ASUS ROG Ally X

Small performance boosts in some games ; Redesigned Armoury Crate software ; Much more comfortable ; Longer battery life

MicroSD card concerns ; Windows quirks remain

“The Asus ROG Ally X improves on nearly every aspect of the original.”

Double the battery of the ROG Ally, so you can actually play for a few hours without a charger. Twice the storage, and 8 GB more RAM. 1,080-pixel display still looks great, and 120-Hz refresh rate makes for smooth gameplay.

Windows. It's always Windows. Some UI jank simply can't be avoided. Way more expensive than the Steam Deck.

Ergonomically fantastic ; Solid gaming performance ; Excellent battery life ; 24GB of RAM ; Thunderbolt 4

D-pad too close to the screen ; The price relative to performance improvements may only appeal to dedicated gaming enthusiasts

The Asus ROG Ally X is exactly what it should be: A fantastic mid-cycle refresh that improves what’s already there while maintaining a competitive price point.

The ASUS ROG Ally X is easily the best gaming handheld on the market right now. What gives it that title? Battery life. Plain and simple, battery life. The rest of the unit is on par with other handhelds on the market but it excels in battery life and...

24GB of RAM improves performance ; Higher power profiles than original ROG Ally ; Bright, colorful display ; Better build quality and comfort than original ; Longer battery life than its predecessor

$799 is pricey for a gaming handheld ; Windows 11 isn't built for this ; Armoury Crate still has a few bugs

The Asus ROG Ally X is the best Windows gaming handheld out there right now, with a big battery, solid ergonomics, and lots of RAM to help boost performance. But Windows still isn't perfect, and $799.99 is a lot to ask, especially when the Steam Deck...

A comfortable design with several notable improvements to sticks and triggers ; Performance better than the original Ally and other handhelds ; A battery that can go for close to three hours on some intensive games

Screen isn't as good as the competition ; Windows 11 is terrible in handheld format ; One of the most expensive handheld PCs available

Asus ROG Ally X The redesigned ROG Ally is a better console in almost every way that matters. It's only held back by its high price and Windows 11.

Improved performance ; Vastly improved ergonomics ; Much better battery life ; Armoury Crate is getting better as an overlay…

…but Windows 11 is the enemy of handheld gaming ; Give us OLED ; Expensive at $800

For a minor upgrade, the Asus ROG Ally X’s small tweaks feel like more of a major update — fixing our biggest gripes with the first generation Ally. Now if only we can get a version of Windows 11 that is actually useful on a gaming handheld.

Impressive battery life ; Great performance, especially in Turbo mode ; Small, but significant, improvements to overall design

Still an IPS LCD display ; No trackpad

The Asus ROG Ally X not only fixes big complaints with the original Ally, but propels it to the top of the handheld gaming console pack with a serious boost to battery life, plenty of storage and RAM and top-end performance.

Powerful ; Improved battery life ; Solid design

Very expensive ; Can't compete with gaming laptops of the same price ; Windows 11 continues to hobble handhelds

The Asus ROG Ally X is one of the most powerful gaming handhelds yet, and puts the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch to shame performance-wise. However, you're paying for this extra firepower with a hefty price tag, and Windows 11 remains frustrating to...