Xbox unveils ROG Ally handhelds and 'Black Ops 7' at Games Showcase 2025

Khaleej Times

09-06-2025

At the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft made one thing crystal clear: the future of gaming is about you. With an ambitious lineup of first-party titles, groundbreaking hardware reveals, and a renewed focus on cross-platform accessibility, the showcase delivered a future-forward vision. But two highlights rose above the rest—the introduction of the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds and the world premiere of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Xbox is stepping into the handheld arena—boldly. Teaming up with ASUS, Microsoft unveiled the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, two new devices that bring Xbox's expansive gaming ecosystem into the palm of your hand. Set to launch during the 2025 holiday season in select markets, the handhelds are designed to combine the freedom of Windows with the power of Xbox gaming.
What makes the Xbox Ally series a game-changer isn't just mobility. It's that every title shown at the showcase—including AAA blockbusters and indie darlings—will run on Xbox Ally. The devices also support Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing seamless transitions between console, PC, and handheld with cross-save and cross-achievement support.
Even better? The Xbox Ally will support libraries from Xbox, Battle.net, and other major PC storefronts, making it one of the most versatile gaming handhelds to date. Pricing and pre-order details are expected in the coming months.
One of the most jaw-dropping moments of the showcase was the reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7—a direct sequel that continues the psychological warfare-heavy narrative thread woven through Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6.
Set in 2035, Black Ops 7 plunges players into a fractured world teetering on the edge of total collapse. A new villain manipulates not only world powers but minds themselves—weaponizing fear and chaos in terrifying new ways. Fans of the franchise can expect a deeper dive into the Mason family legacy, with David Mason leading the charge in this narrative-driven campaign.
But the real innovation lies in the Co-op Campaign—a first for the series—which allows players to team up through the story, adding fresh depth to Black Ops' already legendary storytelling. Alongside that comes a multiplayer suite with near-future tech, brand-new maps, and the return of Round-Based Zombies, now set in the eerie heart of the Dark Aether.
While the full gameplay reveal is coming later this summer, this teaser has already set the internet ablaze.
Xbox, Anywhere and Everywhere
Every game at the showcase—from The Outer Worlds 2 and Gears of War: Reloaded to indie follow-ups like Super Meat Boy 3D and High on Life 2 —is part of the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative. Buy once, play across Xbox consoles, PC, and the new Xbox Ally family, with your progress intact. It's a unified ecosystem aimed at breaking barriers and putting games in your hands—literally.
And while Xbox's 25th anniversary in 2026 looms large, promising Fable, Forza, Gears of War: E-Day, and 'the return of a classic that's been with us since the beginning,' 2025 is already looking like one of Xbox's most transformative years yet.
Between the promise of mobile-grade freedom, console-grade performance, and genre-defining franchises like Black Ops embracing bold, new ideas, Xbox has drawn the blueprint for the future of gaming—and it's one you can carry in your backpack.
The message is clear: wherever you are, Xbox is ready to play.