Review | ROG Ally X - Handlheld PC Gaming Evolves
I am not a PC Gamer. In 2013, I built a tower but made the critical mistake of installing it with the latest Microsoft operating system at the time, Windows 8, which was notorious for not being the most gaming-compatible OS. The numerous issues I encountered, mixed with the launch of the PS4 that same year put me firmly in the console camp. Time can definitely alter your opinions, and after being somewhat disappointed in the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, while seeing the exciting handheld PC space that sprung up overnight when Valve launched the Steam Deck, I had been toying with giving the platform another chance. This leads me to the ROG Ally X.
The Ally X is Asus’ second attempt at a handheld PC after the original Ally launched last year to lukewarm reviews. It was praised for its strong gaming performance in a portable form-factor, but Windows’ finicky nature and an atrocious battery life held it back from dethroning the simplicity of the Steam Deck. The X still doesn’t topple Valve’s machine when it comes to ease of use, but the improvements here give the Ally a stronger case.
One of the first things that is a noticeable change from the original Ally is the shell itself. Asus has improved the device's ergonomics to make it more comfortable and easy to hold. I did not have any long gaming sessions on that iteration, but the few times I did hold one, it felt unwieldy with no real way to grip the device. The X adds some slight angles and grooves to give your fingers a little extra purchase which goes a long way to alleviating some of the finger strain. It is still a little flatter than I would like and can be slightly awkward to hold compared to the Steam Deck, which seems perfectly molded for my hands but the X is good enough. Even after several hour-long sessions of Final Fantasy XIV, which requires the use of every single button the device, my hands didn’t ache or cramp up.
Speaking of buttons, the Ally X has a lot of them. The button layout is similar to an Xbox-style controller with offset thumbsticks (which are improved from the original Ally), and the A-B-X-Y buttons in the same locations. The D-Pad is also improved, allowing a little more feedback onto which direction is being pressed. There are also the usual four inputs at the top of the device, with the two shoulder buttons giving off a satisfying click when pressed, and the triggers having a nice level of descent. On my unit, the right trigger did give off a noticeable squeak when pushed but after shooting some compressed air into the unit, it seemed to go away. There are also two mappable buttons on the rear of the device that are incredibly easy to press when holding and are a game changer for titles with multiple inputs (like FFXIV!).
The Ally X also has two front-facing speakers, a micro-SD card slot, volume control and two USB4.0 ports. The speakers work really well for a hand-held device, but still aren’t anything to write home about, but the big win is the second port which allows you to charge the Ally X while still using any peripheral which might need it. Finally, there are four additional small buttons near the top of the screen. Two of these perform similar functions to Start/Select, and the other two are specific to the ROG allowing access to ASUS’ proprietary “Armoury Crate” software. The one on the left gives you access to a side menu which allows you to quickly change settings such as the controller method and power usage, while the other brings up the full software suite.
Armoury Crate is ASUS’ version of Steam Big Picture. From there, you can load into any game launchers you have installed and since this is a Windows device, that means pretty much any of them. This makes it easy to access your Steam, Xbox, or Epic Game launchers easily, but if you want to bypass that, you also have the option to view all installed games and launch them directly. Any game installed from any launcher is automatically uploaded to the Armoury Crate menu, but it is fairly easy to manually add titles if they aren’t part of a storefront and once there they run just like any other title listed. Armoury Crate can be a little buggy, with games sometimes not executing or closing correctly, but overall, it works reliably and is a good way for all your libraries to be accessible in one place.
Games in general run incredibly well on the Ally X. This is still a hand-held, so you aren’t going to be running Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K with Ray Tracing but it’s still punching above its weight-class. In Final Fantasy XIV, I was able to consistently get 39-42 fps on the 17W Turbo Settings, even during a raid or some of the most populous areas of the game. In the more open areas, or on the 30W performance option, I was able to get as high as 50fps. Paired with the VRR, IPS screen on the ROG, laying on the couch or in bed is my new favorite way to play the MMO. Sorry PS5.
Older games such as Yakuza Kiwami can run on max-settings with no problem, while for newer titles such as Kunitsu-Gami, some concessions need to be made. Even on lower settings, the game still seemed to be a bit blurry, even with lower-end settings but this is to be expected. It will obviously not look as good as a full-on gaming rig, or even current-gen consoles, but it is still a completely serviceable way to play the game on the go.
While this level of performance is similar to the original Ally, on the X, you can enjoy them for much longer as it handily outperforms Asus’ previous device in the battery department. On more than one occasion, I was able to run FFXIV using the 17W performance setting for close to 3 hours. It definitely isn’t an all day battery and you are going to see those numbers roughly cut in half if you run it on the Turbo power setting, but it’s definitely enough for a evening of gaming after a long day of work. Better yet, it works with up to a 100W charger so even if you drain the device, you’re back in the game in no time.
But now for the elephant in the room. Windows. I can see why people would find it frustrating. When I first got my device, the dock wasn’t outputting to my monitor. I spent several hours updating the device, downloading drivers and playing around with different menus with no luck. I ended up swapping it out for a different monitor and it worked fine, so I still don’t know what the issue was since that first monitor works with other laptops but those are just the things that may come up when you are dealing with the Ally. There are some other learning curves for the device, for example, early on randomly all the buttons stopped working. I exited the game, and connected it to the dock to figure out what was wrong and found out somehow, the gamepad got set to “Disable”. It only happened the one time, and it's as easy as bringing up the Armoury Crate Side menu and tapping the enable icon, but in the middle of a game it can be a stressful experience.
However, probably the biggest issue is just navigating Windows. The Ally X works great once you have the game installed, but if you are trying to download anything new without docking using the system and using a mouse and keyboard, you are going to run into some headaches. With no trackpads, you are forced to use the touch screen, which works decently but Windows wasn’t made for one it, so certain actions may not be read or may be double tapped or whatever. It’s difficult enough just getting something installed, but if you are trying to troubleshoot an actual issue in handheld-mode, don’t even bother. If you are spending all this money on a ROG Ally X, pick up a dock with it. I am using the JSAUX 6 in 1, and besides the aforementioned monitor issue, it works great.
And you will be spending a pretty penny to pick up an Ally X. Retailing for $800, this is $150 more than the OLED Steam Deck and almost twice as much as the all-time low price for the Ally. For what you are getting, the price is pretty fair, but I could also see why this price tag alone could be a non-starter for some. I did not own any Windows device and I needed something for basic productivity so it made sense for me, but if you want something purely for gaming, that’s a steep price.
As far as productivity goes, I have had no complaints. Since it is just running Windows, when it is docked, I just use it as a desktop and for writing things like this review or basic web browsing. I haven’t used it for any programs like AutoCAD, but given some of the high-level games it can run, I wouldn’t be too surprised if it could handle that.
As an entry into PC gaming, I am thrilled with the Ally. As someone with limited exposure to the PC ecosystem, I did not find any aspect of running the device particularly difficult or frustrating. Sometimes settings need to be tweaked, but for the most part, games run the way they are supposed to and automatically read the X’s built-in gamepad. It is still slightly cumbersome to hold, but not to the point where it affects enjoyment. Whether you’re an experienced PC gamer or a complete novice, the Ally X is a fantastic device that has no peers when it comes to portable gaming performance.
