Asus explains why Xbox Ally has LCD screen rather than OLED –

Perhaps the biggest news from Sunday’s Xbox Games Showcase was the confirmation that a portable Xbox is indeed on the way in the form of the Xbox Ally (and its big brother, the Xbox Ally X). Although we didn’t get a price tag or release date, most people seem impressed with the hardware – except for one detail.

Some have noticed that the screen is LCD rather than OLED. Now, Whitson Gordon from the ROG Ally team explains (thanks Pure Xbox) why they decided to go with LCD, and the reason is a little more complex than expected. It turns out that Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which eliminate tearing and chopping, resulting in a smoother and more visual experience, could not have been implemented in a reasonable way with OLED:

“We did look at OLED again this year, we did some R&D and prototyping with OLED, but it’s still not where we want it to be when we factor VRR into the mix. And we aren’t willing to give up VRR, I’ll draw that line in the sand right now. I am of the opinion that if a display doesn’t have Variable Refresh Rate, it’s not a gaming display in the year 2025.

And OLED with VRR right now draws significantly more power than the LCD that we’re currently using on the Ally, and it costs more.”

Battery life has been something previous ROG devices have been criticized for, and is clearly something users prioritize. It has been taken into account along with other factors gamers consider particularly important in a handheld gaming unit:

“It is very, very clear that when we look at what people want, they value a few things above all else right now. They want battery life, they want more performance, and they want a better software experience. Those are by far the biggest pieces of feedback that we are still seeing on these devices, and so we put all of our efforts into those things this year.”

Xbox Ally will be released later this year, and we will of course be back when we know more about the portable device and have tested it ourselves.