Summary
Asus has officially revealed theROG Ally Xhandheld gaming PC, which touts big improvements in key areas such as battery life, storage, RAM, and more. The latest model will serve as a mid-cycle refresh to the currentAsus ROG Ally, rather than a full-fledged next-generation upgrade, and is available to pre-order now.
Launched in 2023, the ROG Ally was Asus' answer to Valve’s extremely popular Steam Deck handheld gaming PC. Sporting the beefier AMD Ryzen Z1 lineup of chipsets, theROG Ally’s power advantage over the Steam Deckis undeniable, but the Asus machine struggles in other areas, most notably battery life, which has been a big sticking point among owners. The ROG Ally matches the LCD Steam Deck’s 40Wh battery capacity, but the power-hungry Z1 APU and Windows 11 OS severely hamper its efficiency. The Steam Deck OLED’s bigger battery widened this gap even further, and so, Asus went back to the drawing board.
Afterteasing the ROG Ally Xless than a month ago, Asus has finally revealed the refreshed handheld gaming PC in full at Computex 2024. The company previously clarified that the X is not an “Ally 2,” and will instead incorporate user feedback to be a refined version of the current Ally. The Ally X’s specs certainly show this, as the new model retains the AMD Z1 Extreme chip and the 7-inch 1080p 120Hz IPS display from its predecessor. However, everything else sees big changes, namely:
Asus Has Tweaked Nearly Everything on the ROG Ally X
Validating the recentleak of the Asus ROG Ally X’s specs, storage has also been doubled to a 1 TB SSD, and the Ally X will also support expansion via M.2 2280 drives. The chassis has been subtly redesigned to improve ergonomics, like the curvier grips, and the controls see a thorough uplift with larger triggers, an eight-way D-pad, and revised, modular joysticks. The Ally X also has an updated cooling system with smaller, quieter fans and more exhaust vents. The new model does weigh about 70g more than the base Ally, but it’s a relatively minor trade-off compared to the comprehensive upgrades on offer. Pre-orders are open for the Ally X at $799, and launch is slated for July 22.
Most importantly, though, Asus claims that the Ally X has a new SD card reader, which was a point of controversy surrounding the previous Ally model. According to reports from several owners, the Ally’s SD card reader fails at a very high rate. This has seemingly been rectified with the Ally X but is yet to be verified properly. Asus will also offer an increased two-year warranty for all Ally X devices in North America to mitigate complaints about customer support. Much likethe Steam Deck OLED, the ROG Ally X is about incremental changes that add up to a huge upgrade, making it a potentially far more compelling gaming handheld.
Asus ROG Ally
The Asus ROG Ally is the ultimate handheld system for PC gamers. Relying on the new AMD Ryzen Z1 series of processors, the ROG Ally can handle any game thrown at it. The 7-inch 1080p Full HD display with FreeSync Premium on the system provides gamers with a crystal clear and smooth gaming experience. The advantage of the ROG Ally is that it can run most Windows-compatible games and is compatible with Xbox Game Pass titles. It also comes with 3 months of Game Pass Ultimate. The ROG Ally also features an ergonomic design that makes gaming for long periods enjoyable.
