The record launch in June for the Nintendo Switch 2, a game console that can be played at home or on the go, heralds a new portable race that Microsoft aims to win with a handheld version of its Xbox.

Selling itself as the option for discerning, hardcore gamers, Microsoft's Xbox ROG Ally console is available to try for the hundreds of thousands of visitors at the Gamescom trade show in Cologne, Germany.

The US tech giant said the devices would go on sale from October 16, but has yet to reveal the price.

Born of a partnership with Taiwanese hardware heavyweight Asus, the handheld device includes a central screen with two side grips sporting the same array of joysticks, triggers and buttons as a familiar Xbox controller.

"We're really designing and building around an entire ecosystem of

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