I’ve been following the Asus ROG Ally handhelds since their inception in 2023. Over the past few years, the PC gaming handheld from the company has been refined and iterated on, sanding down the rough edges that the first model introduced. This year’s ROG Xbox Ally X, developed in partnership with Microsoft, ups the ante in a few ways and breaches through another barrier towards simplifying the gaming experience.
Last year, I reviewed the ROG Ally X, the second model in Asus’ PC gaming handheld series. I reviewed it pretty positively. However, the device was still plagued by some friction that prevented me from interacting with it daily. Many of the hurdles and headaches revolved around interacting with Windows 11. Thankfully, by working with Microsoft, Asus introduces the new Xbox Game Bar overlay, streamlining the user experience. Add to this the ROG Xbox Ally X notably offers an improved battery life, faster performance by way of the upgraded AMD processors. What’s left is a pretty grating onboarding process, reminding me that while it’s replicating a console-like experience, I’m still playing with a PC at the end of the day.
With Asus and Microsoft’s partnership, the ROG Xbox Ally X makes strides to streamline the way I play games from my own Xbox library as well as interact with a plethora of launchers like Steam, Epic Games, Ubisoft Connect, and GOG. As far as PC gaming handhelds are concerned, Asus has checked many of the boxes I have for a device of this calibre. Despite the improvements, the $1,299 price tag for the ROG Xbox Ally X prices out many casual or hobbyist players, leaving an enthusiast audience to interact with the device. The cheaper ROG Xbox Ally is available for pre-order at $799 here.
The ROG Xbox Ally X is technically the third model in Asus’ now annualized series of PC gaming handhelds. So, it’s no surprise that much of the design philosophy is brought over to this year’s model. The device features a 7-inch 1080p display with support for up to 120Hz and a 7ms latency, comparable to previous models. The handheld is powered by AMD’s new Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, upgraded from the Z1 Extreme of the ROG Ally X. The new device also sports 24GB of LPDDRX-8000 memory and 1TB of M.2 SSD storage, which is ample for installing games natively to the device.
As far as hardware changes and refinements. The ROG Xbox Ally X now features textured grips while holding the device. Akin to the PlayStation Portal, Asus’ new handheld feels like they’ve taken an Xbox Wireless Controller, split it apart and stitched on the sizeable 7-inch display in the middle. The grips are contoured and mimic Xbox’s controller without it being 1:1. The ROG Xbox Ally X also integrates ‘impulse triggers’ and HD haptics, which add an extra layer of immersion, especially when playing an FPS like the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta.
However, thanks to the refinements in cooling as well as the impact from the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, I’m typically able to squeeze out around 3.5 to 4 hours of playtime when running games on medium settings.
The handheld weighs 715g (1.58lbs), but the weight is balanced. I never felt as though my wrists were getting fatigued over the course of my play sessions. The device also carries over an optomized 80Wh battery from last year’s model. However, thanks to the refinements in cooling as well as the impact from the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, I’m typically able to squeeze out around 3.5 to 4 hours of playtime when running games on medium settings.
As far as ports are concerned, Asus built in a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones, a USB4 with DisplayPort, supporting Thunderbolt 4 compatibility. There’s also a UHS-II microSD card slot to expand your storage, as well as a USB-C 3.2 port for charging. The ROG Xbox Ally X also offers Bluetooth compatibility as well as Wi-Fi 6E support.
One of the biggest hurdles I’ve had when playing with the ROG Ally X was its integral use of Windows 11. It was a tiresome process fiddling with the menus to navigate between the Xbox app, Steam, etc. The new Xbox Game Bar, built for PC gaming handheld has streamlined the entire process of interacting with my installed launchers and finding my library of games. It’s all thanks to the newly introduced Xbox button on the device.
As soon as the device boots up, you’re taken into the new Xbox Game Bar overlay. Here, you’ll find quick access to recently played games in your library as well as access to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass. On the left, you’ll be able to navigate between Xbox Game Pass, your full library, Xbox Cloud Gaming titles, and the Xbox storefront. It’s a much more refined experience than the old Xbox Game Bar on a Windows 11 desktop. It’s much more familiar to navigating the Xbox Series consoles, but it still has room to grow over time.
It’s night and day in the ways I interact with the Xbox Game Bar versus Windows 11 on the ROG Ally X. I’m able to avoid Windows 11 outside of installing system updates or initially logging into some of the launchers.
If you want to get further into the nuances of the Xbox Game Bar, pressing the Xbox button on the handheld will bring up a separate menu. Here, you’ll find the past three games you’ve been playing. Unlike Quick Resume on console, the ROG Xbox Ally X is optomized to run one game at a time, so if you choose to select a new game to play, the previous game will then be closed.
Underneath, the ROG Xbox Ally X displays all of the launchers you have installed. It’s night and day in the ways I interact with the Xbox Game Bar versus Windows 11 on the ROG Ally X. I’m able to avoid Windows 11 outside of installing system updates or initially logging into some of the launchers. I was able to launch into Ghost of Tsushima on Steam and bounce to Fortnite and back to the Xbox app without having to bring up Windows 11.
Of course, Asus still supports the Armory Crate as well. For the uninitiated, the Armory Crate is where you’ll get into the nitty-gritty of optimizing the machine’s performance. Within the Armoury Crate, I’m able to set the operating mode for the device. Typically, I opt for ‘Turbo’, which maximizes the CPU and GPU to allow for higher settings to run optimally, while draining the battery at a slightly faster rate. Within the Armory Crate, I also enabled settings like AMD Fluid Motion Frames, enabling frame generation. Eco mode settings are also available to improve battery life if desired.
With all this being said, there’s still an onboarding issue at play. The ROG Xbox Ally X still relies on your knowledge of updating drivers, installing system updates, and meticulously updating individual games. While a lot of that friction is stripped away, the device isn’t as plug-and-play as some players may wish. I shudder at the idea of a casual player picking up an ROG Xbox Ally X and trying to figure out the intricacies of it without a YouTube tutorial guiding them.
Following the ROG Ally for years, the end goal has always been to get to a point where the Xbox experience is seamless between console and PC gaming handheld. Especially in the age when Microsoft’s entire marketing campaign is ‘This is an Xbox,’ it feels imperative that the company reaches that goal. While we’re not quite there yet, the ROG Xbox Ally X does show we’re making progress.
When using the Xbox app, I was able to tap into a sizeable library of games that I owned as well as titles from Xbox Game Pass. Over the course of nearly two weeks, I have been playing games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Forza Horizon 5, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Robocop Rogue City, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In most cases, I was able to carry over my progress from my time spent playing on Xbox Series X and pick up exactly where I left off on the ROG Xbox Ally X if I was travelling or wanted to play while lying in bed.
There were some quirks or notable drawbacks to playing on the ROG Xbox Ally X, of course. For instance, certain games like Hollow Knight: Silksong struggled to pull my save data from the cloud and onto the handheld. Though this hiccup only occurred during my early days of testing. There are also some seriously long wait times when initially booting into certain games. Forza Horizon 5 took nearly 1.5 minutes to boot. The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta took almost 3 minutes. Doom: The Dark Ages was around 60 seconds as well. Longer wait times aren’t for every game. Clair Obscur took around 30 seconds, while Hollow Knight: Silksong’s boot time was 25 seconds on average.
The Xbox app introduces a ‘Deck Verified’ like system, where Xbox notes a game’s compatibility on the handheld.
When getting into the games themselves, the ROG Xbox Ally X can competently run even the more intensive games on medium to high settings. I was quite stunned that the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta ran as smoothly as it did. For pre-released software running online, I had only minor frame stutters at the beginning of a match. Sure, it’s not the optimal device to be playing a competitive game on, but gaining access to upwards of 60fps, I was delighted by the four or five rounds I ran on the handheld.
DOOM: The Dark Ages was one of the games that I was worried about running. It’s a graphics and performance-intensive game that really did put the ROG Xbox Ally X through the paces. It ran adequately on its default setting. The Xbox app introduces a ‘Deck Verified’ like system, where Xbox notes a game’s compatibility on the handheld. DOOM: The Dark Ages, for instance, is “Mostly Compatible,” which means minor tweaks in-game are suggested for an optimal experience. Gears of War: Reloaded, on the other hand, is “Handheld Optomized,” indicating the game is good to go with default controls, full-screen mode, and text legibility.
Most of the games I have been testing came optomized right out of the gate. I took it upon myself to go into the individual game’s settings, like Forza Horizon 5 and Robocop Rogue City, to play around with higher graphical settings and turn on Intel’s XeSS upscaling tech when available. But, if you’re not someone who likes to tweak and experiment with in-game settings, rest assured, most games will run at a stable 40 to 60fps while on the default medium settings.
The partnership between Asus and Microsoft feels like a match made in heaven. The ROG Xbox Ally X stands out in the market thanks to the combined strengths of each company. Iterating on the hardware front, the ROG Xbox Ally X is more powerful, running games with better performance and for longer durations. Though the true highlight of the device is the new Xbox Game Bar, courtesy of Microsoft’s software. Streamlining the software side, I’m not spending less time interacting with Windows 11 and more time jumping into my games, carrying over progress from my Xbox Series X.
At $1,299, the ROG Xbox Ally X is very much an enthusiast device. The lack of onboarding or simplified methods of updating the device’s software is going to feel very overwhelming to newcomers. Until a PC gaming handheld can overcome this barrier, I feel as though Asus and Microsoft will have to market towards a hyper-focused player base who already exists within the Xbox ecosystem. For those already sold on the device, they’ll be rewarded by the most optomized and effecient PC gaming handheld on the market.
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