Katarzyna Petru
Last week, Microsoft celebrated the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, the first portable devices with official Xbox branding. But it seems that this is just the beginning of a bigger change. According to the latest leaks, the Redmond giant may be preparing official emulation of older Xbox games — directly on Windows.
Will Xbox Ally Become a "Real Xbox"?
As revealed by well-known insider Jez Corden from Windows Central, Microsoft is working on a special emulation system that will allow selected Xbox titles to run directly on Windows devices. In practice, this would mean that ROG Ally and its newer version – Ally X – could become fully-fledged Xbox consoles.
“People who say that Xbox Ally is not a real Xbox because it doesn't run games from the console may be in for a surprise next year,” Corden disclosed on the Xbox Two podcast and on the Xbox Era Discord server.
According to his information, the first results of this work may appear as early as the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.
Emulation like from the Xbox 360 era
The new solution is said to work similarly to the backward compatibility emulator that Microsoft developed for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. This would allow players to relaunch classics from earlier generations – this time natively on Windows, without the need for a console.
Corden emphasizes, however, that not all titles will be available immediately. Much depends on licensing and publisher agreements – which means that emulation will be developed gradually, introducing additional games over time.
One system for everyone
Behind the scenes, this is supposed to be part of a bigger Microsoft strategy that will connect all devices within a single ecosystem in the coming years. Consoles, PCs, and handhelds are meant to utilize the same environment, based on new AMD chips.
In short: future Xbox devices should be able to run games from Xbox and Windows natively, without a division between platforms. This is a vision where it doesn't matter where you play – what matters is that you are in the Xbox ecosystem.
Revolution is getting closer
If this information is confirmed, Microsoft may be on the verge of one of the biggest changes in the history of its brand. ROG Xbox Ally would no longer be just a portable PC – it would become a full-fledged, portable Xbox, bridging the worlds of consoles and computers.
This could indeed be the moment when Xbox stops being a device and becomes a platform – one cohesive and available on every hardware.
A true revolution is on the horizon.
If Microsoft completes this project, the future of gaming in the Xbox ecosystem may look completely different than anyone expected.
