It’s one of the most unusual devices of its kind. That’s the short and quick answer I’d give to anyone asking me about the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X. It’s easy to see this collaboration between Microsoft and ASUS as an attempt to expand the market share of Xbox, or a play for the space currently occupied by Nintendo and its Switch line of hybrid consoles. But to get all weirdly ‘gamer bro’ about it, the ROG Xbox Ally X is definitely an ‘ultimate’ experience.
With beefy specs and a form factor designed for even the most aggressive players, it’s overkill in all the good ways. Coming in at around 11.4 inches wide and 4.8 inches tall and weighing about a pound and a half, the ROG Xbox Ally X is a chunky boy that is surprisingly comfortable to hold. Microsoft’s input on this device means that we get the distinctive shape of the Xbox controller grips, which legit make it way nicer to hold than the original Ally X. With an AMD AI Z2 Extreme CPU and 24GB RAM there’s a lot of computational headroom for a handheld of its kind.
The display is of very nice quality but may disappoint OLED die-hards. Some would say that dropping this much cash on a handheld gaming device, means that this should be one of the parts that’d be best in class. But a 120hz refresh rate IPS screen feels necessary when you consider everything else they’ve packed into this. It’s still a respectable choice, mind you, but don’t expect to play this in broad daylight. The speakers are punchy, offering robust sound. I had no idea I could get audio this immersive out of a handheld.
After initial setup, logging in is done through a combination power button and fingerprint reader at the top of the device. It’s a little finicky and sometimes needs a few taps to fully recognize your print, but otherwise it’s a snazzy touch. The oddest thing to me though is that you get a startup screen instead of an Xbox branded splash, a stark reminder that this is a Windows 11 PC and not a portable Xbox. It’s mildly confusing, in spite of the fact that it does launch you directly into the Xbox layer – effectively the current version of the Xbox app available for any Windows PC, but with all the latest optimizations as well as some streamlining to maximize what’s in the Xbox Ally X.
Indie titles will perform flawlessly, as they should. I tried out games like Dredge, 1000xResist and Dead Cells at 1920×1080 at the highest framerates possible. Honestly, playing on the Xbox Ally X is quite incredible and while it can’t replace a full spec gaming desktop, it makes handheld gaming feel positively luxurious. That also applies to AAA releases with significant demands. Forza Horizon 5, one of the snazziest, slickest looking releases from Xbox Studios, ran at a steady 70+ frames per second on high settings. Control, one of the best games to test PC hardware, also ran great, with the kind of slick performance you’d want out of a third person shooter. Most handhelds usually sound like a hovercraft getting ready for lift off but the fans on this are surprisingly quiet, even when running Assassin’s Creed Shadows at high settings.
As this is an ASUS piece of kit, Armoury Crate software is used to fine tune performance on the ROG Xbox Ally X. Setting it to Turbo mode increases the watt usage, boosting it to its maximum capabilities but at the cost of battery life. I couldn’t get much more than 2 hours on that setting, which is well, not surprising. With specs like these, who would demand ultra-long playtimes? On the default Performance mode you can get 4 to 5 hours.
Unfortunately, the one thing you can’t get away from about the ROG Xbox Ally X is that it isn’t really an Xbox. I’m sure other reviewers have probably beaten me in saying this. But as someone who has made the Xbox Series X his primary console for this generation, I’m not saying it to be clever. I’m saying it because the differences matter. When I play on the Xbox Series X, I’m not just using “Console by Microsoft,” I’m enjoying fast loading through the console’s Velocity architecture. And the real game changer for me has been Quick Resume, which allows for multiple games to placed in a suspend state for months. Crucial for when you need to put a game away to do other things. Or if you have ADHD like me.
Between those features and the generally reliable and predictable performance of most games on consoles, the Xbox Series consoles remain for me, the best way to play. Controversial, but my PlayStation 5 can see weeks of disuse over these differences. Sure, I fire it up for Sony exclusives like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as well as all-time classics like Valkyrie Profile and Bloodborne, but if I can get a new game on Xbox, I get it on Xbox.
And that brings us back to the ROG Xbox Ally X. It’s not an Xbox, or at least no more than a Samsung TV, an Amazon Fire stick or a smartphone. I’m not saying that to be derisive, mind you. It’s just that much of the promise of the “any device is an Xbox,” spiel overlooks the fact that you can’t play classics like Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb or Mercenaries Playground of Destruction, even though they’re backwards compatible for Series consoles, and you’ll have to stream via Xbox Cloud Gaming to get Crimson Skies running. If you buy an Xbox Ally without doing your research, expecting access to all your Xbox games, well… surprise!
Make no mistake, I understand that unlimited compatibility and interoperability across a platform that spans this many devices is an impossible promise, but if that’s the case then nothing really “is” an Xbox, at least not where it might count for certain segments of the audience for this device. As a critic, a pundit and a hardware savvy enthusiast, I get it. Still, I love the power and the portability of the ROG Xbox Ally X. And based on my time with other handheld offerings, I vastly prefer its form factor (or maybe my hands are permanently shaped around Xbox grips, who knows)
Already, I’m looking towards the future of the ROG Xbox Ally X. There is a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) built into the AI Z2 Processor and I’m excited to see what happens when they begin to unlock the potential of that piece of tech, as is promised to happen next year. Hopefully that means that Xbox is cooking some custom solutions with regards to ensuring this device is future proof for the next generation of big budget titles.
Ultimately, it’s up to the individual user whether this very unusual albeit powerful handheld is for them. If you desire more than just indies when you’re gaming on the go, but refuse to compromise on the most technically demanding releases, then maybe the price is right for you and the ROG Xbox Ally X. I like it a lot. It’s no substitute for my living room Xbox console and I miss Quick Resume, but maybe that’s exactly the point. It’s just as much power but for a different kind of Xbox user.
A ROG Xbox Ally X was provided by Xbox for this review.
