Answering the Nintendo Switch 2's lingering accessibility questions
One of the biggest surprises of the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal was its proposed accessibility. For years, Nintendo has been known for accidentally stumbling on accessibility solutions while stubbornly refusing to engage with the broader subject. Yet, in the Switch 2, there appeared a more holistic approach to accessibility for which disabled players have been crying out. This was supported by a webpage dedicated to the Switch 2's hardware accessibility.
However, specifics were thin and no further information emerged ahead of the Switch 2's debut. Now, having spent the last week with the Switch 2, I've found that this limited information hid, aside from a few missteps, an impressive suite of system-level accessibility considerations and advances that somewhat offset the otherwise gradual update the Switch 2 represents. But as we finally answer lingering accessibility questions over the Switch 2, there's a nagging sense that this information should have been readily available ahead of launch.
How intuitive is the setup? Very, but blind players may need assistance
I tend to find setup procedures dense and unapproachable thanks to cognitive disability. Yet I was pleasantly surprised at how breezy the Switch 2's setup was. Aside from a few hiccups trying to decipher Virtual Game Cards (a feature I ended up opting out of), the whole process was intuitive and fast.
Accessibility features, however, are not available during setup. The console's text-to-speech is not enabled by default, nor can you access text sizing and zoom options. This will represent a significant barrier to entry for some, and blind players may require sighted assistance during setup.
Are Switch controllers and Joy-Cons compatible with the Switch 2? Yes, including the Hori Flex
The increased size of the Joy-Con 2 feels better this time around, as does the Joy-Con 2 grip. But the controller size and the grip's unergonomic square shape still don't take long to incite my hand pain. Fortunately, Switch controllers and Joy-Cons are usable on the Switch 2, and the ability to default to the original Pro Controller is welcome.
It's encouraging that you can pair other controllers with the Switch 2 using peripherals like the Magic-S Pro 2. Though, given recent trends in third-party peripheral support, I'd be reluctant to suggest that support is here to stay. We're already seeing some connectivity issues around third-party controllers, especially 8BitDo gamepads, with 8BitDo working on updates to get those working with the Switch 2.
What is supported, however, is Nintendo's licensed adaptive controller: the Hori Flex. This works docked and in tabletop mode for games that don't require mouse controls (some other features, like motion controls, may also cause issues). Keep in mind, you will need a USB-A to USB-C adapter to connect in tabletop mode.
Can you connect a USB keyboard? Yes
Not everyone finds onscreen keyboards intuitive or accessible. The good news is you can connect a USB keyboard through the console's USB-C ports and use that instead, including during setup.
What is the text-to-speech speed? It's inconsistent, but US English is 120–130 words per minute on average
We have no official number on the speed at which the Switch 2's text-to-speech reads, but we can estimate. Using the information the system reads when you enable text-to-speech, we've found that both voice options averaged around 120–130 words per minute in US English. For UK English, it was 130–140 words per minute. Different languages will see different rates. There was some inconsistency in repeated tests that could not be accounted for simply by considering when timers were started and stopped.
That's not the only quirk in the system. Players should be aware there is a noticeable delay between landing on a menu option and the text-to-speech kicking in. Similarly, during testing, toggling text-to-speech off led to a notification with the word 'disabled.' Reenabling the function without moving out of the accessibility menu, however, did not lead to anything suggesting text-to-speech was back on.
All told, however, it's a good system, controlled by a discrete speed slider that ranges from 50 percent to 300 percent. The slowest rate for US English users reads at around 60–70 words per minute and the max speed, where many blind players operate, is in the region of 400–420 words per minute.
What screens don't support text-to-speech? The eShop
When enabling text-to-speech, you're told the function may not be supported on all screens. As things stand, it looks like text-to-speech works across all system-level menus, but not on the Nintendo eShop. Given this is the first place most players visit after setup, that's an oversight that needs rectifying soon. Most games also don't support system-level text-to-speech, including Mario Kart World.
Can you adjust the Switch 2's audio balance? No
Outside the ability to toggle mono audio — an important feature for hard-of-hearing players — greater audio customization is not available on the Switch 2 at a system level.
Does GameChat's speech-to-text transcribe swearing? You bet it fucking does!
You may already know that GameChat's speech-to-text will transcribe swear words. While this was reported widely as a bit of fun, it's also an important accessibility feature that allows users — especially deaf players — to engage fully with in-game communication without having to decipher improper transcription and censored text.
It's not perfect. You may find speech-to-text swaps in odd words at times, but this is an error rather than censorship of specific terms.
Can you remap controls? At a system level, yes
Within the Switch 2's settings, players can remap all inputs on connected controllers, and do so for each Joy-Con independently. You can also toggle the ability to access this menu at any time from the Switch 2's quick menu, accessed by holding Home.
Unfortunately, current evidence suggests this option will not be present in Nintendo's first-party games. Mario Kart World does not include any remapping options. Some might ask why this is a problem if system-level input rebinding exists, but in-game options for remapping are more instructive and convenient, and they limit rebindings to specific actions in-game rather than having to continuously rebind on a system level for every game. Being able to remap on the fly through the quick menu only mitigates this so much.
This is something Nintendo appears to understand, allowing remapping in the new GameCube games available to Switch Online subscribers.
A quiet win overall
It all adds up to an impressive suite of accessibility features and customization that will, hopefully, grow in time. The strange part is that Nintendo is being so quiet about it. The Verge reached out multiple times for clarification on the Switch 2's accessibility and for more information relating to the questions above, but Nintendo didn't respond.
One might expect that points to an internal awareness that features aren't as robust as they should be. Outside a few missteps, however, this is a significant accessibility win and one would think Nintendo would want it out there. More importantly, and this is a lesson to anyone releasing a device or game: players need clear accessibility information ahead of release to make informed buying decisions and secure any help that might be needed.
Nintendo's shift to greater accessibility is welcome. But in restricting the flow of information before release, the win is tempered somewhat by Nintendo's willingness to keep its players in the dark.
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The Alienware 16 Area-51 is one of the cheapest RTX 5080 gaming laptops — and it's near-perfect
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. I wouldn't call any RTX 50-series gaming laptop cheap, but Alienware, of all brands, comes knocking with its flagship Area-51 at an alluring price point for all of its premium qualities. For a whopping $3,249 (yes, that's competitive in this market [insert cry GIF here]), the Alienware 16 Area-51 packs a punch with its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, supported by a bright 16-inch display, a punchy mechanical keyboard, and solid audio. While its flaws are limited, they're still flaws. The battery life could be better, the display could be OLED, and the touchpad isn't tall enough. However, its pros make a strong case for the Alienware 16 Area-51 as one of the best gaming laptops, and it looks like a straight-up spaceship. But let's see if it's right for you. Alienware 16 Area-51 Price $2,849 starting ($3,249 reviewed) CPU Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB) RAM 32GB DDR5, 6400MT/s Storage 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD Display 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, IPS display Battery 4:10 (1:50 gaming) Dimensions 14.37 x 11.41 x 0.85~1.12 inches Weight 7.13 pounds Click to view full benchmark test results Alienware 16 Area-51 Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) 20,498 Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) 1.58 25GB File Transfer Test (Lower is better) 23.36 25GB File Transfer Test (SSD speed) 1,149 Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) 92.9 Gaming Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) 118.7 Battery life (Higher is better) 4.1 PCMark 10 Gaming Battery life (higher is better) 1.5 Display brightness (Higher is better) 516 sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) 115% DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) 81.6% Color accuracy (Lower is better) 0.21 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra (Higher is better) 14,073 3DMark Time Spy Extreme (Higher is better) 10,558 Assassin's Creed: Mirage (1080p, fps) 149 Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 1080p, fps) 58 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, fps) 62.94 Far Cry 6 (1080p, fps) 121 Monster Hunter Wilds (1080p, fps) 82.82 Red Dead Redemption II (Ultra, 1080p, fps) 117 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, fps) 183 Forget about a new car; you need that down payment for the Alienware 16 Area-51. The model we reviewed costs $3,249 and is outfitted with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, LED display, and CherryMX mechanical keyboard. You can start at $2,849, dropping to an RTX 5070 Ti, upgrading to a 2TB SSD, and ditching the mechanical keyboard. However, I don't recommend this model. If you're already paying close to $3K, you might as well get the better-performing RTX 5080. There's also the RTX 5090 model, which costs $3,649. It also comes with 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. The biggest issue I have with the configurations is that there are no display options outside of upgrading the webcam (which costs the same price between them, so you should get the 4K model). It would have been nice to see an OLED variant, especially since the color in this LED panel is lacking (but I'll delve into that more later). Overall, the Alienware 16 Area-51 is expensive, but surprisingly, it's more affordable than other RTX 50 series gaming laptops we've seen on the market. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 This thing looks like it's about to blast the thrusters and head to outer space. I am in love with this design. It's been said before, even I have said it, but damn does this thing look like it's about to blast the thrusters and head to outer space. From the curved edges to the sci-fi-esque vents, the Alienware 16 Area-51 stays true to its namesake. I'll admit, however, I'm not a fan of the Liquid Teal color; it just doesn't look nice. I would've preferred white or another lighter color. Despite that, the black on the hinge contrasts quite well with it, and opening up the lid activates the RGB light bar embedded within the hinge, producing an aurora-esque diffused light. It looks pretty sick. (The Alienware logo lights up, too.) The interior gives off a similar vibe thanks to the numerous vents surrounding the keyboard, not to mention the RGB lighting in the keyboard, touchpad, and fans at the top of the deck. It's straight up Christmas in here. The bezels on the display are relatively thin, with the webcam on top, but I'm disappointed that there isn't a privacy shutter. Another slick design feature is the underside — it features a glass window into the internals with the RGB-lit fans. Despite the Alienware 16 Area-51 resembling a spaceship, it's tough to call it portable at 7.13 pounds and 14.37 x 11.41 x 0.85~1.12 inches. Here's how it compares: HP Omen Max 16: 5.92 pounds, 14.04 x 10.59 x 0.9~0.98 inches Razer Blade 16 (2025): 4.6 pounds, 13.98 x 9.86 x 0.59~0.69 inches Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 (RTX 5080): 5.5 pounds, 14.05 x 10 x 0.91~1.18 inches Image 1 of 3 Image 2 of 3 Image 3 of 3 To maintain its spaceship aesthetic, most of the ports on the Alienware 16 Area-51 are located on the back, with the exception of the SD card slot and headphone jack on the left. Overall, you should have everything you need here. 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) 2x Thunderbolt 5 ports (for configurations with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and above) 1x HDMI 2.1 1x SD-card slot 1x 3.5mm headphone jack If you really need more ports, check out our best USB Type-C hubs and best laptop docking stations pages. I didn't expect the Alienware 16 Area-51 to offer great battery life I didn't expect the Alienware 16 Area-51 to offer great battery life, considering how much of a chunky monkey it is, but I'm still a bit disappointed. On the Laptop Mag battery test, which sets the laptop to continuously surf the web over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the Alienware 16 Area-51 lasted 4 hours and 10 minutes. That's not bad per se, but the Aorus Master lasted a whole hour longer, and the Razer Blade lasted over three hours longer. There's a similar trend on the PCMark 10 Gaming battery life test, where the Area-51 lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes, while the Razer Blade and Aorus Master lasted 40 to 60 minutes longer, respectively. Click to view chart data in table format Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Battery life (Higher is better) 4.1 3.2 7.22 5.02 PCMark 10 Gaming Battery life (higher is better) 1.5 1.24 2.28 2.54 Displays designed for video games are precious to me Displays designed for video games are precious to me, and if I'm paying over $3K for a gaming laptop, it better be pretty. Unfortunately, the Alienware 16 Area-51's 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, LED display falls a bit short. It's plenty bright, more than its competition, and nearly as bright as the M4 MacBook Pros. However, the color is severely lacking for the price, and that's likely due to the LED panel, whereas its top rivals use OLED. I hopped into an expedition in Elden Ring Nightreign and bodied those nightmare Flame Chariots. While their flames were bright, and everything looked lively, the lack of boldness took me out of it a little. I think the issue is that the LED panel feels like I'm looking at a screen, whereas OLED feels like looking through a window. I'll say this, however: I didn't have any trouble navigating the shadowy mines. I watched the trailer for the currently bombing Lilo & Stitch film, and the night shots were clear, which is nice because I didn't need to squint. And although the day shots were really bright, those Hawaiian waters didn't look as bold as I wanted them to. According to our colorimeter, the Area-51 doesn't meet the 100% DCI-P3 color coverage that Dell claims it does (falling to 81.6%). However, it does break its claimed 500-nit display brightness. Click to view chart data in table format. Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Display brightness (Higher is better) 516 363 372 378 sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) 115% 199.7 204% 114% DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) 81.6% 141.4 144.6% 81.0% Color accuracy (Lower is better) 0.21 0.31 0.3 0.23 Nothing is more satisfying than a mechanical keyboard in a gaming laptop. Nothing is more satisfying than a mechanical keyboard in a gaming laptop. It still feels like a dream that laptops like the Alienware 16 Area-51 are rocking a CherryMX mechanical keyboard. This baby is clicky and punchy; bodying fools in Marvel Rivals felt as smooth as ever. I knocked out 83 words per minute on the typing test, which is above my usual 81-wpm average. Moving to each key felt effortless, thanks to that mechanical bounce. The 4.4 x 2.5-inch touchpad is not only colorful, but it's also glass, so it's silky smooth to the touch. It also features a mid-depth, sharp click, which is satisfying to navigate with. My only gripe is that I wish the touchpad were taller because it makes it more challenging to select a wide area. the Alienware 16 Area-51's top and bottom-firing speakers made me feel like I jumped right into the thick of combat. With two tweeters (treble) and two woofers (bass), the Alienware 16 Area-51's top and bottom-firing speakers made me feel like I jumped right into the thick of combat. Although the music performance could have been better. Dashing across Limveld in Nightreign, oppressive but present strings played in the background while the Depraved Perfumer tried to murder me. I dodged and sliced through them, and got that satisfying slash sound effect when I made impact. When I popped my ultimate ability off, it sounded a bit more muted than I would've liked, but the overall environmental sound effects played well together. It got occasionally muddy when larger bosses started chomping at me. Jumping into my long-lasting hyperfixation, I listened to 'Wouldn't You Like' from Epic: The Musical. The stringed instruments sounded gentle and full, and when Hermes came in, I enjoyed his soft vocals, but I realized they were maybe a bit too soft. The vocals didn't hit the crispness I expected. While I could distinguish most of the instruments from one another, there was some muddiness, and the percussion got snuffed a bit. But overall, it's a strong set of speakers compared with the mediocrity we usually find in even the most expensive gaming laptops. You adjust the audio via Dolby Access, with presets for Game (which I used for gaming), Music (used for music), Movie, Voice, and Dynamic (which I experimented with but wasn't a fan of). This monster doesn't need to worry about slimming down for portability's sake, so it even crushes RTX 5090 gaming laptops on some tests. Packed into the Area-51's thick chassis is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU with 16GB of VRAM. This monster doesn't need to worry about slimming down for portability's sake, so it even crushes RTX 5090 gaming laptops on some tests. Trying our luck with the Gaping Jaw again, my comrades and I leapt into its chaotic purple lightning storms, and the Area-51 easily maxed out the cap at 60 frames per second on max settings at native resolution. Up against the RTX 5080 in the Aorus Master and the RTX 5090 in the Razer Blade and Omen Max, the Area-51 either matched or took the crown on three major gaming benchmarks. So the Area-51 is better than the rest at playing Assassin's Creed Mirage, Black Myth: Wukong, and Far Cry 6. While the Area-51 may not have taken the lead on the rest of the gaming benchmarks, it got pretty darn close across the board. You won't be disappointed with this level of performance. And keep in mind that our benchmarks don't account for DLSS 4, so if you want to get into multi-frame generation magic, you can expect a significant increase in frames. Click to view chart data in table format. Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra (Higher is better) 14,073 12,734 14,024 13,695 3DMark Time Spy Extreme (Higher is better) 10,558 10,100 10,770 10,097 Assassin's Creed: Mirage (1080p, fps) 149 137 120 145 Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 1080p, fps) 58 51 58 52 Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, fps) 62.94 58.04 65.83 61.52 Far Cry 6 (1080p, fps) 121 109 97 120 Monster Hunter Wilds (1080p, fps) 82.82 76.55 70.86 85.67 Red Dead Redemption II (Ultra, 1080p, fps) 117 86.9164 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, fps) 183 175 166 185 The Alienware 16 Area-51 absolutely dominated its competition Don't think Alienware forgot about overall performance. The Area-51 is toting the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor with 32GB of RAM, and it's one heck of a powerhouse. It didn't flinch when I opened a couple dozen Google Chrome tabs and a handful of YouTube videos while Nightreign downloaded in the background. The Alienware 16 Area-51 absolutely dominated its competition on the Geekbench 6 overall performance test and our HandBrake benchmark, which requires it to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. However, the Area-51 lagged a bit behind on SSD speeds, coming in third on our 25GB file transfer test, but since it's above 1 GBps, it should be good for most things. Now, even though the Area-51 is rocking fans all over the place, it still gets a bit spicy while gaming. We clocked it at 118.7 degrees Fahrenheit between the F8 and F9 keys, which is way above our 95-degree comfort threshold. Yet, it might be safe to sit it in your lap. How? The underside only reached 93.1 degrees. However, I'd proceed with caution since the underside features a glass window, which might burn if it gets too hot. Click to view chart data in table format. Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) 20,498 19,822 16,025 19,175 Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) 1.58 2.54 3.12 2.18 25GB File Transfer Test (Lower is better) 23.36 19.2 15.52 40.4 25GB File Transfer Test (SSD speed) 1,149 1,395 1,730 665 Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) 92.9 88.6 97.9 94.3 Gaming Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) 118.7 105.8 125.8 116.8 With an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, the Area-51 supports an NPU with 13 peak TOPS (trillion operations per second). With that, you can access your usual Copilot software, like Windows Studio Effects, Cocreate, and Live Captions. Apart from potential performance gain, there isn't any Dell or Alienware-branded software with unique AI capabilities. Like most laptop webcams, even the Alienware 16 Area-51's 4K shooter isn't great. Despite that, the webcam handles colors decently well. My blue shirt and the ensemble of colorful outfits of the My Hero Academia crew behind me popped in the image. However, its resolution didn't keep my face and hair from looking fuzzy. And the poor contrast overexposed the window and ceiling. If you plan on streaming, I recommend checking out one of the best webcams. The software you'll be using the most will be the Alienware Command Center, which features settings for performance, keyboard and chassis lighting, game aggregation, and a quick link to the Dolby Access app. There's also Dell SupportAssist, which handles your drivers, hardware scans, and warranty. The Area-51 comes with a one-year limited warranty. The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a near-perfect gaming laptop The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a near-perfect gaming laptop, boasting incredible performance, a bright 16-inch display, a great keyboard, strong speakers, and a beautiful design. But its display can't beat OLED, and we've seen much better battery life numbers elsewhere. A gaming laptop that supports both an OLED panel and significantly better battery life is the Razer Blade 16, although you'll need to pay about $1,000 more to get it. I'll pray to Cthulhu for an OLED variant of the Alienware 16 Area-51 in the future, although right now, this gaming laptop is easily one of the best we've seen this year, and its price point makes it all the more compelling.
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I played 'Dune: Awakening' on an RTX 5090 gaming laptop — I got up to 257 fps, but there was one big problem
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Hold my spice, I'm jumping into Dune: Awakening to see if Nvidia's wild DLSS 4 claims are true, and what better device to test it on than an RTX 5090 gaming laptop? If you ever wanted an MMO survival base-building game set on Arrakis, that's exactly what you're getting. While we did get Dune: Spice Wars in 2022, Dune: Awakening is a more definitive debut for the Dune franchise simply because its genre is more popular. I played Dune: Awakening on an HP Omen Max 16 outfitted with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 24GB GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz, OLED display. Here's how it ran. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 I spent more time with the character creator than I care to admit, but I quickly sped through the tutorial so I could get to the online portion of the game. I drank some water, crafted a knife, and made some bandages. You know, the usual. Then I got into some knife fights where I learned how to dodge and parry, which I had no idea was a thing in this game, but now I am invested in the combat system. Fair warning, controller players — Dune: Awakening is not friendly to us. Everything from the radial wheel to the menus themselves feels like they are designed for a keyboard and mouse. Pulling up a wheel to select your quick items takes so much longer and breaks the flow of combat compared with a simple numbered button click. And the menu replicates a mouse experience except with the analog stick, and that… is slow. I hope the controller experience on console is better because the PC experience had my patience evaporating like it was left out in the desert. As far as the graphics go, I crash landed into the player-infested desert with everything cranked up to Ultra (apart from the experimental features) at a 2560 x 1600 resolution, which applies to all of the following tests below. If you remember, Dune: Awakening was among Nvidia's featured DLSS 4 titles when the RTX 50-series launched, with promises of wildly high frame rates. For those unaware, DLSS 4 is a super sampling technology that boosts visuals and performance. I have a love/hate relationship with it after my experiences in Doom: The Dark Ages and Monster Hunter Wilds, and that's because of Multi-Frame Generation. It's a technology that replicates frames with AI based on the true frames rendered on your GPU. This isn't a perfect technology, and I'll go into why later. But first, I turned off all of that. Starting raw, with no DLSS, I set the upscaler to TAA. At max settings, this got me an average of 60 frames per second while I shot my way through a bandit camp just to pilfer some scrap. That's a pretty strong opening. If you don't want to touch Nvidia's dark magic, you'll be perfectly fine with an RTX 5090. 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If you're just interested in high performance play, then you'll want to set DLSS to Ultra Performance. With no frame generation, I got 144 fps when I used my freaky Bene Gesserit compel ability on a nearby enemy. When I started dissecting a broken Ornithopter, the RTX 5090 managed 156 fps on FG. And then, when I had to outrun the sun itself because my skin was practically on fire, I got up to a wild 257 fps. Awesome, right? Wrong. You see, I noticed straight from the tutorial that Multi-Frame Generation was an issue. As I said, DLSS 4 isn't magic. The generated frames you're getting aren't perfect, so you may see some artifacts, like a pixelated asset, just for a moment. Some games hide this well, but Dune: Awakening is not one of them. Just from moving the camera around, I noticed the foliage around me become distorted. Even the ground looked like it had a hard time keeping up, with little blotches in the sand appearing. Unfortunately, this isn't the magical performance we saw in those RTX 50-series trailers. If you absolutely need the frame generation because you're on a lower spec 50-series rig, do it. But I'd avoid it for now, at least until either Nvidia or Dune: Awakening gives us an update. But overall, if you're interested in getting one of the best gaming laptops, you can expect some spicy performance without all the DLSS 4 magic. Settings Frames per second TAA 60 fps DLSS: DLAA 63 fps DLSS: DLAA, FG (2x) 88 fps DLSS: DLAA, MFG (4x) 144 fps DLSS: Ultra Performance 114 fps DLSS: Ultra Performance, FG (2x) 156 fps DLSS: Ultra Performance, MFG (4x) 257 fps
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That particular first-party handheld that Microsoft was reportedly working on has now been rumored to be on pause for the time being. The next console from Microsoft is expected sometime in 2027. ROG Xbox Ally ROG Xbox Ally X Operating System Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home Comfort & input Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R Hall Effect analog triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort, complete with impulse triggers for enhanced control. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R impulse triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU Processor AMD Ryzen™ Z2 A Processor AMD Ryzen™ AI Z2 Extreme Processor Memory 16GB LPDDR5X-6400 24GB LPDDR5X-8000 Storage 512GB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade 1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade Display 7' FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9 120Hz refresh rate FreeSync Premium Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection 7' FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9 120Hz refresh rate FreeSync Premium Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection I/O Ports 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.01x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC)1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1x USB4 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.0, Thunderbolt™ 4 compatible1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.01x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC; UHS-I with DDR200 mode)1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack Network and Communications Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth 5.4 Dimensions 290.8*121.5*50.7mm 290.8*121.5*50.7mm Weight 670g 715g Battery 60Wh 80Wh Included ROG Xbox Ally 65W charger Stand ROG Xbox Ally X 65W charger Stand The Xbox Ally comes with an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB LPDDR5X-6400, 512GB M.2 2280 SSD, and 60Wh battery, while the Ally X has an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB LPDDR5X-8000, 1TB M.2 2280 SSD, and 80Wh battery. Both devices have a 7' FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9 120Hz refresh display, Xbox-inspired button layout, and Wi-Fi 6E. Some other differences between the two are that the Xbox Ally X has a USB4 and USB 3.2 port, impulse triggers, and weighs 45 grams more. Looking at the specs, the Xbox Ally X does have slightly better components than the ROG Ally X that came out last July. Both devices will seemingly be more powerful than the Steam Deck, but power is not everything when it comes to handhelds. A big concern about the Xbox Ally is the Windows 11 operating system. The ROG Ally X, MSI Claw, and Lenovo Legion Go all used Windows 11, and it actually hampers the performance. The devices are essentially Windows 11 laptops, and if the system and games are not optimized, it can feel sluggish and perform poorly. On the other hand, the operating system for the Steam Deck, SteamOS, offers a much better performance on these portable consoles. The Lenovo Legion Go S can be used with SteamOS, and there is a big performance boost when ditching Windows. It's unclear right now how optimized the Xbox UI will be on the Xbox Ally. Microsoft says the Xbox Ally and Ally X will come out this holiday season in the U.S., U.K., and several other countries. There will be pre-orders for the portable console, although no specific date was mentioned. As for how much it will cost, that is the big question. Microsoft says it will reveal the portable's pricing in the coming months, but it's very likely to cost more than $500 since the ROG Ally launched in 2023 with a price tag of $600. There's also the question of tariffs. Microsoft already had to raise the price of its Xbox Series consoles due to tariffs. Asus has already raised the price of some of its products because of those tariffs, as the company is based in Taiwan. Some portable consoles have also increased in price, or their manufacturers have refused to sell them in the U.S. due to tariffs.
