While I was in L.A. for Summer Game Fest 2025, I stopped by Xbox to check out a number of games shown off during the Xbox Games Showcase, including The Coalition's upcoming remaster, Gears of War: Reloaded.
In something of a two-for-one experience, I also got to try out some new hardware at the same time. The Coalition presented gaming history with demo stations for Gears of War: Reloaded on a variety of machines including the Xbox Series X, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 Pro.
The one that ended up drawing my eye the most, however, was a setup with Gears running on the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X.
Picking up the device, I'm immediately struck by how weighty it is. It feels solid and sturdy to the touch. It might not be quite as comfortable to lug around as a Nintendo Switch 2, but it's not so heavy as to impede playing.
Opening up the first chapter of Gears of War: Reloaded, the game looks gorgeous. Higher resolution, better textures and particle effects make it stand out far more than I expected with my memories of the nearly decade old Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.
As I made my way through the iconic prison level that opens the game, I kept a close eye on the frame rate counter. Even in the midst of massive explosions and various effects going off on the screen, it stayed well above 75 FPS, and calmer sections saw it reaching 90 FPS for extended periods of time.
Kate Rayner, studio technical director at The Coalition, tells me the team has done a huge amount of work optimizing Gears of War: Reloaded for these upcoming partner devices. Notably, the ROG Xbox Ally X runs Gears of War: Reloaded with comfortable headroom at High settings, while the ROG Xbox Ally has mostly Medium settings enabled.
I was also extremely impressed with the device's Impulse Triggers and bumpers, and playing a game like Gears of War felt natural, with excellent feedback as I landed Hammerburst shots and hit active reload after reload.
Of course, there's a bit of an elephant in the room, and that's the potential price of this device. While Microsoft hasn't shared what the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally cost just yet, the normal ROG Ally X currently runs for about $800 in the U.S. With the custom work done on this new model, I'm not exactly expecting to see that price go down.
The Coalition aims to push tech hard, and even if you prefer to play on a more traditional PC rig or a gaming console, Gears of War: Reloaded is shaping up to be an excellent experience everywhere.
Rayner noted that it was important to make sure multiplayer was 120 FPS on the Xbox Series S as well as the Series X, meaning even players that have the lower-end console can get a huge improvement when playing online with friends.
On PlayStation 5 Pro, The Coalition is using PSSR to get the resolution higher than on PlayStation 5, enhancing image quality.
Even so, I'm left with the impression that Gears of War: Reloaded is being pushed as something of a flagship title for the Xbox Ally devices, and it's certainly made a stellar impression so far.
My limited time hands-on (getting through that level on Hardcore only takes a few minutes) means I still don't quite have a great grasp on the software side of things. Removing friction will be key, and if this device can become a showpiece for a more seamless era of Xbox Play Anywhere, I'll certainly be interested.
I'm also interested in jumping into a few rounds of multiplayer with Gears of War: Reloaded, including checking out the weekend beta that's kicking off on June 13.
With Gears of War: E-Day slated to launch in 2026, it's a busy time for The Coalition, and I'm going to be keeping a close eye on how the studio's work continues next year with that title, including how well it runs on the Xbox Ally lineup.
Gears of War: Reloaded is slated to launch on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam and Xbox PC), Xbox Cloud, and PlayStation 5 on Aug. 26, 2025.
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