Asus ROG Ally X review: Don’t sell your Steam Deck

Just over a year after the debut of the ROG Ally, Asus is following up its newest entry into the competitive handheld arena with the ROG Ally X. A boost in RAM and battery is supposed to be the name of the game here. 

However, a lot of what I – and the team – have reiterated in our handheld reviews, is that Windows can be prone to betraying the excellent hardware on board handhelds of this kind. Just know that Windows isn’t going to be quite as slick as SteamOS.

Key specs

• APU: AMD Z1 Extreme
• RAM: 24GB DDR5 (6400MHz)
• Display: 7-inch 16:9 (120Hz display)
• Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
• Operating System: Windows 11
• IO: USB-C (DisplayPort), USB-C PD, UHS-II MicroSD Slot
• Features: Embedded controller, three performance modes, dual speakers
• Price: $799

Design

Compared to the original ROG Ally, the ROG Ally X is kitted out with a blacked-out color scheme across the entire device. Play at night, even with a light hue from the RGB atop each analog stick, and the device seemingly melts away. 

The ROG Ally X looks great, visually, as did the original. There are just not many major differences between the overall design of the two devices to discuss. It’s still a comfortable handheld, despite its slightly more angular features.

On the back, the little back paddles are exactly the same as its predecessor, which I am personally not a huge fan of, as they never feel super-satisfying to actuate.

The Ally X upgrade should have brought something new to the design table to distinguish each model, aside from a simple colorway change. I found myself reaching for trackpads that weren’t there, something that more Windows handhelds are in dire need of, which is still something Valve’s Steam Deck OLED gets so, so right.

Features

Souped-up with a new 80-watt-hour battery and 24GB of RAM, the ROG Ally X is almost the most powerful handheld out there. While Ayaneo might still hold that crown, it’s still an excellent addition. But, the original Ally’s chipset hasn’t been upgraded for this newer model.

The Z1 Extreme has plenty of power left in the tank, and I think the Ally X is the perfect example of showcasing it. It might start to find itself outclassed in providing raw power in the future, but you shouldn’t be too concerned that it’s not had a big chip upgrade: Until AMD’s next-gen chipsets land in Steam Deck rivals, the Ally X is just about on par with every other handheld on the market, like the Legion Go.

AMD’s FSR is the new normal

During my time with the Ally X, I found AMD’s FSR suite doing much of the heavy lifting in terms of performance. AMD has also ensured that its flagship handheld chip is treated to the best. Frame Generation in The First Descendant made it one of my favorite ways to play the game, smoothing performance issues out with no trouble.

This isn’t a bad thing, as with the Frame Generation on, The First Descendant outclassed the technically more powerful 32GB Ayaneo 2S.

Even with the raw power of the expanded hardware, the ROG Ally X was able to pull in some decent results.

Big new battery

The new battery is equally impressive. I timed a small session of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. The Coalition’s remaster is a tough game to run on this class of hardware, and the Ally X still struggled performance-wise. Battery-wise, however, it was intriguing. 

At 720p, 30FPS, on the 17W power mode “Performance”, on Low settings, I lost 20% of the battery. Putting the device to sleep after this session, and closing the game, lost me an additional 4% overnight.

In super lightweight games like Balatro, it was a good several hours before we reached for a charger. Older titles like Dead Rising’s 2016 PC port also thrive here, with the battery life seeing us through most of the first few chapters of the game. This is one of the biggest selling points of the Ally X, and it really does deliver the battery power where it counts.

Alleviating yourself of any battery anxiety while on the move, the Ally X is among the best in its class, sitting next to the Deck OLED and Ayaneo Kun as champions of the emerging handheld PC battery war.

I was also sent the new ROG-branded GaN charger. This claims to provide up to 140W of charge but didn’t supply a cable. Now, not all USB-C cables are built the same. You’ll need to find a USB-C PD-compliant cable, which can run you about $15 extra. 

This meant that for some sessions, the 30W Turbo mode outpaced the charging cable, leaving me with a dead device. The pack-in charger thankfully never seemed to have this problem.

Screen

I’m also still a big fan of the screen, which isn’t an OLED, but is bright and vivid. Being 120Hz made playing games like Rollerdrome a far smoother experience. Meanwhile, being able to limit the refresh rate on the fly allows you to push the battery further.

That’s about as nice as you’ll hear me talk about Asus’s software offerings. as Armory Crate and myAsus are apps you need to rely on for updates. 

Windows, Armory Crate & launchers

Armory Crate houses the embedded controller function. You can’t escape it, and you definitely can’t remap its almost useless button. The functions it provides in the quick menu are all it should be, with remapping left in a less intrusive interface.

It’s also meant to double as a game launcher. However, a lot of the games I’m playing still require me to use their launcher. Steam still kicks down the door to show it’s loading a game. The Epic Store and HoyoPlayer also, still barge in front of Armory Crate to handle the job.

There are too many PC game launchers as it is, and you need to look no further than Steam. Too often while using the Ally X, I would boot up Big Picture Mode, just to have less time interfacing with Windows.

In an instance where I was trying to launch something on Game Pass, everything went wrong. Steam was trying to handle inputs for things, while Armory Crate also battling for control, which left Game Pass a bit confused. 

Armory Crate is bad. However, it’s not entirely Asus’s fault here. Not that their software offerings need to be defended, but it’s the symptom of a larger problem. Microsoft has yet to make any kind of move on its very real, and rapidly growing handheld market.

If it sounds like you’ve read this somewhere before, it’s because you probably have. The Legion Go and its launcher? Just awful. Ayaneo has gotten better, but the user experience is still sullied with mistranslations and haphazard implementation. Outside of Big Picture mode, Steam is still made for a mouse.

It shouldn’t be on Asus to provide this to us. They’re doing it because they have to. Asus’s strengths have never been in its software.

On Microsoft’s own platform, it is easier to add non-Steam games to your library, organize them, and then use Steam Big Picture mode to launch everything from there. Valve is showing everyone up on Microsoft’s home turf.

Gaming performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Even with the Steam Deck preset, 720p is still the way to go for Cyberpunk 2077. Even with the additional horsepower. There are definite uplifts for those willing to tinker properly with the settings.

We can see just how well-optimized for gaming the Z1 Extreme is over its cousin, the 7840U. Even over the original Ally, that 24GB of RAM certainly adds value in real-world performance. I suspect the new configuration hasn’t been fully updated on the software side. We could see further benefits in the future.

FSR 2.1 does an excellent job with steadying performance. However, most of Phantom Liberty and later areas in the base game still dip in performance in hectic situations. Benchmarks don’t always reflect the moment-to-moment, but in normal circumstances, here’s what you can expect:

ROG Ally X vs Ayaneo 2S

These two handhelds are almost perfectly evenly matched. But, what you might not realize is that while the Ayaneo 2S can manage around the same levels of performance, if not slightly lower, the Ally X has a huge lead in terms of battery life.

ROG Ally X vs ROG Ally

Both handhelds are just about evenly matched when it comes to performance, with the Ally X’s massive RAM capacity not really giving it much of an edge in real-world gaming performance.

Evil West

Evil West isn’t the best running game, even under decent hardware. The game runs at a somewhat smooth 30 on the Steam Deck. Asus’s ROG Ally X struggles with the shading stutters from Unreal Engine 4, but still manages to put on quite a show.

Forza Motorsport

Turn 10

Less friendly to handhelds than Forza Horizon 5, Motorsport plays great at low, 720p and while backed up by FSR. Thankfully FSR’s muddy nature is masked by the blinding speed of some races.

Rollerdrome

Roll7

My new favorite to pick up and play. Rollerdrome offers fast-paced thrills in a third-person shooter combined with Tony Hawk Pro Skater. It’s a spectacular game and one that runs flawlessly at 17W and 30W at 120Hz on the Ally X.

Synthetic benchmarks

Should you upgrade?

The performance speaks for itself. Sure, some games run much smoother than on the ROG Ally, but the X is an expensive question. Is $800 worth it for a few frames more? 

While the battery life and additional RAM are a boon, it’s not worth ditching your current handheld for. If you’re on the Steam Deck, you’re not missing out here. 

Yes, Game Pass and access to unplayable multiplayer games is a nice thought. However, the far better thought-out user experience on the Steam Deck is still too much to give up altogether.

Verdict – 3/5

If you’re already in possession of a handheld, the Ally X isn’t going to blow you away. It’s still the same comfortable device. It’s also still hampered by Windows. Until Microsoft makes a proper decision on how to handle this, The Steam Deck remains king. 

Raw power means nothing when the overall usability is held back by the operating system.I’ve been reaching for the Ally X quite often for smaller or inaccessible games on Linux. The concept works, and I truly believe in it. But throwing more hardware doesn’t solve the software issues faced by small handhelds running a desktop OS.