Gaming

Xbox ROG Ally X price, availability in the Philippines

ASUS, Xbox bring the next-gen handheld to local gamers

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Xbox ROG Ally X

ROG has officially announced the arrival of the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X in the Philippines. These are powered by the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 Series processors.

Price and availability

The ROG Xbox Ally X is priced at PHP 56,995. Meanwhile, the standard ROG Xbox Ally will retail for PHP 36,995. Both will be available starting October 16, 2025, at ASUS and ROG Exclusive Stores nationwide.

Pre-orders run from October 7 to 16. The first 100 customers who sign up will receive a free ROG Xbox Ally 2-in-1 Premium Case worth PHP 2,995. Each purchase also comes with a Game Pass subscription and a 2-year international warranty. Interested buyers can learn more or register at ROG’s official pre-order page.

Built for all-day gaming comfort

The new ROG Xbox Ally Series was designed with player comfort in mind. Both models feature an all-new chassis with improved ergonomics, redesigned palm rests, and Xbox-inspired texturing for a better handheld grip. The ROG Xbox Ally X also includes impulse triggers, adding tactile feedback for more immersive gameplay.

Seamless Xbox experience

Working closely with Xbox, ROG has optimized the Ally’s software for a true handheld Xbox experience on Windows 11. Players are greeted with a full-screen Xbox interface at startup. It offers easy navigation, customizable widgets, and quick access to settings via the Game Bar.

Despite the streamlined experience, users still retain the freedom of a full Windows PC — meaning mods and non-Xbox games remain accessible.

Xbox ROG Ally

Power meets efficiency

Under the hood, the ROG Xbox Ally X runs on the new AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor. It delivers high performance for demanding titles.

Meanwhile, the base ROG Xbox Ally is equipped with an AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor. It’s built for balanced performance and better battery life.

Both models support AMD’s latest features — including FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), Radeon Super Resolution (RSR), and Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) for smoother gameplay.

Optimized for handheld play

Xbox has also introduced a Handheld Compatibility Program, tagging titles as Handheld Optimized or Mostly Compatible to ensure smooth play on launch.

The program works alongside features like shader preloading for faster load times and upcoming AI-powered tools, such as Automatic Super Resolution and AI-generated highlight reels, which will roll out next year.

Designed to go anywhere

The ROG Xbox Ally 2-in-1 Premium Case was built specifically for the new handhelds, featuring a water-resistant shell, weather-proof zippers, and a soft inner lining. It also includes a detachable pouch for the 65W charger — ideal for on-the-go protection.

@gadgetmatch Our first l👀k at the ROG Xbox Ally X! #rogxboxallyx #gamescom2025 #gamescom @_asusrog ♬ original sound – GadgetMatch

Gaming

Tales of Xillia Remastered officially launches 

Upgraded visuals, new features, and over 40 DLC items

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Tales of Xillia Remastered

Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia has officially released Tales of Xillia Remastered on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S, with a next-day launch for PC via Steam. The announcement comes with the game’s new launch trailer.

The remaster returns one of the series’ most beloved entries, now updated with sharper visuals, major gameplay upgrades, and quality-of-life improvements. It also includes more than 40 DLC items from the original release.

Set in Rieze Maxia, a world where humans and spirits live together, Tales of Xillia Remastered lets players experience the story through either Milla Maxwell, a mysterious woman guided by four great spirits, or Jude Mathis, a young medical student from the capital. Their paths collide as they uncover Rashugal’s mana-draining weapon — a threat that could destabilize the entire world. Their mission: destroy it and restore balance.

The remaster introduces several key upgrades, including:

  • Auto-save and destination icons for smoother exploration
  • Early access to the Grade Shop with toggles for purchased perks
  • Enemy encounter toggle, letting players turn off field and dungeon battles when they want to focus on story
  • The Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System, enabling real-time combat with linked ally attacks, support skills, and combo chains
  • 40+ DLC items, including character costumes and bonus items

Tales of Xillia Remastered is now available on console, with the Steam version arriving tomorrow.

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Features

10 years of Siege: Challenges, ups, relevance, and the decade that lies ahead

One of Ubisoft’s most popular titles keeps reinventing itself — and that’s what resonates with players

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Siege

At the recent gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show 2025, Ubisoft also went all-out in spotlighting Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and its 10-year journey throughout the annual gathering.

There were hands-on demos, experiential zones, and cosplays; Ubisoft even gave away a custom PC. Plus, a Siege esports tournament was held.

The tactical shooter’s creative director, Alexander Karpazis, also graced gamescom Asia x TGS 2025. He appeared for a fireside chat to reflect on a decade of Siege. This included talking about the Siege X update  from earlier this year.

Such pageantries show that the title has come a long way. It’s also hard to imagine given the spectacles that at some point, Siege wasn’t off to a good start.

Slow start

Among the prominent issues Siege players experienced after launch in 2015 were its gameplay inconsistencies like balance issues and bugginess. Ubisoft also struggled with poor initial sales.

Some attribute the game being rushed for modern consoles at the time to it not resonating among gamers initially.

Others felt that the story veered away from the Rainbow Six series since Siege became a reboot after Rainbow Six: Patriots was cancelled.

The title saw low player numbers, hence, slower matchmaking times and longer waiting times for them.

Turnaround

For developers, it’s easy to think about pulling the plug on a game that is not being received well early on. But Ubisoft stuck with a long-term plan.

Fueled by a games-as-a-service mantra, Ubisoft delivered countless free updates, including adding new operators and game modes.

The consistency of post-launch support and updates kept the community glued. And from late 2016 to 2019, there was a tremendous turnaround period.

It started with the Skull Rain DLC from 2016, before Siege doubled its total registered player base by 2017. It was also the year where Ubisoft prioritized overhauled several aspects of the game, from its servers to content.

In 2019, there was also a surge in terms of average concurrent players. This could be credit to the title offering free-to-play weekends, as well as the Six Invitational tournament.

Pieces eventually fell into place, and it’s clear that Siege is here to stay with millions and millions of players.

The Siege X update, of course, sets the game up for the next few years while honoring what has been a decade’s worth of reinventing.

“We want to respect our players that have invested 10 years of their lives into a game like this. We didn’t want to lose any of that. That was the major thing. Siege X also represented more of a long term view, of delivering an update,” Karpazis said.

Commitment to player base the key — Creative Director

Siege has weathered rough patches throughout its 10-year journey, before eventually reaching the pinnacle. Karpazis said it’s Ubisoft’s commitment to its player base and respecting their feedback that has catapulted the tactical shooter to among Ubisoft’s most relevant IPs.

“We are mainly driven by the community. Things like modernizing our maps to make them look more visually rich and up to date with great lighting, that comes from the community itself,” he shared.

“Things like destructible ingredients, these are tactical things that players would expect us to keep on evolving … As much as we always have our own ideas of what we want to do, the first place that we look for ideas is from the community.”

In terms of key numbers, Siege is right up there with some of Ubisoft’s most beloved franchises like Just Dance, Assassin’s Creed, and Far Cry, to name a few. A Reddit thread even argued that Siege is Ubisoft’s most important game.

Siege keeps surprising

Rainbow Six Siege officially turns ten (10) this December. For Karpazis, the title has stood the test of time with its uniqueness. And part of that includes how developers have invested a lot into continuously improving all aspects of it.

“It is a tactical, strategic shooter even though it’s PvP. For us, the big thing is we do want to continue respecting our things like the characters that are found all over the game, the destruction that is so unique to our game as well, compared to other competition,” he said. “Ingredients like that sets us apart. It makes for an interesting discoveries.”

And yet, Ubisoft still owes it to the fans to keep surprising them with new updates. In fact, creators thoroughly planned the Siege X update before it was released, with a blueprint for the next decade in mind.

“The big part is it’s a brand new foundation for the game where we can say, alright, we’re ready for the next 10 years of Siege as well,” Karpazis said of the title’s biggest update.

“That means making sure on a technical level, we can deliver new surprises to the players. Even on a creative level, it lets us start playing with new ingredients, gameplay mechanics, and modernized gameplay that players would expect today versus 10 years ago when it first came.”

The decade that lies ahead

Not only is Siege here to stay; it continues to rewrite its pages. And that’s what resonates with its massive fanbase.

“One of the elements that we think about more and more today is how to continue injecting innovation into the game design,” Karpazis added.

“There’s Year 11. I think we have some great surprises, things we’ve never tried before, big things that players will still get excited about … I think it shows the promise the team still has for Siege for the next 10 years.”

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Gaming

ROG, Hatsune Miku build the ultimate pastel-punk gaming setup

Ultimate Miku setup

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ROG x Hatsune Miku
Photos by Rodneil

ASUS goes all in on Hatsune Miku. In its latest ASUS ROG x Hatsune Miku collaboration, the company adorned its many PC thingamajigs with images of the anime, vocaloid icon.

The entire lineup is composed of the following:

  • ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 GPU
  • ROG Strix Helios II Mid-Tower
  • ROG Thor 1200W Platinum III PSU
  • ROG Ryuo IV 360 ARGB AiO Cooler
  • ROG Strix X870E-H Gaming WiFi7 Motherboard
  • ROG Strix XG27ACMEG-G Monitor

In addition to the PC components, there are also TUF Gaming x Hatsune Miku peripherals.

These are:

  • TUF Gaming Mini Wireless Mouse
  • TUF Gaming K3 Gen II Keyboard
  • TUF Gaming P1 gaming mousepad
  • ASUS A23 Case

The setup that ROG generously showcased to media, there were also photo cards, a phone holder, and even Hatsune Miku figures:

Check out the photos below.

ROG x Hatsune Miku

ROG x Hatsune Miku

ROG x Hatsune Miku

ROG x Hatsune Miku

ROG x Hatsune Miku

ROG x Hatsune Miku

Learn more about this collaboration.

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