Microsoft Strikes Back At SteamOS With New ROG Xbox Ally X Highlight Reels

Microsoft partnered up with ASUS to release the excellent ROG Xbox Ally X last year, to do battle with the SteamOS powered Steam Deck. Because it has jumped into the handheld gaming PC battle a bit late it has been working to continually to play catch up by adding new features, the latest of which is Highlight Reels, now available to Xbox Insiders.

Highlight Reels are Microsoft’s answer to Steam Game Recording, which became available on the Steam Deck back in 2024. It will enable players to “easily capture standout gameplay moments, like epic boss battles or victories, and share them as short replay clips with friends online.” This can be done directly from within a game and won’t necessitate launching another app, which should make it a seamless experience.


During this initial rollout to Xbox Insiders the feature will be limited to a handful of games, including Among Us, Elden Ring, Fortnite, Forza Horizon 5, Lies of P, Overwatch and Palworld. However, the list of supported games will likely grow as the early preview phase continues and the company collects feedback from Insiders. It should be more robust by the time it officially launches to the general user base.

To save your favorite gaming moments on the ROG Xbox Ally X you must have recording settings enabled. To do that through the Game Bar, start by going to “Settings,” then “More Settings,” select “Widgets,” and choose “Record in the background while playing a game.” Gaming Copilot will automatically capture gaming moments and use them to create a Highlight Reel, which can be accessed by visiting the Game Highlights section located ion the game page of the Xbox PC app.

Microsoft didn’t provide any time frame for when this new feature will officially roll out to all users, but assuming everything goes well during this early testing it’ll likely come sooner rather than later.