Just over a year after launching the ROG Ally, Asus is releasing a revamped version of the portable, the ROG Ally X. The Windows-based device will be available on July 22 for $800. I’ve been using the portable console for a few days now, and there’s a lot I like about it already, especially on the hardware side.
Released in 2022, Valve’s Steam Deck helped bring handheld PC gaming to the mainstream. While not the first company to explore the form factor, Valve found the right combination of specs, portability, and price.
As it became an instant hit, PC manufacturers took notice. Lenovo released the Legion Go, Asus had its own take on handheld PC gaming with the ROG Ally, and there were other niche manufacturers like Ayaneo.
The device features a bright 7-inch display with 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Like the Nintendo Switch, the display is surrounded by a standard array of game buttons and a joystick.
Unlike the Switch, the controls aren’t annoyingly small. The ROG Ally X feels like a full-sized controller in your hand. The joysticks look and feel like those on a modern Microsoft Xbox controller. The A/B/X/Y buttons are large and clicky. The analog triggers also have plenty of travel.
However, I’m not entirely sold on the D-pad. It feels flimsy and somewhat similar to the D-pads you’ll find on other budget controllers. Likewise, the View and Menu buttons are hard to reach. They’re right next to the display, so you have to stretch your thumb to pause the game.
There are two additional macro keys on the back of the device. I configured them as the View and Menu buttons, which I found helpful. There is also a Command Center button on either side of the screen for on-the-fly performance tweaks, and an Armoury Crate button that brings up Asus’ game launcher.
The ROG Ally X’s main software interface, Armoury Crate SE, is decent at best. It acts as a game launcher, centrally managing everything you’ve installed from Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, and more. You can also tweak the device’s settings, from joystick LEDs to gamepad profiles.
If you invest as little time as possible, it gets the job done. However, it is buggy (games I installed using GOG Galaxy have mysteriously disappeared from the list), the menu can be annoyingly slow to open, and it has crashed a few times.
The same goes for the Command Center. It’s an indispensable tool for adjusting settings on the fly, like switching from Silent to Performance or Turbo mode, but it can sometimes be slow to respond to interactions.
The device is comfortable to hold, at least for short sessions. The main problem with this type of PC gaming handheld is that it is heavy. It also gets warm, especially when playing games.
Before testing the ROG Ally X, I spent a few hours with the Logitech G Cloud, an Android handheld designed specifically for cloud gaming and remote play. I found the G Cloud to be a very satisfying experience: quiet (it’s fanless), battery life-free, and comfortable to hold.
We are still at the beginning of this massive shift in PC gaming from full-blown PC towers to nimble but capable handhelds. Over time, gaming handhelds will get smaller, lighter, quieter. They will look more like Android-based handhelds. But for now, experiences like G Cloud are limited.
The ROG Ally X, on the other hand, feels like the pinnacle of gaming handhelds. When Nintendo released the Game Boy 35 years ago, it felt like you could play NES games on the go.
Likewise, the ROG Ally X feels like a great gaming companion for long road trips or subway commutes. Despite its weight, I had no trouble gaming on it for hours at a time.
Indie Game Machine
In terms of performance, Asus has kept the same APU, the AMD Z1 Extreme, in the ROG Ally X. However, the RAM has been bumped up from 16GB to 24GB. This makes a difference in gaming performance as the memory is shared between the VRAM and system RAM.
The handheld ships with a user-replaceable 1TB NVMe storage card (2280 format). The battery is twice as large (80Wh) as the previous model, and the proprietary eGPU port has been replaced with a more standard USB Type-C that supports USB 4.
The device performs particularly well in games that don’t require a top-of-the-line PC, such as Jusant, Cocoon, or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The ROG Ally X can easily render 60 to 120 frames per second in these games at 1080p without using its 30W boost mode.
For AAA games, there are some compromises to be made. I was able to get around 45 frames per second in Marvel's: Spider Man with AMD's resolution upscaling feature, RSR, enabled at high graphics presets. For games that have really struggled on previous handhelds, there's no magic here. For example, to reach 30 FPS in The Last of Us: Part I, you have to use low settings and aggressive resolution scaling.
If you’re really into strategy or simulation games, the ROG Ally X might not be the best form factor for them. At least you can hook it up to a monitor and use a mouse and keyboard (if that’s your only PC).
Battery life really depends on the type of games you play and the power mode you choose. Baba is You can play for a long time in “silent mode”, but using “boost mode” for The Last of Us has a significant impact on battery life. Unfortunately, I haven’t had enough time to do a thorough test with this device, but I’m sure many reviewers will be releasing benchmarks this week.
The most surprising thing about the ROG Ally X as a gaming console is that it’s a PC running Windows. At least on paper. Sure, you can install whatever you want and use it in a desktop environment. But Windows without a mouse and keyboard is a frustrating experience. If you want to install a game launcher and a few games, that’s fine. But a proper laptop (or smartphone) is more convenient for everything else.
Likewise, since it is a PC, you can install it every These are games that you can use on Windows. However, some games run better than others, so you should adjust your expectations. You can also adjust the settings to improve battery life or make the game look better.
The ROG Ally X has a console-like form factor. But don’t expect a polished console-like experience. This isn’t a Nintendo Switch competitor. In many ways, the ROG Ally X, or at least its handheld form factor, can be considered an early preview of the future of PC gaming. A future that looks like a console that acts like a PC.
