Preorders are now live for the Asus ROG Ally X which launches in July as a major revision to the Windows PC gaming handheld introduced by Asus last year. This new version from Asus looks set to address some of the problems from the original device, as it has made several tweaks to its design.
While the Steam Deck is still seen as the go-to gaming machine in the market, the ROG Ally emerged as a strong alternative thanks to its flexibility and powerful mobile technology packed inside of an attractive frame.
The ROG Ally X will be released on July 22 and is priced at $800.
ROG Ally X
For the ROG Ally X, Asus has addressed the criticism from users related to the 2023 model. It has upgraded battery life, RAM, storage, and a more ergonomically friendly chassis design, as well as improved cooling and connectivity.
Internally, you’ll find a 1TB M.2 SSD, 24GB of LPDDR5X-7500 RAM, and a monstrous 80Wh battery alongside improved joysticks–rated for 5 million rotation cycles– and a more precise D-pad. The PC gaming handheld will still be using a Z1 Extreme chipset and the same seven-inch 120Hz VRR screen, but these parts of the original model’s design were lauded for offering a powerful gaming experience.
These changes have made it slightly heavier as it now weighs 678g, but alongside a custom cooling system, lighter circuit boards, and other improvements, the ROG Ally X is aiming to be a longer-lasting and more comfortable device to play your games on. Thanks to its design, the internal storage space can be upgraded easily, and the SD card reader has also been replaced. Hopefully, this will fix the issue of the ROG Ally randomly ejecting Micro SD cards.
Last year’s ROG Ally was a great device when it first launched, even with several issues like the aforementioned poor battery life and its bad habit of weaponizing Micro SD cards. The Z1 Extreme version proved to be more than capable of running demanding games once you’d made a few graphical concessions, and in our own testing, we had titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Cyberpunk 2077, Street Fighter 6, and Forza Motorsport running very smoothly on it.
The other big plus was the adoption of a Windows operating system, which gives you more room to download your favorite games from a variety of digital marketplaces, like Steam, Ubisoft Connect, the Epic Games Store, and the Xbox store. If you have a Game Pass subscription, it’s quite nice to have a massive library of games right out of the box. Admittedly, Windows on a small screen isn’t the best to use, but in terms of performance, it runs pretty smoothly on the ROG Ally.
Asus ROG Ally X specs
Operating SystemWindows 11 HomeCPUAMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor: Zen 4 architecture, 8-core/16-thread (up to 5.1 GHz boost)GPUAMD Radeon Graphics (AMD RDNA 3, 12 CUs, up to 2.7 GHz, up to 8.6 Teraflops)APU Power Draw9 to 30 WattsDisplay7-inch IPS panel (Glossy finish, 500 nits peak brightness, 7ms response time, touch screen)Resolution1920×1080 @ 120 Hz refresh rate (AMD FreeSync Premium)Memory24 GB LPDDR5XStorage1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (2280)Ports1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
1x Thunderbolt 4 support DisplayPort / power delivery
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort / power delivery
1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC)Battery80WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ionPower Supply65W AC Adapter, Output: 20V DC, 3.25A, 65W Input: 100~240V AC 50/60Hz universalWeight678 g / 1.49 lbs
