- The new default game profiles are coming to ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X in preview mode.
- Each profile automatically adjusts FPS, power, and consumption for approximately 40 compatible titles.
- Hollow Knight: Silksong serves as an example: up to one more hour of battery life while maintaining 120 FPS.
- The update adds improvements to the controller, library, Cloud Gaming, and prepares AI-powered features for 2026.
Portable consoles ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally They are becoming one of the most interesting experiments from Xbox and ASUS within the Windows ecosystemBeyond the hardware, the real appeal lies in how the updates refine the experience until it feels closer to that of a classic console than to a mini PC with a thousand options.
The latest batch of new releases points precisely in that direction: the default game profiles In preview mode, designed so the user doesn't have to waste time manually fine-tuning each title. The device adjusts automatically. frame ratepower and energy consumption, with the aim of finding the sweet spot between fluidity and autonomy when playing on battery power.
What are the new default game profiles in ROG Xbox Ally?
Xbox, Windows and ASUS have jointly announced the arrival in Preview mode of the so-called Default game profiles to the ROG Xbox Ally. We're talking about configurations created specifically for the handheld console that are applied automatically when starting a compatible game, without the player having to fiddle with menus or sliders every time.
The idea is simple but powerful: each profile defines a FPS limit or with a recommended power level (TDP) for a specific title, seeking a combination that offers a Good visual quality, a stable frame rate, and reasonable battery consumptionThe system adjusts performance on the fly based on how the game behaves.
These profiles have been launched with about 40 compatible games in this first phaseIt's a limited number, but enough to cover most of the most played titles in the Xbox and PC catalog, and serves as a basis for expanding support in the coming months without forcing users to make fine adjustments on their own.
The functionality is inspired by what PC tools like NVIDIA App or AMD Adrenalin already do, which They optimize the graphics based on the detected hardware.But with one key difference: in ROG Xbox Ally the The hardware is always the sameso that the profiles can be much more precise both in graphic settings and in the system's power management itself.
How do these profiles balance FPS, power, and battery life?
The internal workings of the profiles are designed so that the user only needs to worry about the bare minimum. Each configuration defines a FPS target and a maximum power for the SoC adapted to the game. If during gameplay the console detects that the title is not reaching the set frame rate, it may automatically increase power until reaching that level, at the cost of consuming slightly more battery.
If the opposite occurs and the game is running smoothly, far exceeding the FPS target, the profile reduces resource consumption by limiting the frame rate. protect autonomy without compromising the experience. All this adjustment is done dynamically in the background, so the player only notices that the session is more stable and the battery lasts longer than usual.
An important detail is that the profiles They only activate when the ROG Xbox Ally is running on battery power.If the device is plugged into the mains, the energy saving priority disappears and the user can opt for more aggressive settings if they want to get the most out of the machine.
Those who prefer to continue configuring each game manually also have that option: profiles can be activate or deactivate from Armoury CrateThe control panel that ASUS integrates into the console is accessible from various sources, including the Windows Game Bar. The philosophy is to reduce friction for those who don't want to complicate things, while also remaining accessible to advanced users.
Hollow Knight: Silksong, the most striking example of battery saving
To illustrate the real impact of this feature, Xbox has focused on Hollow Knight: Silksong, one of the titles compatible with the new profiles. According to official data, the optimized profile allows you to play almost an extra hour with battery maintaining a rate of 120 stable FPS, a scenario that, without fine-tuning, is usually quite demanding for a laptop.
That example sums up the goal of the update well: that the user can enjoy high refresh rates without feeling like the battery is melting in a matter of minutesIn practice, this translates into longer sessions when playing on the couch, while traveling, or anywhere where there is no plug available.
Hollow Knight: Silksong isn't the only one to benefitBut it is one of the cases that best showcases what these profiles can achieve when they are custom-designed for the specific hardware of the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X.
List of compatible games and how to tell if a title has a profile
So far, Xbox has only publicly shared one partial list of the 40 games who have a specific profile from day one. Among the most prominent are:
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
- Call of Duty: War zone
- DOOM Eternal
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Fortnite
- Forza Horizon 5
- Gears 5
- Gears of War: Reloaded
- Gears Tactics
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Minecraft
- Sea of Thieves
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4
The full list hasn't been officially detailed, but Xbox has indicated that titles optimized for handheld consoles will begin to appear with a distinctive symbol. “Handheld Optimized” on the store page. This helps identify at a glance which games have been developed with devices like the ROG Xbox Ally in mind.
For the moment, yes, There is no specific icon that indicates which titles already have them. default profileIn practice, the most direct way to check this is Open the game and check the Armory Crate Command CenterIf the system detects the title and activates a custom profile, the user will see the recommended power and FPS parameters ready to be applied.
In Europe, and by extension in Spain, where the adoption of gaming laptops and hybrid consoles has grown significantly, These types of labels can end up having a significant influence on purchasing decisions.especially among those looking for something simple to play away from home without technical headaches.
A more "console-like" experience thanks to the Full Screen Experience
The arrival of game profiles goes hand in hand with another key piece of the puzzle: the Xbox Full Screen Experience (Xbox FSE), a full-screen interface designed for use with a controller that was launched precisely in ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox AllyThis layer transforms any Windows 11 computer into something much closer to a traditional console.
The FSE groups the following into a single view: installed game catalog and libraries from various storesSo there's no need to keep switching between launchers. For ASUS laptops, this translates to a boot process that immediately shows you what you can play, including titles from stores other than Microsoft's, with navigation similar to that of a home Xbox.
Microsoft has already begun bringing this full-screen experience to Desktop PCs, laptops and tablets with Windows 11 through the Insider channels. The goal is clear: to make playing with a controller on a Windows PC as straightforward as turning on a console, attempting to compete with alternatives like SteamOS or Linux distributions for gaming like Bazzite, which are gaining popularity among enthusiastic users in Europe.
In the specific case of the ROG Xbox Ally, the combination of FSE and preset profiles aims to ensure that, upon turning on the machine, the user only has to choose a game and start playing, without spending the first few minutes adjusting graphics, power, or input devices.
Improvements to controller, library and Cloud Gaming
The update that introduces profiles also includes a number of quality of life improvements that affect daily use of the handheld console. One of the most discussed is the better controller response after logging inThis may seem minor, but it's noticeable when you want everything to work perfectly the first time during short sessions.
La The game library now loads faster.even when the user has a very large catalog spread across Game Pass, digital purchases, and other services. Furthermore, the page of Cloud Gaming It is now lighter and more responsive, improving the experience of navigating between streaming titles and quickly switching from one game to another.
Another interesting new feature is the addition to the gallery of a filter called Performance fitThis filter helps identify at a glance which games best match the expected performance on the ROG Xbox Ally, which is especially useful when dealing with PC titles with very disparate requirements and inconsistent optimizations.
Along with these functions come the typical ones Bug fixes and general stability improvements, aimed at polishing problems detected since the launch of the consoles, such as minor glitches in Armoury Crate SE or unreliable behavior in power management.
Saved game synchronization indicator and other new features on the way
Beyond what's already available, Xbox and ASUS have teased some features coming in the next few weeks. One of the most practical for those who switch between PCs and laptops is... saved game synchronization indicatorThis notification will show in real time that the progress has been successfully uploaded to the cloud.
This detail, which may seem small, avoid unpleasant surprises When a player is, for example, in Spain playing on the train with the ROG Xbox Ally and then wants to continue the game on a home console, seeing clear confirmation that the save has been synced prevents unpleasant surprises with lost progress.
The project leaders have also mentioned that they will continue working on a more reliable suspension and reactivation systemOne of the keys to making the experience closer to that of a traditional handheld console is that you simply press a button to turn off the screen and return to the exact same point when resuming.
Another line of work has to do with improvements in microSD card management And with the expansion of the full-screen experience to more devices, always based on Windows 11. The goal is that, whether in a European living room or a shared apartment with limited space, the PC can be used as a console without complications.
The roadmap to AI features in ROG Xbox Ally X
Looking a little further ahead in the calendar, Xbox and ASUS have confirmed that the model will arrive in early 2026. ROG Xbox Ally X will begin to take more explicit advantage of its hardware with integrated NPU, enabling AI-based features that will go beyond classic performance tweaks.
Among the first planned features, the following stand out: Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR)This technology is designed to improve visual quality by starting with lower internal resolutions. The idea is to reduce the load on the GPU, maintain lower power consumption, and use AI to reconstruct the image—something that can be especially useful on a laptop screen where the visual impact of scaling is very controlled.
Another function on the horizon is the automatically generated highlight reels or featured videosThese features would compile the best moments of the games without the player having to edit them. This aligns with the Ally X's role as a hybrid device, combining a gaming console and a small content creation station—something that has particularly resonated with creators who travel frequently in Europe.
All these new features, along with the predefined profiles and the Full Screen Experience, are part of a broader Xbox strategy to make the Windows ecosystem competitive against more closed but highly polished solutions, such as traditional consoles or Linux-based gaming platforms.
The arrival of automatic game profilesThe improvements to the controller, library, and Cloud Gaming, along with the promise of future AI features, position ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X In an interesting position within the European portable console market: while remaining flexible Windows devices, they are increasingly behaving like a "ready to play" console that adapts itself to the title and the battery, something that many users appreciate when what they want is to turn it on, choose a game and start playing without complications.
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