ROG Ally X Revealed, Offering Improved Battery and Controls, Launching for $1,099

[Update June 3 @ 6:19 AM PT] During Computex, Asus Canada has dropped the launch price of the ROG Ally X from $1,199 to $1,099.

Asus has announced the ROG Ally X, the refreshed gaming handheld is launching for $1,099 in Canada. With more knowledge under its belt of the handheld space, Asus has reexamined what it needs to bring to the table, upgrading the internals while tweaking the design and body.

ROG Ally X sees Asus identify key components of its gaming handheld, and improve them to provide a longer-lasting and comfortable mobile gaming experience. The new handheld offers more storage, faster RAM, and a longer battery life, which will undoubtedly elate current users as well as aspiring consumers.

Asus confirms that the ROG Ally X features a 1 TB M.2 2280 SSD, up from the 512GB NVME M.2 SSD. For those installing games on the device, having 1TB opens up a world of possibilities to install and play a larger library of games. It also give more users the piece of mind that they don’t have to go out and invest in a microSD card unless they want a large rotation of games at their disposal.

It’s worth noting that the device includes the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. That being said, Asus is improving the RAM, offering a 24 GB LPDDR5-7500 RAM, which is quite a substantial upgrade from the original ROG Ally’s 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz RAM. Adopting 24GB of RAM, Asus states the ROG Ally X allows users to allocate more memory to the system and the GPU. Due to the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme sharing video RAM with system RAM, the upgrade should boost performance for more demanding AAA games.

One of the big sticker features of the ROG Ally X is the improved 80Wh battery life. This effectively doubles the capacity when compared to its predecessor. Although Asus isn’t ready to confirm how many hows of play it may grant, doubling the battery is nothing to sneeze at. To accommodate the new battery, Asus built in new fans that are 23 percent smaller than those built into last year’s model. They also offer 50 percent thinner blades, improving airflow. This new thermal solution is said to provide 24 percent more air volume, making the device 6°C cooler than the original.

With the improved battery in mind, it’d be easy to assume the ROG Ally X would weigh a substantial amount more than the original. Surprisingly, the new model is only a mere 70 grams heavier than its predecessor, weighing 678 grams. This is largely due to the refreshed chassis and design of the ROG Ally X. The new device features an all-black colourway with deeper handles and a more rounded shape for ergonomics. One design aspect that demands some attention is the changes to the chassis to remove weight. The shell of the device has added cutouts not only to help with ventilation but reduce weight.

On top of a refined chassis, ROG Ally X also tweaked several controls. For instance, the buttons are arranged to be more ergonomic and easier to reach. Asus also claims that the face buttons are built to reduce the chance of sticking. Triggers now have a slight slant to them, making them easier to press. The back paddles are smaller, reducing the chances of accidental presses. The thumbstick of the ROG Ally X has also been refreshed. Now, Asus designed them to be durable for a five million cycle lifespan with stiffer springs. The D-Pad also received a little bit of love, with more precise eight-axis inputs.

The ROG Ally X has been designed with user feedback in mind. The original handheld has been on the market for a short year and while many users (including myself) have really grown fond of it, there have been some hitches. For instance, the battery life, while respectable for the PC gaming handheld, wasn’t the best on the market. Asus also faced some blowback out of the gate when ROG Ally’s external heating vent caused issues with the microSD at launch. Upon request by the community, Asus has replaced the XG Mobile port of the original with two USB-C ports. One is confirmed to be Thunderbolt compatible with third-party docks and external GPUs.

Preorders for the ROG Ally are available today, exclusively through Best Buy for $1,099 in Canada. In June, preorders will open on the Asus eShop. Shipments are expected to begin in “the middle of July.”