As a seasoned gamer with years of experience under my belt, I must say that the ROG Ally X by Asus has truly outdone itself! Coming from someone who’s been through countless gaming devices, this handheld powerhouse stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Although the name may lead you to believe that the ROG Ally X is an upgraded version of Asus’ PC gaming handheld, it’s essentially the refined edition of its initial model. It subtly modifies the device’s design, but the improvements made under the hood are what truly set it apart. The ROG Ally X positions Asus as a key player in the market of PC gaming handhelds and provides compelling reasons for considering it one of the top choices available.
The Asus ROG Ally X Design
Upon first glance, it might seem that the ROG Ally X is just a black version of its predecessor, the ROG Ally. However, Asus has subtly improved the design of the device for enhanced comfort. The thumbsticks now offer a firmer grip, the D-pad features bumps to guide 8-directional movement, and the backside of the device provides a more comfortable grip. The face buttons have been slightly raised, while the back buttons are smaller yet easier to activate from different angles. While the preference for offset joysticks versus symmetrical ones can vary, I find the thumbsticks on the ASUS ROG Ally X to be quite comfortable and fitting in my grip.
The original Asus ROG Ally didn’t have significant problems, but I appreciate the minor improvements in the Ally X design. Every PC gaming handheld requires some learning curve to get used to the thumbstick arrangement, trigger sensitivity, and height of the face buttons. However, I’ve found that these adjustments become second nature over time for me. I find the ROG Ally X to be well-designed – it’s neither too big nor heavy, and its size suits my hands perfectly.
Asus ROG Ally X Performance Upgrades
The Asus ROG Ally X has significantly enhanced its performance by upgrading internal components. One area that has seen significant improvement is battery life, which is often a key selling point for PC gaming handhelds. With the introduction of a new 80-watt-hour battery, the ROG Ally X now offers longer gaming sessions at higher settings compared to its predecessor. The original ROG Ally’s 40-watt-hour battery was a limitation, as it only allowed for approximately an hour of gameplay on demanding titles at the highest TDP. However, with the ROG Ally X, you can potentially extend that to around 3 hours, and even achieve more playtime on less graphics-intensive games. For instance, I tested the new metroidvania game “Nine Sols” on the ROG Ally X and was able to play for approximately 3.5 hours at a steady 60 FPS using a combination of medium and high settings.
Performance also gets a boost thanks to the additional 8GB of RAM in the ROG Ally X, up from the 16GB on the ROG Ally. It’s also LPDDR5X RAM as opposed to LPDDR5. The extra RAM isn’t going to necessarily boost the graphics processing on the ROG Ally X – it still features the same Z1 Extreme processor from AMD – but it does make everything much snappier and helps increase those frame rates. For Elden Ring, I was able to get a consistent 60 FPS with the recommended settings for the system.
The Asus ROG Ally X offers four operating modes:
- Silent at 10W
- Performance at 15W
- Turbo at 25W
- Turbo (AC Power) at 30W
The storage capacity on the ROG Ally X has been increased, now reaching up to 1TB. Asus has additionally opted for the M.2 2280 form factor for the SSD, making it simpler to upgrade to a larger storage drive if needed. Moreover, you can insert a microSD card for additional storage options.
I’ve got to say, ASUS has truly stepped up their game with the revamped Armoury Crate on the ROG Ally. This gaming hub is now more intuitive than ever, allowing me as a gamer to access platforms like Steam, Xbox, Ubisoft Connect, and others from one central spot. It even generates launchers for individual games, making navigation a breeze. While Windows on PC gaming handhelds still has some room for improvement, Armoury Crate certainly simplifies the process of diving into my favorite games.
That being said, Windows still doesn’t like to consistently play nice with handheld devices and that’s no different on the ROG Ally X. Navigating using the touch screen is always preferable because using the D-pad and face buttons can sometimes leave you lost. Similarly, the quirks of PC gaming on a desktop can sometimes pop up with a handheld and it’s not as easy to troubleshoot with a quick Alt-F4 or Ctrl-Alt-Delete. That’s no fault of Asus (or any PC gaming handheld for that matter), but the hope is that Windows will eventually make things a lot easier.
While the ROG Ally X is a handheld gaming PC, it offers an advantage over devices like the Steam Deck because you can directly access services such as Xbox Game Pass or Epic Games Store without needing any technical workarounds. For now, this simplicity is particularly beneficial for those who are less tech-savvy. However, as both processes become more straightforward and commonplace in the future, this difference may diminish.
Overall Impressions
The ROG Ally was good but the ROG Ally X is great thanks to some smart improvements by Asus. The added boost to battery is easily the biggest game-changer, allowing you to get more gaming time out of the handheld before needing to charge. Handheld PC gaming is always limited by the capacity of its battery (or your willingness to lower the TDP) and the bigger battery let me play for longer at higher spec. The design tweaks, the bigger SSD, and the 120Hz screen are bonuses that push the ROG Ally X even further into the top tier. If you want that PC gaming experience in handheld form, the ROG Ally X has made an excellent case for why it’s the definitive option.
The Asus ROG Ally X is available now for $799. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.
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2024-09-02 10:34