'GMA' gets 1st look at new Xbox handheld devices
Ahead of its 25th anniversary, Microsoft is launching its first-ever handheld Xbox devices.
The gaming powerhouse welcomed "Good Morning America" into its Redmond, Washington, labs in the famed Building 87 for a first look at the new devices and a glimpse at how they are developed, in a segment that aired Wednesday morning.
The ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally both hit the market Thursday with hardware developed by Asus, a 7-inch screen, and Windows 11, so in addition to Xbox games, users can play any PC or streamable game.
"You can actually have your full high fidelity gaming library and have it in your hands and take it anywhere with you," Xbox President Sarah Bond told "Good Morning America" correspondent Becky Worley in an exclusive interview.
Bond also highlighted the device's built-in feature that lets users pick up a console game right where they left off and continue playing on the handheld.
"It actually knows where you were in the game. You can go jump right back in, and you can start right where you were," Bond said.
Bond walked Worley through rooms involved in the development process, including the 3D-printing lab, the machine shop, and an Xbox lab that envisions all the different ways someone may game, including an airplane seat.
The ROG Xbox Ally, for more casual gamers, is priced at $599. The ROG Xbox Ally X, with more processing power for more advanced gamers, is priced at $999.
Xbox's Carl Ledbetter, who leads the design team, walked Worley through the new features found in the devices.
"It has a high quality display, and both devices share the same display. It gives you rich color and a fast refresh rate," Ledbetter said.
More than 3 billion people game worldwide, and Microsoft -- Xbox's parent company -- clocks more than 500 million active monthly users, but the rise in handheld gaming has been a phenomenon. Nintendo launched its second generation console this summer, the Nintendo Switch 2.
"I think Nintendo kind of owns the market, and everybody knows it, but Microsoft has the real opportunity to grow the market," said Anshel Sag, a principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
While preorders have sold out in some places, the company says it will have devices available on launch day and stock coming in consistently through the holidays.
