I played the Asus Xbox ROG Ally X and it really is the Xbox handheld we’ve been waiting for | Stuff

The Xbox ROG Ally and Ally X finally feel like Microsoft taking gaming handhelds seriously. Up until now, Windows 11 and portable gaming went together about as well as oil and water; yet with Asus handling the hardware and an Xbox interface designed for smaller screens, it could now have the mainstream appeal to convince console owners to give PC-based gaming a go.

Effectively Xbox-approved tweaks on the formulas Asus established with the original ROG Ally X and ROG Ally, these two Windows-based handhelds will soon to go up for pre-order ahead of an October 16 launch. While pricing is still TBC, both versions are expected to come in higher than a top-spec Steam Deck OLED.

Based on some early hands-on time, though, there are some things the Xbox ROG Ally duo does better than Valve’s trend-setting handheld. And it goes way, way further down than simply bolting some controller grips to an existing Asus model.

Familiar yet different

There’s plenty of Asus DNA still on display, but the Xbox ROG Ally X also proudly wears its Microsoft influences. Two grips that look like they could’ve come straight off an Xbox One controller now flank the handheld’s 7in screen, giving you a lot more to grab onto. It instantly feels more comfortable than the OG Ally, which was way too angular. It sits more naturally in your hands than the Asus flavoured Ally X, too.

It’s way chunkier than a Nintendo Switch 2 as a result, but still smaller in your hands than a Steam Deck OLED. Think PlayStation Portal and you’re most of the way there, only with the extra hardware inside for on-device gaming it’s considerably heavier.

Otherwise you’re getting a similar layout, with offset analogue sticks that have an eye-catching LED underglow, a brace of (satisfyingly clicky) face buttons, and the usual selection of menu keys. There’s now a dedicated Xbox button here, too – making it much easier to get back into the refreshed UI from your games.

The triggers and bumpers at the rear haven’t moved, but they have gained haptic feedback. This is a big deal, as it brings the gameplay experience that much closer to playing on an Xbox console with an official controller. The way you can feel different spell types in Hogwarts: Legacy is so satisfying.

Connectivity is unchanged, with two USB-C ports at the top edge (handy for charging and playing on an external display at the same time) alongside a 3.5mm headphone port and microSD card slot. I like that the power button still doubles as a fingerprint sensor, too – so much easier than prodding an onscreen keyboard every time you switch the handheld on.

The 7in screen is very pretty, thanks to a sharp 1080p resolution and brightness that got pretty high during my hands-on session. It supports 120Hz and variable refresh rate, which gives it an edge over the 90Hz Steam Deck OLED, although Asus and Microsoft have decided to stick with LCD here. Black levels and contrast aren’t outstanding as a result, but Forza Horizon 5 still had plenty of pop. Touch responsiveness was on point, too.

Inside, there’s an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chipset and a healthy 24GB of RAM, along with 1TB of SSD storage. That’s as good as it gets currently from the AMD stable, and a generation newer than what appeared in the Asus-own Ally X. According to Microsoft, that should be enough to play most games at Full HD.

A sizeable 80Whr battery is then on hand to keep you gaming away from the mains. How long exactly remains to be seen, with the most demanding games likely to chew through it all in just a few hours.

The Xbox ROG Ally X’s 1080p gaming target will very much depend on what you throw at it. A demo of the long-awaited 2D metroidvania Hollow Knight: Silksong wasn’t the most taxing of tests, however hauntingly beautiful the art. With games like this I’d expect to be able to dial back the power mode and squeeze out a few more hours of gameplay. Games like Forza Horizon 5 and Tony Hawks 3+4, which are more graphically demanding, looked pretty much flawless to my eyes.

Hogwarts: Legacy was a much better example of what to expect in terms of heat and sound. I had to put my ear pretty close to the vents to make out the internal fans, though that says more about the background noise at Gamescom than any sort of silent running. Gameplay felt smooth, although there was no FPS counter for a direct comparison with rival handhelds.

Sadly I wasn’t able to properly experience the new full-screen Xbox interface, which has been optimised for the Ally’s 7in screen. All the demo stations during my hands-on were using an outdated version with locked-down menus, so it’s tough to say how slick it’ll feel when the handheld goes on sale. The Game Bar in particular is supposed to make it far easier to bring up friends lists and customise controls.

I do know it’ll launch automatically when you power on the Ally, and that the UI looks very similar to the Xbox Game Pass app Microsoft fans will be used to – only with sensibly-sized icons and text for touch-based inputs. It doesn’t seem to throw you to the Windows desktop quite so quickly anymore, either, which is nice.

Apparently there’ve been some tweaks to cut down background tasks and free up system resources – something Windows 11 sorely needs, based on how it stacks up to SteamOS on otherwise identical hardware. Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR), which upscales games without the need for them to support FSR, should come in clutch there too.

The white stuff

The regular Xbox Ally is clearly meant to be the Series S of the pair, being that little easier on your wallet and arriving dressed in white. As an Xbox 360 die-hard I prefer this look to the Ally X’s black, even if it does draw attention to the black screen bezel.

With a slight hardware step-down Microsoft and Asus reckon it’s more aimed at 720p on-the-go gaming. The Ryzen Z2 A chipset, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of on-board storage will still have the oomph to run newer titles, just with reduced settings or AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames upscaling tech.

The two things I noticed the most during my hands-on time were how much lighter it felt than the Ally X – 45g might not sound like much, but it’ll make all the difference after an hours-long play session – and the lack of impulse triggers. With how much extra immersion these add in compatible games, it’s a real shame not to have them on the cheaper machine. It’s not like the Xbox Series S comes with a stripped-out controller.

My biggest unknown is how well the 60Whr battery will last while gaming. The original Asus Ally’s 40Whr capacity was a real weak point compared to rivals like the Steam Deck, and it doesn’t seem like Windows has gotten any better at power management on gaming handhelds, but hopefully adding 50% more cells will mean a decent amount of play time between charges at 720p.

Asus ROG Xbox Ally X early verdict

Asus already had a gaming handheld with solid foundations, but Microsoft’s involvement has given the ROG Ally X some welcome extra polish. Even at this early stage, I can tell the more controller-like shape and impulse triggers have helped free more of the console experience from your TV than either of the OG Ally machines managed.

Some questions will stay unanswered until a full review, including how long each system will last on battery power. How the regular Ally handles more demanding games – and how well the Ally X compares to its handheld rivals in terms of frame rates – is also a mystery. The fact Asus and Microsoft haven’t set a price yet is a bit concerning. And a part of me wishes the screen had been upgraded to an OLED.

But simply having the Xbox seal of approval is going to do more to put PC-based gaming handhelds into the mainstream than anything Asus could’ve achieved on its lonesome.

Asus ROG Xbox Ally X technical specifications