ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Handheld PC Gaming Greatness
ASUS ROG Ally X Is A Major Upgrade Over The Original Machine
| ASUS ROG Ally X Gaming Handheld: $799.99 at Best Buy The second gaming handheld from ASUS refines the machine significantly, fixing many issues users had with the original model and improving performance dramatically. |
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The original ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld was decidedly a "1.0" revision device, in our opinion. It offered surprisingly-potent handheld gaming performance with a first-to-market 120Hz Freesync IPS LCD. It also had its share of problems though, which included reported SD card reader failures and problems with triggers on early systems. Even still, we liked the ASUS Ally quite a bit, and in our original review, we really put it through its paces. We tested over 66 games on the Ally, in addition to our usual suite of productivity and office benchmarks. Now that ASUS has shipped its successor to the Ally, or perhaps the "version 1.5" revision known as the ROG Ally X, we're here to provide you the same diligent, deep evaluation.
The ASUS ROG Ally X is on the test bench today, so let's see how this second coming of ASUS' handheld gaming PC stacks up.
The ASUS ROG Ally X is on the test bench today, so let's see how this second coming of ASUS' handheld gaming PC stacks up.
Dragon's Dogma 2 runs on the ROG Ally X, but didn't on the original Ally.
For the ROG Ally X, we've gone back and tested all 66 of those games, plus a handful more, to see how things have improved since our original review. That said, it could be argued that this really isn't a second-generation handheld at all. It uses the same display, the same control layout, and the very same SoC that shipped onboard the original Ally: the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. However, many parts of this premium handheld gaming device have been revised to improve the product on the whole. First, let's go over the specifications:
Looking at the specs, a few things immediately stand out. First and foremost is that the system has been upgraded to 24GB of memory. Performance-wise, this is by far the biggest change from the original Ally, and it delivers a notable boost in performance. These devices are driven by integrated graphics, and with just 16GB of RAM on board, if you dedicate 4GB to the GPU (a bare minimum for modern AAA games), you only have 12GB of RAM left over for the system. With the Ally X, its extra 8GB of RAM can be dedicated to the GPU, leaving you with 16GB of system memory available.
It's a practical difference that is much bigger than the theoretical, because in practice what it means is that some games which are completely unplayable on the original Ally become eminently enjoyable on the Ally X. Titles like The Last Of Us Part 1, Forspoken, and Dragon's Dogma 2, which either crash or are unplayable stutter-fests on the original Ally, can be configured to run smoothly on the Ally X. We'll talk about that more on pages ahead, though.
That extra RAM is great, but in terms of usability, the biggest spec change has to be the system's new battery. Where the original Ally shipped with a Steam Deck-equivalent 40-Watt-hour battery, the Ally X doubles the capacity to 80 WHr. You really feel this measurable increase in power availability. The original ROG Ally can run down its battery in under an hour when playing taxing games, but you can play the Ally X for longer than is probably advisable at a stretch. There's likely more going on here than just the battery, but whatever the case, this gaming device lasts much longer, as you'll see.
The third really notable specification change is that the ROG XG Mobile dock port is gone, replaced by a second USB Type-C port that supports USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4. Either port can be used for charging, and having two ports is a wonderful convenience. This is a fantastic addition alongside the previous USB 10Gbps port, although it isn't a completely strict win in terms of external connectivity. We'll look at that in the next section as well.
Finally, the last specification change we want to point out is the change in the system's physical heft. The extra weight was barely noticeable to us, though a friend of ours noted that she found the difference to be easily discernible. The Ally X is indeed a bit heavier than the original model—around 0.15 lbs, or about 12%, making it some 70% heavier than the Nintendo Switch with its Joy-Cons attached—which could be something to be aware of for younger or smaller folks.
Comparing The Ally X To The Original ROG Ally
Before we dive into the benchmarks that you're probably dying to see, let's first take a look at this potent handheld. Blacked-out color scheme aside, there really aren't that many differences from the original Ally, besides the necessary changes to accommodate the new I/O. It's approximately the same size, despite its bigger battery and the upgrade to an M.2-2280 SSD. If you decide to change out the system's SSD down the road, just make sure it doesn't need a heatsink.
The front of the machine looks virtually identical to the original Ally, but don't be fooled—there have been a few subtle changes that really improve the way this thing handles in some games. The face buttons are ever-so-slightly closer together, and they have a more satisfying break to them than our first-gen Ally's ABXY buttons. The D-pad has been revised, too, with a design that's less PlayStation and more Sega. It feels great.
The 120-Hz IPS LCD screen is also not exactly the same one in the original Ally, at least the first-gen models. After the initial production run ASUS made a few very minor changes to the original Ally, and one of those was to replace the screen with one that supported a 25% higher peak brightness at 500 nits. The Ally X carries forward that screen, so it's a fair bit brighter than our OG Ally. However, it's also capable of getting quite a bit darker, too, which makes it easier on the eyes to play before bed.
The ROG Ally had the distinction of being the first gaming handheld with a Variable Refresh Rate display, and the Ally X obviously carries this feature forward. It is honestly the greatest differentiating factor from other gaming handhelds, and the most important feature of the Ally/Ally X, in comparisons against other AMD Phoenix devices like the Lenovo Legion Go.
However, the Ally and Ally X also boast a native landscape screen. This a minor complaint in general, but many devices (including the Steam Deck) have a screen that is inherently portrait orientation rather than landscape. This can cause some frustration in specific circumstances where a particular game or application will attempt to override the rotation and run in portrait mode. No such problems on these Ally machines, though.
Around the back of the system, the key change is that the M1 and M2 paddle buttons have shrunk in size considerably. This makes them much harder to hit accidentally, such as when gripping the system firmly during intense play, but the buttons can still be actuated by pressing them against the back or pulling them toward the side. Either feels pretty comfortable to us, but your mileage may vary. Of course, you don't have to use these buttons at all, but they're pretty convenient in their default role as "shift" buttons to access secondary functions for the gaming controls.
The two little cardboard stands are included with the machine.
Up here is where the magic happens. There have been major revisions to the top edge of the Ally. The power button is now also a fingerprint sensor, and the MicroSD card slot has been adjusted so that it won't melt cards anymore. There's an extra vent right in the center that helps with system cooling, and of course, over on the right you can see the paired USB Type-C ports. Even the "slow" port doubled in speed from 5 Gbps to 10 Gbps, while the faster of the two is a proper USB4 port with all that entails. Either one can be used for charging.
On the whole, though, the two systems are very similar in size and shape. The Ally X has very slightly beefier grips and is just a hair thicker overall. Side note: it you're using the official ASUS soft case for the Ally, the Ally X won't quite fit without forcing it. However, the official hard case and many third-party accessories should fit just fine.
Well, without further ado, let's start detailing at how this thing performs, shall we?
