Xbox Handhelds: A Step Towards Trust
However, my initial skepticism towards Microsoft’s handheld Xbox has slowly faded away.
After two months of testing, I’ve found that two of the handhelds have improved significantly in terms of sleep functionality.
But, I still wouldn’t recommend buying the vanilla Xbox Ally due to its sleep issues.
Improvements in Sleep Functionality
Meanwhile, the pricier black Xbox Ally X has been reliable in saving my game and battery life when put to sleep.
Even after leaving a game open for almost nine full days, the game was right where I left off when I came back.
Battery drain while sleeping seems reasonable, too, with a loss of 4 to 8 percent of its battery from one day to the next.
Still Some Issues to Address
Consequently, there are other bugs that need to be fixed, such as the Xbox and Asus buttons not working after resuming from sleep.
Additionally, the SSD in my colleague Tom Warren’s Xbox Ally X died, which is a concern.
Assuming the SSD is the drive maker’s fault, the Xbox Ally X is feeling like a product I can live with.
Comparison with MSI Claw 8 AI Plus
Moreover, the Intel Lunar Lake inside the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus has been reliable in sleep functionality, with battery drain as little as 2 percent per day.
However, I’ve seen bugs in the Insider Preview, including one black screen and a persistent issue that capped my frame rate at 30fps.
But, bugs are to be expected in a preview version.
Conclusion
Therefore, even today, the vanilla Xbox Ally may no longer be a bad deal.
However, I still wouldn’t recommend buying it due to its sleep issues.
But, if Microsoft can fix the sleep functionality, it will change the whole conversation around Windows handhelds.
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