I’ve just recently waded into the handheld PC hardware market, and while I never got a chance to try the original ASUS ROG Ally, I’ve now spent a week or so with a new Ally X review unit. Rather than a legitimate Ally sequel, this is a sort of mid-generation refresh which utilizes the same processor and display as the original Ally, but sports a host of small tweaks and improvements, like increased RAM (with higher frequencies) and a bigger, badder battery.
This is what I’ve been told, at least, by the shrouded-in-mystery ASUS team. I’ve also been told this machine costs $800, noticeably more expensive than the 1TB Steam Deck OLED, which rings in at a relatively more affordable $649. I’ve also been told by fellow news outlets and general online chatter that the original ROG Ally had quite the time with its toasty microSD slot, which was frying cards and initiated a whole contentious RMA program.
So yes, because I never even held the older Ally (would it have been too hot to handle?), I can’t compare the Ally X directly to it, but at least ASUS quietly moved the microSD card slot to a less spicy location on the refreshed unit’s motherboard. Sneaky, sneaky. But hey, at least it’s sort of being addressed? Credit where credit’s due.
I’m not presenting a full review here, not yet anyway. I need to use the device for a few more weeks to really get an honest take on what’s available here. So instead, what you’ll read now are my basic first impressions.
Right out of the box, I noticed how fantastic the Ally X felt in my relatively large hands. I actually might like the general feel better than the Steam Deck OLED review unit I also recently received. The two devices sport similar concave analog sticks, but the Ally X pair are offset like an Xbox gamepad, which maybe I simply prefer. The Steam Deck OLED’s sticks are parallel and placed up at the top of the unit, something that’s taken some getting used to, admittedly. I also prefer the rounded d-pad on the Ally X to the more traditional cross style on the Steam Deck OLED.
However, what I do miss on the Ally X are the Steam Deck OLED’s haptic trackpads. These are incredibly useful for the more PC-esque navigation that’s needed for desktop applications and old-school point-and-click games found on services like GOG and Steam. From a distilled ergonomic standpoint, the Ally X (in my opinion) is more comfortable to hold, even if it is slightly heavier. There’s also plenty of RGB to customize, too. Hurray for Xtreme gaming.
The ABXY buttons are nice and chunky, as are the improved expansive triggers, and all the system navigation inputs are angular and easy to press by memory. You’ve got a throwback headphone jack situated on top (gasp!) and two USB-C ports, one of which is USB4 and supports eGPUs. I wish I had an eGPU to test this with, because it would be rad to see how the Ally X could utilize the extra horsepower from an external graphics card. 4090, anyone?
Speaking of beefing things up, the unit ships with a respectable 1TB SSD, but the internal hardware is completely capable of upgrading to even a giant 8TB drive via the full-size 2280 slot. I do have some random 8TB drives laying around here somewhere, and you can be sure I’ll be popping this portable PC open and installing one of them soon for upcoming extended coverage.
So general feel of the Ally X? Totally fantastic. ASUS nailed it. But how does it play? Very well, indeed.
Like I mentioned previously, the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and 7-inch 1080p 120Hz display from the original Ally are present here, but they’re now coupled with an increased 24GB of 7500mhz LPDDR5X memory for improved performance in select titles. Games run fantastically on the Ally X, and the altered cooling on the unit results in fans that stay relatively quiet, even during demanding software scenarios.
Visuals look incredibly clean on the reused 1080p VRR screen, although it’s annoyingly not OLED like Valve’s current offering. Granted, the Steam Deck OLED’s display is only 720p, so there’s a bit of a tradeoff. I think I might prefer the higher resolution, personally.
While I still need to do more testing, battery life seems solid so far, and depending on what in-game settings I’m using and what operating mode I’m taking advantage of (13W, 17W, 25W), the Ally X is lasting around 3ish hours unplugged and pushing games to their on-the-go max. The lower the settings, the longer the battery life, naturally. The bettered battery time is, of course, abysmal when compared to most other less demanding handheld devices, like the Analogue Pocket or a Kindle or even a common laptop. Handheld gaming PCs still have a long way to go in this department, but it’s a start.
I’ve only just touched the surface of what the Ally X has to offer, and over the coming weeks, I’ll be doing more in-depth testing, including putting that relocated microSD card slot through its paces and diving further into real-world battery life stats.
So far, it’s a competent, comfortable gaming device which feels much more PC than Valve’s console-ized Steam Deck. The Ally X is notably less streamlined, even with the updated Armory Crate consolidation of services and settings and whatnot, so therefore has a lot more kinks to iron out and, ultimately, to tolerate. But because it’s running Windows 11 and not SteamOS, more varied software options are technically available to users, including the opportunity for a wider emulation library.
Stay tuned for the full review.
