The Asus ROG Ally X is arguably the best Windows 11 handheld yet thanks to its improved battery life, performance, and more ergonomic design. It improves on the original ROG Ally in almost every way possible. However, there are some aspects that keep it from being perfect.
Should you buy or skip the Asus ROG Ally?
Should you buy or skip the Asus ROG Ally?
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TechTranscript
00:00For nearly a week, I've been testing out
00:02the new ASUS ROG Ally X,
00:04and I'm pretty impressed with the results so far,
00:06but it's definitely not perfect.
00:07Is this a true upgrade over the OG ROG Ally,
00:11or is it just not worth the insane price hike?
00:13Handheld gaming is a tricky one.
00:15It feels like we're super close to the winning formula,
00:17but haven't achieved it just yet.
00:19I reviewed the original ROG Ally
00:21and found it had a few issues that were hard to look past.
00:24Still, I was expecting to get my hands on the ROG Ally X,
00:27getting it into our testing lab
00:29and see how it compared to the original.
00:30Could the ROG Ally X be the handheld
00:33that could finally crack the code?
00:34First things first, let's talk about battery life.
00:36As I mentioned earlier,
00:37one of the bigger issues with the ROG Ally
00:39was its stunted battery life.
00:41The 41-watt battery, which lasted just one hour
00:43and 43 minutes, was given a huge upgrade in the new model.
00:46Now doubled in size,
00:47the ROG Ally X sports an 80-watt-hour battery
00:49that lasts just about double the time.
00:51Three hours might not sound like a lot of time,
00:53but for me, it's a perfect amount of time
00:55to get some gaming in from my commute to and from work.
00:59Though it uses the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip
01:01as the original, upgrades elsewhere still help
01:04to see improvements in the overall performance
01:06of the ROG Ally X.
01:08A bigger battery, faster SSD, and improved cooling
01:10are contributing factors in giving the handheld
01:13a small performance bump,
01:14helping games run smoother than before.
01:16The frame rates when I play Doom Eternal
01:18hover around the 50s and lower 60s when running at 720p,
01:22and 40 FPS when running at 1080p.
01:24In both cases, the ROG Ally X exceeded the original
01:26by about five FPS.
01:29Finally, another good reason to buy the ASUS ROG Ally X
01:32is its updated ergonomic design.
01:34The small design tweaks and added weight
01:36make it easier to hold onto for longer periods of time.
01:39It's not a radical departure from the original,
01:41but it's because the Ally X has that bigger battery life
01:44that feels heftier.
01:45It's heavy enough to feel more premium,
01:46but not so heavy that it becomes a chore to hold
01:49like the Lenovo Legion Go.
01:51Button placement is unchanged,
01:52but the buttons and analog sticks themselves
01:54feel sturdier and more responsive.
01:56If you think you like what you hear so far,
01:57you can check out the full review over at tomsguy.com.
02:00And make sure to subscribe to the channel here
02:02so you can see how the ROG Ally X
02:04matches up to the Steam Deck OLED and Tech Takedown.
02:07Despite the pluses so far,
02:09there are a few things I wasn't too fond of
02:10that kinda make me think this could be a skip.
02:13This could be written on my forehead at this point
02:15since I've said it so many times,
02:17but I'll say it again, Windows 11 sucks for handhelds.
02:20Okay, yeah, the touchscreen is plenty responsive
02:23when navigating through the operating system,
02:25but the fact that you have to use the touchscreen at all
02:28prevents us from feeling like a dedicated handheld.
02:29To be fair, Asus' Armory Crate Launcher opens on startup
02:33and lets you easily browse and select games
02:35from your library.
02:36I'm also pleased to report that even though
02:38you're taken to a games launcher,
02:39when you select it, you're returned to Armory Crate
02:41when you exit to the desktop.
02:43If that reason is too nitpicky, then hear this,
02:45the ROG Ally X is insanely expensive.
02:48Well, not insanely expensive,
02:50but $799 is a lot for a handheld.
02:53That's a whopping $150 more
02:54than the original high-spec ROG Ally.
02:57That is not chump change.
02:58If cost is a sticking point,
02:59you really won't be missing much
03:01by staying with the original ROG Ally
03:03or better yet, getting a Steam Deck OLED instead.
03:06So what do I think, buy or skip?
03:09Despite the lofty price and the annoyances of Windows 11,
03:12I think the Asus ROG Ally X is worth the upgrade.
03:16Most notably, that battery life,
03:17which is again, double the original,
03:19really makes me feel as though I'm playing
03:21on an improved machine.
03:22With minor but noticeable performance improvements,
03:25I would recommend the Asus ROG Ally X
03:27to anyone looking for a solid handheld gaming device.
03:30These improvements also make me excited
03:32to see what a hypothetical ROG Ally 2 could look like.
03:36Now over to you,
03:37let me know what you think in the comments below.
03:38Don't forget to follow us on socials
03:40and check us out at TomSka.com
03:42for a full reviews of both the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X.
03:46I'm Tony Polanco and I'll see you around, later.