect, that’s a very underwhelming lineup. If you owned an Xbox One, there was only one new first-party game to look forward to. And while I love Gears Tactics, a niche strategy game like that isn’t exactly launch-title caliber on its own. That exemplified Xbox’s first-party issues in the late 2010s and early 2020s, which it only started to recover from a couple of years ago.
The ROG Xbox Ally handheld’s launch lineup is much more bountiful
The Outer Worlds, Call of Duty, and more within the first month
The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds launch on October 16. Within the first month, we can expect the following games to be published by studios that Microsoft owns:
November 17: Keeper, developed by Double Fine and published by Xbox Game Studios
November 21: Ninja Gaiden 4, developed by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames, but published by Xbox Game Studios
November 29: The Outer Worlds 2, developed by Double Fine and published by Xbox Game Studios
November 14: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, developed by Treyarch and published by Activision (which Microsoft owns).
Each of these games suits a PC gaming handheld in different ways. Keeper is the kind of cozy, atmospheric, dialogue-less game that suits on-the-go play. Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2 are AAA-level games that feel impressive to play on a tiny console. Finally, Call of Duty games are among the most popular game releases every year, so being able to play Black Ops 7 anywhere they want is a major bonus.
They’re all brand-new, too; no remaster or ports here. If you do choose to get one of these new Xbox handhelds at release, you will have a healthy stream of compelling new games to check out for the first month of the device’s lifespan. You couldn’t say that about the Xbox Series X and S until almost a year after they were released, indicating just how much Xbox’s first-party release cadence has gotten in recent years.
Of course, this is not to say these handhelds are launching at the perfect time for Xbox. Sentiment toward the brand is at an all-time low following recent price increases for Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Series X and S. Even these handhelds will cost prospective buyers upwards of $1000. It also makes me think about how differently this console generation of gaming might have gone for Microsoft if its fall 2020 game lineup had been as strong as 2025’s.
A good launch window game lineup is key to a platform’s success
I hope Microsoft can learn from this for its next Xbox consoles
While Microsoft’s own statements may have you doubting how much new, compelling games matter to a new gaming platform’s release, they are quite important. If you’re going to invest a lot of money in a new device, you want to feel like you’re getting use out of it. For a long time, it didn’t feel like players were getting that with the Xbox Series X and S consoles, which stunted their success.
In comparison, these OEM handhelds can ride the coattails of a much stronger lineup of first-party Xbox games. Picking one up might actually be worth it for someone with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription who wants to play all these new Xbox games on the go without using cloud gaming.
If and when we do get a new generation of Xbox consoles, I hope its launch window game lineup looks more like the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds than the Xbox Series consoles.