Asus ROG Ally X
MSRP $800.00
“The Asus ROG Ally X improves on nearly every aspect of the original.”
Pros
- Small performance boosts in some games
- Redesigned Armoury Crate software
- Much more comfortable
- Longer battery life
Cons
- MicroSD card concerns
- Windows quirks remain
The ROG Ally has been a staple among the best handheld gaming PCs since it launched. Even among a string of competition, Asus’ handheld has been the only true competitor to the space that’s been dominated by the Steam Deck. The ROG Ally X is Asus trying to take the crown. I’ve had the updated handheld — which Asus says sits somewhere between a refresh and a new generation — for a few days, and the improvements are already clear.
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It may look the same, but the ROG Ally X is quite the update. It has better specs, better ergonomics, better battery life, and better controls. Asus knows it, too. It’s asking $800 for the ROG Ally X as opposed to the $700 it asked for the original model, despite both devices sporting the same chip. Thankfully, there’s enough here to justify the premium.
About this review
This is a review-in-progress. I’ve had the ROG Ally X for a total of two days at the time of writing, and although I’ve barely put the handheld down in that time, I haven’t been able to fully put it through its paces yet. I’ve scored this review based on my time with the device, and although I don’t expect that score to change, it’s possible.
For that reason, I’m withholding any sort of award that Digital Trends gives to products we recommend, but the ROG Ally X may get one once I revisit this review in a few days.
In addition, the original ROG Ally had a faulty microSD card slot that Asus says was fixed with a software update. You can read more about that in our Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme review. I haven’t been able to test the microSD card slot on the ROG Ally X yet.
