Hey,
I'm considering buying the XBox ROG Ally X, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experiences running NVDA on it. Particularly, I'm wondering about screen reader accessibility with the fact that it boots into the XBox screen instead of directly into Windows/the normal desktop. Can I run NVDA or Narrator on that XBox screen? If so, is it easy to navigate from there to the desktop? I can connect a bluetooth keyboard for navigation. I have XBox games, but I also have games in Steam with mods that I will need to access normal Windows to run.
Thanks for any insight you have.
Kel
By Kel, 28 May, 2026
Forum
Windows
Comments
Steam Big Picture Is Better
It's a bit messy to be honest. The XBox FSE isn't the easiest to navigate and is busy with games they are pushing for you to buy. I used Steam and Big Screen Mode, which is easier to navigate though does throw up the issue of where you purcahsed certain games.
As someone who has owned the XBox Ally X and returned it, I'd say it might not be worth the headaches. It's a nice idea but even for sighted users it's a little fiddly. Add in our accessibility needs and it becomes quite frustrating.
Which games are you looking to play. Maybe I can help with other means of doing so. Do you already have a windows machine? It might be you can play indy games locally and set up cloud streams for heavier titles.
its fine
I've been using the Xbox Ally X for 5 months now, and I can say the Xbox full-screen experience is fine to navigate with NVDA or Narrator. It's not the best interface out there, but you'll get used to it pretty quickly. It is just a standard Windows 11 overall, so you'll get the typical best and worst things of the OS itself. I have no accessibility issue so far; the Armory Crate is surprisingly accessible even down to remapping the embedded controller. So I can still somehow use the device without a keyboard to do simple things, paired with the enhanced touch gesture NVDA add-on. But yes, the first-time setup will be quite a hassle; you definitely need a keyboard. Once you get it to work, though, it's quite an amazing little beast. Though I have to remind you that if you want the best-performance device, you should just go with a gaming laptop or wait a bit more till handheld consoles become a bit more mature. I heard Intel is going to release a new processor that will be shipped with the new MSI Claw handheld, but MSI Control Center is not that accessible last time I heard. The Xax suits my case because I often travel, game, and work remotely at the same time. I wish someone would make a keyboard case for it or something, though.