A year after launching the ROG Ally, Asus is releasing a refined version of its portable device, the ROG Ally X. This gaming Windows-based machine starts shipping on July 22 for $800. I’ve been playing with the portable console for a few days, and there’s already much to like — especially on the hardware front.
Mainstream Handheld PC Gaming
Released in 2022, Valve’s Steam Deck helped mainstream handheld PC gaming. It wasn’t the first company to explore the form factor, but Valve hit on the right combination of specs, portability, and price. When it became an instant hit, PC manufacturers took note. Lenovo released the Legion Go, and Asus had its take on handheld PC gaming with the ROG Ally. There are also other niche manufacturers, such as Ayaneo.
gaming Display and Controls
The device has a bright seven-inch display with a 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Like on a Nintendo Switch, the display is flanked by your standard array of gaming buttons and joysticks. Unlike on the Switch, the controls aren’t frustratingly small. The ROG Ally X feels like a full-size controller in your hands. 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 have plenty of travel as well.
Issues with D-Pad and Buttons
I wasn’t sold on the D-pad, however. It feels mushy, like the D-pad on a third-party budget controller. Similarly, the View and Menu buttons are hard to reach. They are next to the display, requiring me to stretch my thumbs to pause a game. There are two additional macro keys at the back of the device. I configured them as View and Menu buttons, and it helped. On each side of the screen, you’ll also find a command center button to tweak performances on the fly and an Armoury Crate button to display Asus’ game launcher.
Software Interface: Armoury Crate SE
The ROG Ally X’s main software interface, Armoury Crate SE, is okay at best. It acts as a game launcher, centralizing everything you’ve installed from Steam, the Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, etc. It can also change your device’s settings, from the joystick LEDs to the gamepad profiles. If you spend as little time on it, the job gets done. But there are bugs (a game I installed using GOG Galaxy mysteriously disappeared from my list), it can be frustratingly slow to open a menu, and I had a couple of crashes. The same is true for the command center. It is an indispensable tool to adjust settings on the fly, such as switching from Silent to Performance or Turbo mode, but it sometimes becomes slow to react to your interactions.
gaming Comfort and Ergonomics
The device is comfortable to hold — for short sessions, at least. The main issue with these kinds of PC gaming handhelds is that they are heavy. They also get warm, especially when you’re playing a game. Before testing the ROG Ally X, I spent hours playing with the Logitech G Cloud, an Android handheld designed for cloud gaming and remote play. It’s a highly satisfying experience as the G Cloud remains quiet (a fanless device), you don’t have to worry about battery life, and it’s easy to hold.
The Future of Handheld PC Gaming
We are still at the very beginning of this massive shift in PC gaming from full-fledged PC towers to nimble-but-capable handhelds. Over time, gaming handhelds will become smaller, lighter, and quieter. They’ll look more like an Android-based handheld. For now, however, experiences like the G Cloud remain limited. The ROG Ally X, on the other hand, feels like the culmination of gaming handhelds. When Nintendo released the Game Boy 35 years ago, it felt like you could play NES games on the go. Similarly, the ROG Ally X feels like a good gaming companion for long travel days or daily commutes on the metro. Despite its weight, I’ve had no issue immersing myself in games for several hours at a time.
Performance and Hardware Upgrades
Indie Game Machine
Regarding performance, Asus has kept the same APU for the ROG Ally X and the AMD Z1 Extreme. However, RAM has been increased from 16GB to 24 GB. This makes a difference in gaming performance as memory is shared between VRAM and system RAM. The handheld has a user-replaceable 1TB NVMe storage card (2280 format). The battery is twice as large (80Wh) as its predecessor, and the proprietary eGPU port has been replaced with a more standard USB Type-C with USB 4 support.
Performance with Various Games
The device works particularly well with games that don’t need a top-of-the-range PC, such as Jusant, Cocoon, or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The ROG Ally X can quickly render 60 to 120 frames per second for those games in 1080p without using the 30W boost mode. For AAA games, you have to make some compromises. I could get around 45 frames per second with the high graphics preset in Marvel’s Spider-Man by enabling RSR, AMD’s resolution upscaling feature. As for games that were struggling on previous handhelds, there’s no magic here. For instance, you must use low settings and aggressive resolution scaling in The Last of Us: Part I to reach 30FPS.
Limitations and Considerations
If you’re really into strategy or simulation games, the ROG Ally X might not be the best form factor for those games. At least you can plug it into a monitor and use a mouse and keyboard if that’s your only PC. As for battery life, it depends on the type of games that you play and the power mode you select. You can play Baba is You in “silent mode” for a long time. But “boost mode” for The Last of Us will significantly impact your battery life. Unfortunately, I haven’t had enough time with the device to perform thorough tests, but I’m sure many reviewers will release benchmarks this week.
PC Versatility and Windows Experience
The most surprising thing about the ROG Ally X as a gaming console is that it’s a Windows PC — at least on paper. You can install whatever you want and use it in the desktop environment. But Windows without a mouse and keyboard is a frustrating experience. It’s OK to install a game launcher and a few games. But a proper laptop (or even a smartphone) is more convenient for everything else.
Conclusion: The Future of PC Gaming
Similarly, as it’s a PC, you can install all the games that are available on Windows. But some will run better than others, so you must adjust your expectations. You also can tweak the settings to get more battery life or better-looking games. 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 this handheld form factor, could be considered an early preview of the future of PC gaming. A future shaped like a console that works like a PC.
