Asus ROG Ally X Hands-On: 48 Hours Later, This Is My Favorite PC Gaming Handheld

Asus’ highly-anticipated ROG Ally X is hitting shelves today, and I’ve been using the PC gaming handheld for a little more than two days. It’s not an Asus ROG Ally 2, mostly because it uses the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor as the original ROG Ally, but you wouldn’t know that from a quick glance. Aside from the screen and the chip, Asus changed just about everything else in what amounts to a design overhaul. In some ways, it feels like the company took a peek at our ROG Ally 2 wishlist for some inspiration.

Related

Asus ROG Ally X vs ROG Ally: Is it worth the upgrade?

Discover if Asus’ latest handheld gaming system is worth buying over the original

Other highlights include a second USB-C port, a much bigger battery, and SSDs that are of higher capacity and are easier to replace. So, how does all this impact everyday use of the ROG Ally X? After a few days and countless hours of gaming, I can tell you this: it’s going to be really hard to go back to my original ROG Ally when I have to send the ROG Ally X back. It’s arguably the best PC gaming handheld you can buy, but I have to say arguably because Windows 11 is still a major nuisance.

What I like

Battery life is so much better, and it’s a literal game-changer

Let’s start with the obvious area of improvement, and that’s battery life. Asus made lofty claims about the ROG Ally X and its 80Wh battery, which is double the size of the battery in the original ROG Ally. I’m an ROG Ally owner, and I never use my handheld without wall power or a power bank. You can get about an hour — maybe a bit more, depending on the game — while playing demanding AAA titles. Asus flipped the script with the ROG Ally X, and I’m impressed.

The best thing I can say about the ROG Ally X’s battery life is that I didn’t have to think about it much. While playing Grand Theft Auto V online for about an hour on Turbo (25W) mode, the handheld dropped about 30% battery. I switched to Fortnite and played that for about an hour and a half (still in Turbo), and I had about 20% battery left on the ROG Ally X. I think you can consistently get around three or more hours of battery life on this handheld, depending on the game and your device’s settings. I found that newer games like Fortnite seem to drain the battery quicker than older ones like GTAthough that isn’t exactly surprising.

I won’t comment too much on overall performance, because I’ve only been using this handheld for a few days. I will say that the battery life and power improvements are a massive deal, and they might be just as crucial as a would-be chip upgrade.

The thicker, heavier refreshed design is better for ergonomics

If you’ve used the original ROG Ally or a Steam Deck, you’ll notice more heft and thickness when moving to the ROG Ally X. While the ROG Ally measures 1.28 inches at its thickest point, the ROG Ally X measures 1.45 inches at its thickest point. The newer handheld is heavier, too — it weighs 1.49 pounds. I’m here to tell you that the bulkier design is a good thing, and not just because it enabled Asus to stick a bigger battery inside.

Related

Asus ROG Ally review: Windows makes this difficult to recommend

Plagued by Windows-related problems and quality control issues, the ROG Ally is a fantastic device that’s hard to recommend currently.

The ergonomics are better overall, and it starts with the handheld’s grips. Due to the thicker design, the ROG Ally X’s grips feel more akin to a traditional console controller now. They also no longer resemble the ROG logo, which results in more thoughtful ergonomics. The two back buttons are positioned in a new place closer to the center of the ROG Ally X, reducing the amount of accidental presses. All told, I much prefer the feel of the ROG Ally X to the original ROG Ally, and I feel like I have more command over in-game controls as a result of the improved ergonomics.

The speakers are the underrated ROG Ally X upgrade

One thing I didn’t expect was the speaker upgrade, which blew me away. Sounds coming from the ROG Ally X are so much fuller than the original ROG Ally, and this will be great for people who don’t wear headphones while handheld gaming. You shouldn’t buy an ROG Ally X for this, but it will be a nice bonus if you decide to pick one up.

What I don’t like

Windows 11 is still really bad for gaming handhelds

Here we go again. Yes, the biggest thing holding back the ROG Ally X is still Windows 11. To give Asus credit, it redesigned the Armoury Crate app, and I think it’s pretty good. The problem is that it’s impossible to stay inside the Armoury Crate app all the time, so you’ll have to enter Windows desktop mode eventually. In fact, staying inside Armoury Crate might not even help that much. There were a few instances where I couldn’t press the A button on the inbuilt controller to launch a game — I had to spam the game’s cover with my finger using the touchscreen instead.

Gameplay, and specifically game compatibility, is still excellent on the ROG Ally X. However, everything you do before and after playing a game is sure to give you a severe migraine. Windows just isn’t made for handhelds, and I don’t think it’s improved in a meaningful way in the year since the first ROG Ally debuted. Here’s another anecdote for you: I had to install two lengthy Windows updates on my ROG Ally X in as many days of using it.

Related

Steam Deck OLED review: More than just a screen upgrade

The Steam Deck OLED dropped by surprise recently, and it’s a fantastic handheld that’s more than just a screen upgrade.

I’ve been bullish on Windows as an operating system for PC gaming handhelds in the past, and I still think it comes with benefits. However, after trying the Steam Deck for the first time last month, it’s clear Valve is still winning with SteamOS. Windows and Armoury Crate just can’t compare, full stop.

Final thoughts

My opinion of the Asus ROG Ally X hasn’t changed so far

This isn’t a full review, and I still have plenty of ROG Ally X testing to conduct over the next few days. However, after about 48 hours with this gaming handheld, my thoughts on the product haven’t changed all that much. It’s the gaming handheld I want, but it’s nearly impossible to justify upgrading to if you’re an original ROG Ally owner. The $800 retail price is already significantly more than a Steam Deck costs, and it’s unreasonable for ROG Ally owners to upgrade after spending $650 on their handheld just a year ago.

Asus should’ve offered a trade-in program for the original ROG Ally, especially considering the quality control and microSD card problems with that model. Best Buy is offering a measly trade-in value of around $200 for your current ROG Ally, which is laughable. Unless you have money to burn, you can’t really upgrade from an ROG Ally to an ROG Ally X. That’s a shame, because this looks like a killer handheld — and it’s my favorite one yet.

Asus ROG Ally X

The best Windows gaming handheld

The upgraded Asus ROG Ally X brings some welcome improvements to the original PC gaming handheld. It features a sleek redesigned chassis, faster RAM, more base storage, a much bigger battery, and improved joysticks over the first-gen ROG Ally. It also has a nice 120Hz 1080p display with AMD FreeSync Premium for smooth gaming.