Finally, an OLED version of the Xbox Ally handheld has been revealed – and I want the 'Xbox Ally X20' more than anything

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Celebrating 20 years of Republic of Gamers, Asus has revealed an upgraded version of the ROG Xbox Ally – named the ROG Xbox Ally X20.

This handheld features an OLED panel for the first time in the series, which, at 7.4-inches on the diagonal, is slightly larger than the previous 7.0-inch version.

A standout design, upgraded joysticks and bundled ROG XReal R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses add to this bundle's appeal – although there's no word on price nor release date just yet.

Almost exactly one year ago came the major announcement: that a 'handheld Xbox console' would be launching – in the guise of the ROG Xbox Ally (and more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X).

I got to see those consoles in person at Gamescom a couple of months later and was impressed – although the lack of an OLED screen was part of general feedback and something that was high on many people's wishlists.

Well, your prayers have now been answered, for Asus has just revealed the all-new ROG Xbox Ally X20 – a 20th anniversary celebration of Republic Of Gamers, which features a 7.4-inch OLED panel as a key component of its build. That's slightly larger than the 7-inch panel in the original handhelds.

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This display is what Asus calls a "brand-new Nebula HDR Display" that's never featured in a product before. The 'HDR' part of that tells you this is destined for high dynamic range output, so expect brightness (to 1400 nits) in addition to 120Hz fast refresh and the typical perfect contrast offered by OLED.

The console also looks different, with a translucent black chassis that features gold highlights, revealing aspects of its internal structure. It's subtle rather than too transparent, fortunately, presenting a distinctive aesthetic.

Another upgrade is the TMR joysticks. That's 'tunnelling magnetoresistance', for those unfamiliar, which use wear-resistant magnetic sensors to banish stick drift, while offering precision, faster input compared to conventional joysticks.

Internally, the ROG Xbox Ally X20 features the same core hardware as the ROG Xbox Ally X – AMD's Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor being the key takeaway. There's also 24GB RAM (the high-speed LPDDR5X variety), again as per the Ally X. However, a redesigned thermal system, taking in consideration the new OLED panel, is said to perform even better.

That's not all, though. There's also the reveal of ROG XReal R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses, which you can buy as part of this Xbox Ally bundle. These glasses can be plugged into the console and worn to give you the impression of a giant-scale screen – up to 171-inches! – instead of using the console's display.

There's no word on the bundle price, nor release date. But I suspect these will be highly sought after by gaming collectors – and are likely to disappear in double-quick time as and when the on-sale date arrives.

Mike is T3's Tech Editor. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 years and his beat covers phones – of which he's seen hundreds of handsets over the years – laptops, gaming, TV & audio, and more. There's little consumer tech he's not had a hand at trying, and with extensive commissioning and editing experience, he knows the industry inside out. As the former Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for 10 years where he furthered his knowledge and expertise, whilst writing about literally thousands of products, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more.