The First ROG Xbox Ally Certified Game Is Releasing Soon

The first official ROG Xbox Ally-certified game will be available early for people to play before Microsoft’s new PC handheld, the ROG Xbox Ally, officially launches in October. This means that those in possession of a Steam Deck will technically get the first real taste of the handheld experience before Xbox Ally users, though it’s unclear what this game’s level of support on the Steam Deck will actually be, as opposed to ROG Xbox Ally, for which the game has now been officially certified.

In an Instagram post by Asusrog earlier today, Gears of War: Reloaded was officially announced as Xbox Ally certified.

“Reloaded releases August 26 and it’s officially ROG Xbox Ally certified! Get ready to relive the legend in the most epic way possible on the go,” said the post.

According to Xbox, Gears of War: Reloaded will be available to play at launch on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud when it releases on August 26th, ahead of the ROG Xbox Ally release. Billed as a “celebration” of the series, this new game is a remastered version of the original Gears of War, featuring modern improvements, optimization, and enhanced graphics.

Regardless of which version players choose, they will be able to play with one another thanks to cross-play and cross-progression features. A cooperative campaign mode will be available, featuring both split-screen and online connectivity. There will also be versus multiplayer modes, similar to the original title, which will feel more enhanced thanks to support for 4K graphics, updated textures, and a 120 FPS cap.

Some players got a small taste of the remaster back in June during the Gears of War: Reloaded beta. Although it initially had some issues with players being able to join, it was well received by those nostalgic for the game’s tactical combat. One common complaint players had was hit detection issues, which will hopefully be ironed out in the final versions of the game.

As this game will be appearing on Xbox’s new PC handhelds, one of the big selling points for Gears of War: Reloaded is its performance on handheld devices. The Steam page for the game advertises it will be optimized for PC and handhelds and is crafted to look good “on any screen.” 

Despite coming in a smaller package, the ROG Xbox Ally comes pre-installed with Windows 11 and acts as both a fully functional PC and a gaming device. A performance version of the handheld, dubbed Ally X, will have 24 GB of RAM and slightly better graphics performance capabilities.

With Gears of War: Reloaded becoming the first officially certified game on the handhelds, players wonder what other options they will have for their new PC handheld gaming experiences. It is expected that at the upcoming Gamescom Event starting on August 20th, more information will be made available about ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.

In June, Xbox announced that over 20 titles will be playable at the upcoming gaming conference, including versions of games on the ROG Xbox Series X. This will be the first opportunity for fans to get their hands on the systems and test their performance ahead of their release later this year. The start of pre-orders for the handhelds is also expected to coincide with the beginning of the conference, with a leak earlier this month suggesting that the different handheld versions will cost $700 and $1,050, respectively. However, it will likely not be until August 20th at Gamescom that the official price of the systems will be revealed.