ASUS' Xbox-branded ROG Ally - perhaps the closest we'll get to an official Xbox gaming handheld anytime soon, if recent reports are true - launches this October, says a reliable leaker.

Specifically, it's claimed ASUS is targeting a 16th October European release date for the Xbox ROG Ally and its beefier-specced sibling, the Xbox ROG Ally X. That's according to Dealab's Billbil-kun, who has a long history of accurate leaks.

Both machines were officially unveiled in June, when it was confirmed the Xbox ROG Ally would include an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor alongside 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, while the Ally X - described as a machine for "the most demanding players" - features an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor and 24GB of high-speed RAM.

At the time, ASUS would only say the machines were launching this "holiday" across select countries including the UK and US, and other details were limited. However, Billbil-kun recently claimed the Xbox ROG Ally will cost €599 (around £520), while the Xbox ROG Ally X variant is said to be priced at €899 (approximately £780). Pre-orders for both machines will reportedly begin on 20th August, with an official announcement expected during Microsoft's Gamescom showcase, which begins at 2pm BST on the same day.

The Xbox ROG Ally and ROG Ally X, as we learned previously, are both powered by Windows 11, include a full-screen Xbox interface, and feature an aggregated gaming library with access to installed games from a range of PC stores, including Steam, Battle.net, and GOG. And, of course, the machines support Xbox Play Anywhere titles.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has long teased Microsoft's plans for an official Xbox gaming handheld, and reports earlier this year suggested the company had settled on a multi-pronged strategy that would initially see it partner with a third-party to launch an Xbox-branded portable machine before the end of 2025 while it worked on its own in-house project to release sometime in 2027. However, later reports claimed a change in strategy, with Windows Central saying Microsoft's internal handheld project had been "sidelined" in favour of more third-party partnerships, while The Verge went further, calling the project "essentially cancelled".

Curiously, however, Xbox president Sarah Bond recently announced the company was partnering with AMD to "co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices including our next-generation Xbox consoles in your living room and in your hands". For now though, the only certainty is ASUS' handhelds, and we should get a confirmed release date very soon.