ROG Xbox Ally is here, don't all rush...

Xbox for me began and ended with the glorious 360 days, and a very dusty One S. But since then, the brand just keeps shooting itself in all four feet as this poor mule limps on. Over-priced acquisitions, draggy series and a brutal lack of respect for its history (rather like post-PSP Sony, but hey-ho). 

I'd love the Ally to succeed, driving more portable gaming interest, but can I see that happening? Not in the numbers Microsoft expects. Not helped by the 50% Game Pass price rise, the weird ad-supported version, streaming-quality tiering and other own goals. 

UK Amazon pre-orders here with the full range of storage, carry bags, cases and accessories. Some folks got theirs early, making for embargo-busting reviews. 

Your thoughts? Am I being cruel as Xbox has little meaning to me? Is this just another gaming slab among the PC portable herd? Or is the comeback on? 

Perhaps the biggest positive is that Sony now has to respond with a device beyond the PlayStation Portal when the PS6 comes around, as already rumoured. Will Sony learn from XBox Ally's mistakes? Probably not! 

Not that Sony and Nintendo haven't had their own positioning problems. Following on from the the Switch and PlayStation Vita/Portal, Xbox finally decided to get into the portable world, but with a not-even-unique solution. The hype about its development was way more interesting than the actual product! 

That's about 1/3rd of the problem, it is in no way unique or has any cachet. The rest is down to pricing and the ongoing struggle for distinctive games. When Silksong appears to be the main game in the hardware adverts, that's not a great look. 

The ROG Xbox Ally (X) is over-priced (£500-£800 or $600-$1,000) and lands in the middle of a portable PC gaming battle with a dozen other brands. If you want, you can pre-order one now for a mid-October release date. 

But where are the games? I mean the new games just for this - there aren't any, and won't be any which feels like a screaming miss. Not even one pack-in exclusive Ally-only title? Has Xbox forgotten everything about what makes gaming special? 

But you may ask why is cloud gaming a big feature on a £800 gadget (compared to the £200 Portal)? Where's the £150 cloud-only streaming model that could do big numbers? 

I feel the mixed messages rumbling in my consumer head. And hopefully more retailers beyond Currys and EE will get on board in the UK. 

As such, even though I should be super-excited for a new portable, especially one packing AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme tech, but this really feels like another dud waiting to happen. 

Anyway, I hope Microsoft finds some peace with Xbox Ally and it keeps them in the game.