Tag:

Ally

Avengers: Doomsday rumor reveals shocking ally for Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom

by admin August 25, 2025

Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom will make his MCU debut in Avengers: Doomsday, and he may enlist the help of a familiar sorcerer, according to a new rumor.

Once upon a time, every Marvel fan knew Thanos was coming and that he wanted to gather the Infinity Stones for his gauntlet, with the threat (and aftermath) of his universe-halving snap being the catalyst for Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

The same can’t be said for Doomsday and Secret Wars. All we know is that Doctor Doom will be involved, Downey will play him and his likeness to Tony Stark is part of the story, as well as the stars who were announced as part of the movie’s livestream earlier this year.

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The assumption is that it’ll have something to do with the multiverse, with Doom trying to save (or avenge) his world from an incursion – which is where one hero could come in.

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Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom could team up in Avengers: Doomsday

During an episode of The Hot Mic, insider and reporter Jeff Sneider said he’d “heard that Doctor Strange is with Doom… he’s on that side of things.”

This also comes after The Beyond Reporter claimed that not only will Strange work with Doom, but he’ll be considered a villain. Alex Perez from The Cosmic Circus also reported that Strange will be tasked with fixing an incursion in Doomsday, “by any means necessary.”

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“This would be a good time to remind everyone that the flow of time is different in the Dark Dimension since it is basically nonexistent. So, even though it’ll have been 3.5–4 years since Stephen Strange has been on Earth, imagine how much time would have passed in the Dark Dimension?” he added.

Marvel Studios

Remember, Strange was whisked away by Clea (the daughter of Dormammu, played by Charlize Theron) because his actions triggered an incursion – in layman’s terms, the impending collision of two Earths caused by multiversal shenanigans.

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That’s important context, considering another Cosmic Circus report said Doom sees “the incursions that are happening as a danger to the multiverse, and he wants to put a stop to it using a young Franklin Richards.”

“He sees himself as the hero in this story and will do whatever it takes to make sure he stays on top,” it added.

Avengers: Doomsday will be released on December 18, 2026. In the meantime, read more about who Tramell Tillman should play in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and check out our ranking of the MCU movies.

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August 25, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Microsoft lock in a release date for their ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, but no price yet because macroeconomics

by admin August 21, 2025

Xbox’s handhelds have a confirmed release date, and yes, it’s the one that leaked. As for how much the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will cost you, Microsoft aren’t sharing a price yet, because there are some macroeconomics to take into account, don’t you know.

The pair of Asus devices souped up with some extra Xboxiness to fit the company with all the green branding will release on October 16th. As I said, no price or pre-orders as of yet, with Asus senior vice president Shawn Yen having offered the following explanation to IGN as to why that’s the case:

I think we will have to… we need more time to figure the macroeconomic impact to pricing, and that’s why we’ll be sharing more later, in September and October.

Odds are that’s exec speak for something along the lines of ‘We’d like to see how things play out a bit more with these US tariffs, if you please’. Dealabs, whose reliable leaker Billbil-kun was behind the early sharing of the handhelds’ release date, report that the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X’s US prices could be $549.99 and $899.99 respectively. We’ll just have to see if that’s accurate, and what it equates to in sadness island pounds and pence.

Xbox also revealed a Handheld Compatibility Program, that’ll let you look for the “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible” badges on games in your library to see what should work on your Xbox Ally, much like you’d check for Steam Deck verification. There’ll also be a “Windows Performance Fit indicator” that’ll “reflect expected performance” on your hardware.

Odds are our James will have plenty to say about both when they debut, which’ll amount to far more than my expert analysis that them be some cheeky little thumbsticks. I can’t see myself investing in one over a Steam Deck whenever I inevitably decide a handheld’s a thing I need more than life itself, as Phil Spencer has over the past couple of years.

I’ll run out the clock here by flagging that there have been protests going on this week at a Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington campus. Staff continue to voice their opposition to the company’s business relationship with Israel’s armed forces amid the on-going assault on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Read Edwin’s full write-up here.

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August 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Xbox Reveals ROG Xbox Ally X Handheld Release Date But Not Price, Due To ‘Macro-Economic Conditions’

by admin August 21, 2025

We’re officially in the Gamescom cycle, which means a steady stream of previews, like our hands-on impressions of Hollow Knight: Silksong, and news tidbits. Xbox provided the latter today, announcing that its upcoming handheld line, the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X, will hit store shelves on October 16, just two months from now.

However, while the release date is clear, we don’t yet know how much either product will cost. In a roundtable interview with IGN, Asus senior vice president Shawn Yen said, “I think we will have to… we need more time to figure the macro-economic impact to pricing, and that’s why we’ll be sharing more later, in September and October.” Because the prices aren’t yet live, neither are pre-orders.

The handheld is made in partnership with Asus, a company that has been producing the ROG Ally handheld for a few years now. The cheaper models currently retail for around $500 USD, so it’s likely that a partnership between Asus and Xbox would go for around that amount or higher.

Xbox’s release date announcement also detailed some of the handheld’s new features, including a handheld compatibility program, which helps to indicate which games are best suited for handheld play, similar to the Steam Deck’s verification program. On Xbox, games will either be “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible,” with the latter requiring “minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience on handheld.” There’s also a “Windows Performance Fit” rating to judge how well the game will run on your device.

Stay tuned to our Game Informer coverage to see our hands-on impressions with these devices. In the mean time, catch up on the coolest games we’ve played at Gamescom 2025, which we’ll be updating as the week continues.

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August 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Xbox ROG Ally X finally has a release date – and we went hands-on at Gamescom

by admin August 21, 2025

Months after they were first revealed, Microsoft and Asus are letting the paying public have a chance to test out their new Xbox ROG Ally and Xbox ROG Ally X handhelds here at Gamescom. The two firms are also marking the show by finally announcing an “on shelf” retail release date: October 16th.

To be clear, these aren’t proper handheld Xboxes that will play any Xbox title, despite the “this is an Xbox” branding, but they’re still capable handheld gaming machines that can play PC games natively, or stream Xbox titles from an Xbox console or Microsoft’s cloud streaming service. Compared to the old Ally devices, the new Xbox models have been spruced up with new AMD processors and a streamlined Windows operating system. That should translate into better performance and a huge step forward in usability, and could make these the best Steam Deck competitors so far.

We went hands-on with both devices at Gamescom, with a software-focused outing at the Microsoft booth and a more hardware-focused extended play session in the Asus area, with Microsoft and Asus representatives providing some interesting extra details that we hadn’t yet heard.

Xbox Ally (in white) and Xbox Ally X (in black). | Image credit: Reece Bithrey/Eurogamer

Let’s start with the basics: the white Xbox Ally and black Xbox Ally X look identical in size and shape, which reportedly simplifies the production process, but the vanilla Xbox Ally is lighter by ~45g, as a consequence of lacking the upgraded Z2 Extreme processor and Impact triggers of the top-end machine. Both models are well-balanced and don’t feel too thick, despite their chonkier frames versus the original Ally devices. The impact of the Ally X’s impulse triggers is hard to judge, especially as relatively few games support them on PC, but might result in more fine-grained force feedback in some Xbox titles. Inside, the higher-end Ally X sports a larger 80Wh battery, has a more capable Micro SD card slot and a fancier higher-bandwidth USB 4 port alongside another USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C port.

Similarly, performance on the X with the Z2 Extreme chip is a bit of a mystery, with Asus reps unwilling to comment and relatively sparse reports online suggesting a small overall improvement – perhaps around 15 percent. However, that online reporting also suggests that larger gains are possible at lower power settings, hinting towards a boost to efficiency and potentially battery life – despite the matched 80Wh unit in the Xbox Ally X and regular Ally X. Meanwhile, the Z2 A chip in the regular Xbox Ally ought to perform very similarly to that of the Steam Deck, as it’s based on the same architecture and even has the same speed 6400MT/s RAM as the Steam Deck OLED.

The screens here feel well-chosen, with LCD used instead of OLED, but otherwise everything you’d want: a seven-inch 1920×1080 display rated up to 120Hz with VRR. We’ll take a colourimeter to them later to find out more about their colour reproduction and other performance figures, but the display here feels superior to that of the Switch 2 and a shade behind that of the Steam Deck OLED.

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The software experience is the biggest change here, with a design that includes both an upgraded Xbox app, used as a unified games launcher and general home screen, and the Armoury Crate software that Asus developed for the original Ally devices. The main idea is moving as much as possible onto the gamepad controls and into the Game Bar overlay. Ideally, you don’t need to connect a mouse and keyboard or even use the touchscreen to enter your PIN at login, go through Windows updates, make settings changes and launch games. Long-pressing on the Xbox button brings up a quick switcher, letting you move between different full-screen apps like games and Discord, and there are also iOS-style navigation gestures on the touch screen. Games from most major game storefronts will be automatically pulled into the Xbox launcher, so you shouldn’t need to venture into full-fat Windows to boot up most titles.

Perhaps even more importantly, the Xbox Ally devices boot up into a customised version of Windows built around the Xbox launcher, so services like the desktop window manager that normally run at startup are disabled. You’re able to pop into a full Windows instance, which prompts those missing services to start, and after this you can choose to move immediately back into the Xbox gaming mode – with the proviso that those background tasks will sap some performance – or reboot the device to get back to a fresh slate and full performance.

Microsoft engineers told me that nothing has been removed from Windows here, so in theory you’d be able to use the Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X as your only computer, perhaps hooked up to a dock with a monitor, keyboard and mouse. There also wouldn’t be anything to prevent you from installing an alternate OS if you chose, though at present it would be a bit silly to buy the first Xbox-branded Windows gaming PC and then take that unique software off.

Model
ROG Xbox Ally X
ROG Xbox Ally

Chipset
AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme (8 Zen 5/5c cores, 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, 50 XDNA2 AI TOPS)
AMD Ryzen Z2 A (4 Zen 2 cores, 8 RDNA 2 GPU cores)

Memory
24GB LPDDR5X-8000
16GB LPDDR5X-6400

Storage
1TB 2280 NVMe SSD
512GB 2280 NVMe SSD

Screen
7-inch 1080p 120Hz VRR display

I/O
1x USB 4 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, UHS-2 Micro SD card reader w/ UHS-1 DDR200 mode, 3.5mm
2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, UHS-2 Micro SD card reader, 3.5mm

Dimensions
291x122x51mm

Design
715g, L/R Xbox Impulse triggers
670g, L/R Hall Effect triggers

Battery
80Wh
60Wh

Price
£££££
£££

The demo units available at Gamescom did have some software glitches at this stage, with the Xbox Ally I tested constantly entering the pause menu in Forza Horizon 5 and behaving erratically when using the touch gestures from inside the game. These aren’t likely to be running the most recent software, due to the nature of these demos, but it does suggest that the software side may need a bit more time in the oven. Similarly, features like adding custom games to the launcher are also expected to come post-launch.

That could explain why we’re only just hearing about the October 16th release date right now, rather than prices and a firm timeline for when pre-orders begin… though the general state of the world (gestures broadly) might also impact proceedings. Regardless, there’s not too much longer to wait, and Asus reps were keen to assure us that pre-orders and pricing information would follow “soon”. (In fact, some retailers have already started listing the device in their virtual shelves, which we’ve begun cataloguing in our Xbox Ally buying guide).

Disclosure: Asus provided flights and accommodation to Cologne for Gamescom.

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August 21, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

ROG Xbox Ally: Release Date, Specs, Price and How It Compares to Steam Deck

by admin August 21, 2025

The Steam Deck has yet to find a real competitor in the PC handheld gaming device battle. Other hardware companies, including Asus, Lenovo and MSI, have tried, but so far, their devices keep falling short. Asus plans to try to take another swipe at the crown, though, this time with the help of Microsoft.

In June, the two revealed their partnership for a new handheld device: the ROG Xbox Ally. This handheld will come in two variants and will attempt to bring the Xbox console experience to a portable device. Microsoft confirmed the release date for the Xbox Ally of Oct. 16 on Wednesday, but there are still some questions about the handheld.

Will the Xbox Ally outdo the Steam Deck, or will it wind up being just another wannabe?

Will you go with the Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X?

Microsoft/Screenshot by CNET

How much will the Xbox Ally cost?

Neither Microsoft nor Asus has confirmed an official price yet. One thing for sure is that the Xbox Ally won’t be cheap.

Multiple leaks suggest the price will be 599 euros for the Xbox Ally and 899 euros for a higher-end version, the Xbox Ally X. That does leave the question of what the price will be in the US. Most likely, the price will be the same just in dollars, as that is the typical practice for gaming hardware prices.

Discount social media poster Wario64 tweeted Best Buy listings for the Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X, charger dock, and case on Wednesday. There’s no pricing on the site for the devices, just a button to be notified when preorders become available. However, Wario64 states the pricing on the back end shows the Xbox Ally at $550 and the Xbox Ally X at $900, while the charging dock is listed on the site $100 and case for $70. The dock and case prices are on Best Buy and are accurate. It’s unclear if Microsoft changed plans at the last minute.

Best Buy has listed ROG Xbox Ally listings (no preorders yet)
Ally ($549.99) https://t.co/nmHw6Nxov3
Ally X ($899.99) https://t.co/Dts0GcUNFW
100W Charger Dock (HDMI 2.0, USB-A, USB-C) ($99.99) https://t.co/LkoKyunOE8
Case $69.99 https://t.co/jaTIBfWUXX
Confirming… pic.twitter.com/oalzcOON77

— Wario64 (@Wario64) August 20, 2025

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the post.

The uncertainty about the price of the Xbox Ally is likely due to tariffs. Microsoft recently increased the prices of its Xbox Series consoles and Asus has done the same with its laptops and its current ROG Ally lineup.

When does the Xbox Ally come out?

Microsoft did confirm the release date of the Xbox Ally on Oct. 16. This date was mentioned in previous leaks regarding the handheld device’s price.

When can I preorder the Xbox Ally?

Preorders are not available as of yet. In the blog post about the release date, Microsoft says preordering and pricing will be announced sometime in the future. Best Buy does have the listings for the Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X, charging dock and case, and those interested can request to be notified when preorders become available.

What’s the difference between the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X?

There are two versions of the Xbox Ally: the lower-priced Xbox Ally and the higher-priced Xbox Ally X.

The key differences between the two are in their processors, storage and memory. The Xbox Ally will have the AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, while the Xbox Ally X will use the faster AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor. Memory will be different, with the lower-priced Xbox Ally having 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 and the higher-cost handheld coming with 24GB LPDDR5X-8000. Both will come with SSD storage but the Xbox Ally will have 512GB and the Xbox Ally X will have 1TB. The Xbox Ally X will also come with a bigger battery but with a faster processor and more memory. It’s not clear if that difference in capacity translates to a longer battery life.

Specs for Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X

ROG Xbox AllyROG Xbox Ally X Operating System Windows 11 HomeWindows 11 HomeControls and grip 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 IMUContoured 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 IMUProcessor AMD Ryzen Z2 A ProcessorAMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme ProcessorMemory 16GB LPDDR5X-640024GB LPDDR5X-8000Storage 512GB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgradeDisplay 7-inch, 1080p, IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection7-inch, 1080p, IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-ReflectionI/O Ports 2x USB-C (2 x DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1x microSD, 1x analog audio2x USB-C (1x USB4, 1x USB 3.2 both w/ DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1x micro SD, 1x analog audioNetwork and Communication Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4Dimensions 29.1×12.2×5.1 cm29.1×12.2×5.1 cmWeight 670g715gBattery 60Wh80WhIncluded ROG Xbox Ally 65W charger StandROG Xbox Ally X 65W charger Stand

What makes the Xbox Ally different from the Steam Deck?

The most notable difference between the Xbox Ally and the Steam Deck is the operating system. Like the ROG Ally, the Xbox Ally will also use Windows 11, while the Steam Deck uses Valve’s SteamOS.

Even though every PC game works with Windows, handheld gaming devices running Windows have had serious issues, as the OS implementation has been a bit buggy. Portable consoles like the ROG Ally, MSI Claw and Lenovo Legion Go simply don’t run well with full Windows because the OS is designed for laptops and desktops and not handheld devices. SteamOS, however, is designed to run almost every game on Steam without issues and regardless of device size.

The Xbox Ally changes that by giving it an Xbox interface. This would be similar to how the Xbox app on PCs works for running games. It would also be able to download Xbox games directly to it, remote play them off a console or stream them via Xbox Cloud.

Watch this: Xbox ROG Ally, the Xbox Handheld, Is Real and I Played It

04:05

Another big difference is the hardware. The Steam Deck came out in 2022 and it was the first mass-produced handheld gaming device for PC. At the time, Valve had to use custom AMD processors but since then, AMD has produced more processors for handheld devices, which are now much more powerful in just a few years. The Xbox Ally would also have faster RAM. Both the improvement in processors and RAM should significantly increase the number of games the Xbox Ally can run versus the Steam Deck, which is already struggling to run newer games at 30fps.

Externally, the Xbox Ally will come with the same size 7-inch display but it will have a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, a brighter screen at 500 nits and increased resolution at 1080p. There will also be some slight differences in the physical size of the Xbox Ally, which will be a little bigger and heavier. Another difference from the Steam Deck is that the Xbox Ally controls will be more similar to the Xbox controller.

Microsoft and Asus have a large hill to climb if they plan to have the Xbox Ally dethrone the Steam Deck. It will be especially tough if Valve decides to announce the Steam Deck 2 soon.

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August 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

ROG Xbox Ally Handheld Launch Date Set For October, Features Steam Deck-Style Compatibility

by admin August 20, 2025

A release date for the ROG Xbox Ally has been revealed, as the handheld gaming PC will be go on sale starting October 16. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed pricing for the devices yet, but it did explain how games will be optimized for these systems. One thing to note here is that there will be two different versions of the ROG Xbox Ally–a base model and a more premium “X” handheld–so performance will vary across them.

During its Gamecom 2025 livestream, Microsoft said that the base model Xbox Ally targets a resolution of 720p, while the Xbox Ally X aims for a 1080p resolution. Both units can run in one of three modes–Silent, Performance, and Turbo–and for frame rates, games that hit certain benchmarks will receive a specific compatibility tag.

Microsoft says that it has worked with game studios to optimize thousands of games for handheld compatibility, with the overall goal here being that you can install them and start playing right away. This has resulted in two tags that will accompany optimized games, similar to Valve’s Steam Deck Verified program for its handheld gaming PC:

Handheld Optimized

Games that are ready to go with default controller inputs, an intuitive text input method, accurate iconography, clear text legibility, and appropriate resolution in full-screen mode.

Mostly Compatible

Games that may require minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience on handheld.

Additionally, there’ll be other tags that will give you an idea of how well a game will perform on the Xbox Ally:

Should perform well on your device

Games that run at 30fps or above

Should perform great on your device

Games that run at 60fps or above

Performance check not available yet

Games that haven’t been tested yet

Microsoft added that more technical features will also be made available in the future, including advanced shader delivery that preloads game shaders during download. This will make games run more smoothly and use less battery power on first play. Enhancements to the docking experience for the devices are also in the works and several accessories will be released for it as well.

The company also recently spoke about how handheld consoles like the Xbox Ally tie into its next-gen console plans, as Microsoft is looking to create a broad ecosystem for players that will allow them to play their games at home or on the go.

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August 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Xbox’s New ‘Aggregated Gaming Library’ For PC Gives Look At What To Expect With ROG Xbox Ally

by admin June 23, 2025

Microsoft announced earlier this month that it partnered with ASUS to create the ROG Xbox Ally (and more powerful Ally X) handheld device, revealing it will let you play games across your entire Xbox library and other platforms like Battle.net, GOG, and Steam. Now, Xbox Insiders can get the first look at how that might work on the dedicated handheld devices when they launch later this year.

Revealed in a new Xbox Wire blog post, Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview can get the first look at the “aggregated gaming library” in the Xbox PC app for Windows 11 computers and handheld devices starting this week. Microsoft says this new library feature will be available this holiday with the Xbox Ally devices. With this feature, users will see their Xbox library, available Game Pass titles, and “all your installed games from other PC game stores” in the aggregated library.

That means games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net, and other leading PC storefronts like Steam can be found and launched from this single library within the Xbox PC app. “Whether you’re on a Windows PC or a handheld device, your Xbox library, hundreds of Game Pass titles, and all your installed games from leading PC storefronts will now be at your fingertips,” the blog post reads. “When a player installs a game from a supported PC storefront, it will automatically appear in ‘My library’ within the Xbox PC app, as well as the ‘Most recent’ list of titles in the sidebar – making it easier than ever to jump back into your games.”

To access this aggregated library, Microsoft says, “As long as you have game titles from supported PC stores, you should see them listed in both My Library and the Most Recent section.” You can also hide individual games from your various libraries if you wish. If you aren’t part of the Xbox Insiders program, you can sign up here.

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June 23, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Satoshi Ally Adam Back Plans to Buy All Bitcoin Supply, But Here’s Big Catch

by admin June 14, 2025

Back places limit order to buy all BTC at $0.02, here’s catch
Saylor says Bitcoin is going to a million

Blockstream CEO Adam Back, who was mentioned in the Bitcoin whitepaper, has announced that he has taken measures to prevent Bitcoin from crashing close to zero.

He says that should it happen, he will buy all the 21 million of Bitcoins at a ridiculously low price.

Back places limit order to buy all BTC at $0.02, here’s catch

Commenting on a recent tweet issued by Michael Saylor, Bitcoin bull and Strategy’s executive chairman, who said Bitcoin was going to one million dollars per unit, Back stated that he had did his best to prevent a deep BTC crash. What Back did was place a limit order on the Bitfinex exchange to buy all Bitcoin he can reach should it crash to 2 cents.

He did that, apparently, to outbid investor and venture capitalist Alistair Milne who placed a similar order but on Bitcoin crashing to 1 cent. However, as Back clarified in the comments, he and Milne placed those bids in 2020 and Back cancelled it and “used the liquidity to buy BTC.”

Well I got FOMO after a while, cancelled and used the liquidity to buy BTC. But it was a real live order for a while during 2020. https://t.co/NfL5WnOG6t

— Adam Back (@adam3us) June 14, 2025

Even if Bitcoin indeed crashed, buying the whole BTC supply is a mere joke since about two million BTC remains unlocked still and the majority of the 19 million BTC that have already been mined are held in cold storage wallets or by Bitcoin spot ETFs and by Bitcoin treasury companies, such as Saylor’s Strategy mentioned above. This company currently owns 582,000 BTC worth more than $61 billion in total.

Saylor says Bitcoin is going to a million

After the bellwether cryptocurrency, BTC, plunged on Friday, losing roughly 4.33% and falling from above $108,000 to the $103,000 zone, Bitcoin rapidly went up, adding 2.35%. Currently, digital gold is changing hands slightly above $105,000.

Saylor tweeted that “If it’s not going to zero, it’s going to a million,” referring to Bitcoin and triggering a wave of positive comments from the crypto community, including that of Adam Back described above.

In one of his recent interviews, Saylor said that he expects no Bitcoin sellers to be left once large-capital companies step in to accumulate BTC. This is already happening not only thanks to Strategy but also thanks to spot Bitcoin ETFs (BlackRock, Fidelity, Bitwise, Grayscale, etc) who have been accumulating BTC every week since their launch in January 2024.

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June 14, 2025 0 comments

An ROG Xbox Ally X and Ally shown during Microsoft's Xbox stream in June 2025.

Product Reviews

Xbox handheld rumoured to be ‘essentially cancelled’ but the new Asus Xbox Ally is actually a preview of all future Xbox consoles, not just handhelds

by admin June 13, 2025

A new report on the Verge is claiming that the Xbox handheld console is toast. Or to quote directly, “it’s essentially canceled”. That initially seems confusing, after all hasn’t the first Xbox handheld only just been announced?

There are plenty of caveats to cover off here, not least that this is a rumour about a product that hasn’t even been confirmed to exist, let alone been launched. But there is something interesting going on that’s worth understanding.

The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally handhelds announced a few days ago aren’t true Xbox devices. They’re PC handhelds using existing PC chips with a bit of a redesign, plus a new build of Windows that strips out the unnecessary gunk in order to create an OS that’s streamlined for playing games.

And that, as it happens, is what many industry observers think the model for all future Xboxes will be. In other words, the narrative goes that Microsoft won’t make Xbox consoles itself. Instead it with partner with companies like Asus on the hardware.

To be really clear, that won’t just apply to handhelds. That’ll be for all Xbox consoles. According to this version of the future of Xbox, it’s all about retaining Gamepass subscribers. Microsoft wants to keep them while transitioning away from making hardware itself.

So, that means creating this new streamlined version of Windows and licensing out Xbox branding to third parties. Microsoft can then use emulation or even streaming to support legacy Xbox titles running on what is essentially thinly disguised but standard PC hardware powered by a tweaked version of Windows.

As the Verge says, “the next-gen Xbox platform is being built in the open, with devices like the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. These handhelds seem like a market test for where Microsoft goes next with the combination of Windows and Xbox, and the company’s goal to turn any screen into an Xbox.”

In the long run if all this is correct, it will mean gamers being able to choose from a range of different “Xbox” consoles, with price points and presumably performance to suit everyone.

Moreover, the real motivation in putting the effort in with the cut-down build of Windows and streamlined UI isn’t for handhelds, which is a very small market. It’s for this purported new generation of third-party Xboxes.

As Tom Warren says on the Verge, “I don’t think Microsoft is doing a bunch of Windows and Xbox work just to have this software running on handhelds. I think this work will give Microsoft the ability to control the console-like experience and UI on a variety of hardware, in a way where it can upsell Game Pass, its own Xbox PC games, and more.”

This bears out in something we spotted in the latest Xbox Games Showcase: Microsoft switching to ‘Xbox PC’ in all its branding and noting Steam as a competitor. It could be nothing, but it does signal a change of approach for Microsoft, Xbox, and Windows gaming.

For now, none of this is confirmed. But the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally, plus that streamlined version of Windows, definitely indicate a new direction for Xbox. We’ll be watching closely.

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June 13, 2025 0 comments