On a rainy Wednesday morning, I headed out into the wet streets of NYC. Donning a PlayStation t-shirt and excitement, I headed to a nondescript building to get a special look at the upcoming ASUS ROG Xbox Ally devices. After manhandling both devices for several hours and speaking to the teams who helped bring this device together, I must say that I am quite surprised by what I saw. My past criticisms be damned, I found myself enamored by what Xbox, ASUS, and AMD have put together here. My complete apathy for the device turned. I am now quite excited for the release of this truly unique family of devices, and you should be too.
Growing Concepts
It’s been a couple of years since the first ASUS ROG Ally launched and since its release, the device has made a rather large impact on how people approach handhelds, even inspiring others to take their turn at bat. The Steam Deck is a powerful yet compromising machine that only builds upon the walled garden that Valve erected over the years. Sure, you can do a lot with it but it requires a lot of extra hoops to jump through just to download external applications like Epic Game Store.
ASUS initially took a different approach, giving users an experience that felt more open and freer, yet perplexing. This is due to Windows desktop being mostly utilized on the handheld device, and everyone knew that was the biggest hurdle. No matter how much ASUS dressed up the first Ally series, it was still a handheld PC through and through. I don’t want to say it is intimidating by any means, but there was a disconnect between the player and what was in their hands. Even as a seasoned gamer myself who is familiar with various pieces of hardware, I found the experience to be rather jarring. ASUS, Xbox, and AMD all knew this.
Fast forward to today where the perfect dream collaboration between three tech giants finally came to fruition. Creating a handheld of this caliber is due to the success of a three-pronged strategy between Xbox, ASUS, and AMD. ASUS had the hardware, AMD had the processing power, and Xbox had the games and software. Together, they formed the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, both great machines designed for different flavors of people. It may be a bit dramatic, but the concept was to deliver an experience that unified everyone into one simplistic device concept. To pull down a veil and transform a rather ambiguous product into something more defined. There is a vision here, and I can see it clearly now.
All in One
What really makes the Xbox Ally stand out is the unification across multiple platforms. Yes, you could have just Game Pass if you want, but with the implementation of other launchers like Steam, Epic Game Store, and more, there is no limit to what you can download. Even though there is a custom operating system at the forefront, it is a handheld PC. What has transcribed here is a mere illusion, but it is an effective one. I quickly forgot that what I was playing was a handheld PC and not a reduced and less nuanced product. It is so effective that I even asked if I could download Discord to the device. That was met with a resounding, “Yeah, it’s a handheld PC after all.”
Creating a system that is easy to pick up and play that rivals other consoles like the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 is tough, but it is important. Nintendo created a device that is as pickup and play as you can get. Nintendo gives you a slew of games that you can purchase but the limit is the walled garden.
Here, I have an open economy. Not only that, but it is designed in a way that easily expands upon itself. Both ASUS and Xbox plan on supporting the Ally devices for a long time, and their partnership made obvious sense. ASUS is a company that is willing to experiment with their design philosophy, delivering unique laptops. Albeit expensive, they have pushed the needle forward a bit, impressing those who are just glancing at their devices in stores across the globe. As a designer from Xbox told me, “It just made sense to partner with ASUS.”
It specially made sense with Xbox once again partnering with AMD.
Can’t Go Alone
Xbox has the game platform, ASUS has the hardware and design, which leaves AMD with the pure computational power to make the ROG Xbox Ally a unique device that stands above all. The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will be using the AMD Ryzen Z2 A and Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processors, respectively. As the centerpiece of the device, AMD assured amazing graphical experience no matter which handheld you chose.
To make the quick comparison, the AMD Ryzen Z2 A is a quad-core Zen 2 unit that has a boost clock up to 3.8 GHz. When paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, it makes sense. These two concepts complement each other, making the standard Ally a solid choice.
Meanwhile, the Ally X brings a whole lot more to the table with the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme. Specifically designed for the gaming enthusiast, AMD brings a whole new era of gaming to the handheld space. If I was a betting man, I would even suggest this could have an impact on the eagerly awaited home console, but I digress.
The AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme is a massive processor with immense power, delivering up to 5 GHz boost clock speed on 8 cores designed on a hybrid processor architecture combining three Zen 5 and five Zen 5c cores. This gives the device the capabilities to reach up to 35W of power, allowing users to experience some pretty hefty games in a handheld form factor. This is also paired with 24GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 1TB SSD.
As someone who has had a direct interaction with AMD’s AI processors on other devices, I can say that this feels incredibly promising, but there are a few caveats that must be understood when engaging with a device like the Ally X.
Battery Flow State
We are used to calculating battery power by certain elements that inherently make no sense. Stating that a phone can get 7 hours of media playback is the toughest of elements because there are too many underlying variables that change how that battery operates. ASUS understood this which is why when I asked about battery life, I was met with an interesting answer: “It depends on what you want to do.”
There are so many different settings which can be easily brought up with the press of a button that gives you access to a variety of options when it comes to overall performance. While playing Silksong, I went from the standard mode to a low-powered silent mode which didn’t impact my experience at all. When I went to play something a bit more resource demanding like Call of Duty or Expedition 33, that is where the more powerful settings came into play. Due to my limited window of time with the device, I can say for sure that it lasts at least two to three hours long, but that once again depends on what you are playing and the settings you have enabled.
The answer of “it depends” feels like a cop-out response, I know. But if we are to be completely honest, I get it. As a long-time tech specialist, it makes sense that battery power is becoming more erratic. Devices like the ole GameBoy Advanced had a ceiling of power that could be easily measured based on AA batteries. With handheld PCs, the ceiling could be higher than we thought. Therefore the best answer that I could give would easily coincide with what was expressed to me: it depends.
I/O Range
There are a ton of nice little additions to the Xbox Ally. ASUS expanded upon the design to include every other option that folks have been clamoring for. Both units feature a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card reader; both of which are fairly standard. Both also feature dual USB-C ports as well on the top. The Ally’s USB-C ports are both USB 3.2 Gen 2 which gives you up to 10 Gb/s data transfer speeds along with DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery 3.0 technologies.
Meanwhile, the Ally X has a bit more going on under the hood. First, the microSD card slot has additional support for UHS-I with DDR200 mode cards. Not quite SDexpress, but still up there in terms of performance. Also, one of the Ally X’s USB-C ports features DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery 3.0, and Thunderbolt 4 compatible technologies. This allows the unit to leverage external graphics card units to boost performance. The other USB-C port fits the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard as previously mentioned.
Both units have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless protocols to assist with networking and connecting controllers and other peripherals as well.
Display
The ROG Xbox Ally X has a 7” 1080p display backed by 120 Hz refresh rate and 500 nits brightness. Of course, AMD FreeSync Premium VRR is included, giving the device truly impressive definition. There is also an additional layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus with DXC Anti-Reflection coating. As per an ASUS representative, “Color is great, but it doesn’t matter if all you see are reflections.”
This does apply to ASUS’s ProArt series of laptops, but that enthusiasm definitely crosses over into the handheld despite not explicitly stating it. ASUS cares a lot about what its customers play and feel, which is why it seems that they are going above and beyond when it comes to the ROG Xbox Ally devices.
I will just state briefly that the ROG Xbox Ally seems to also have a 1080p display that matches what was said before, but I was told it was a 720p display in person. That information could be a bit conflicting so I would stay tuned to Seasoned Gaming for future updates.
In My Hands
The top question I have seen making the rounds is, “how does it feel?” And now I can answer that by stating how it might be the most comfortable device I have ever felt in my hands ever.
ASUS took the design note from the Xbox controller and applied it to the Xbox Ally. The sides might look visually off, but when it touches your skin, it feels just right. ASUS even lifted some of the texture of the Xbox controller and applied it to the Xbox Ally to give that sense of familiarity and it pays off in dividends. It also adds just enough friction, making it feel like it won’t suddenly slip out of your hands.
All the buttons feel just right including the two that are located behind the unit. The joystick placement fits my preference while the D-pad and face buttons felt solid and less jittery than other handhelds I have experienced. It’s a dense system that is light yet solid, devoid of the airy feeling.
I’ll also note that the Xbox Ally X also incorporates the Xbox impulse triggers which makes it more in line with the controller that inspired this device. The Xbox Ally does not have this included.
What I really like is how ASUS is approaching repairability. The internal M.2 2280 SSD can be easily replaced without taking apart the entire system. You can also easily remove the joysticks and replace them with ones of your preference. I don’t know the full extent of the sister-boards that are built into device, but I am sure we will receive more information in due time. The efforts put forth by ASUS to create something that can be modified to your liking is imperative to the enthusiast level gamers who like things their way.
Software Enhancements
I have already raved about the onboard software built into the Ally, but Xbox took it a bit further with direct correlation between the handheld and the software. Game Pass titles will state if it is handheld-ready with four status levels: Handheld Optimized, Mostly Compatible, Supported, and Not Tested. An engineer from Xbox told me that there are currently over 1800 titles that fit within the first two categories.
Xbox also aims to implement default controller setups and gameplay compatibility options to ensure a seamless experience for players picking up one of these devices. There are also other software improvements that I am unsure I can discuss here, but when they roll out it will be a complete game changer.
One ROG to Rule Them All
I’m going to cut to the chase and say that if I didn’t have the 1TB Steam Deck OLED, I would have bought the ROG Xbox Ally X. While the screen itself is smaller than the Nintendo Switch 2’s display, and not as bright and vibrant as the Steam Deck OLED, it is still a solid experience. It is perfect for the grab-and-go experience. It is a level of advancement disguised as something so simplistic, and I applaud the trifecta of developer families for putting it together.
I do think that both the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are great handhelds with two different audiences, and that perhaps some folks shouldn’t dismiss the $599 ROG Xbox Ally immediately. I played a few games on it and found the experience to be rather great! Are the extra bells and whistles of the ROG Xbox Ally X worth the $1000 price tag? That is not something I can answer for you, unfortunately. What I can say though is I see the vision. I see why the cost is that high, because the ROG Xbox Ally X is a no-compromises machine that promises to deliver a truly unified experience.
