Asus ROG Ally X officially arrives with twice the battery, more RAM, and a $799 price tag
Jun. 2, 2024The ROG Ally X enters the handheld ring
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AsusROG Ally X just got its official reveal, and the revamped handheld makes good on the company’s promises of better battery life. In fact, the portable boasts double the capacity compared to the original, not to mention the laptop maker has packed a full-sized 1TB SSD and 24GB RAM into a brand new comfortable shell. It’s also available to pre-order as of today, so you won’t have to wait long for the Steam Deck rival.
Scheduled to ship next month, the Asus ROG Ally is currently available to pre-order at Best Buyfor $799.99. Unlike the original, there’s only one model this time around, as there’s no non-extreme Ryzen Z1 variant. That should make choosing straightforward, as it comes down to picking up the white OG portable or the newly announced revamp.
Asus ROG Ally X |$799.99 at Best Buy (pre-order)The ROG Ally just got a glow-up, and it now boasts more battery life, a full-sized 1TB SSD, and refinements that’ll make for a more comfortable portable experience. Performance will be on par with the original since both use the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, but plenty of other tweaks help make it a premium option.
Buy it if:✅You want more storage✅You care about ergonomics✅You are looking for long battery life
Don’t buy it if:❌You already have the original❌You’re only looking to play Steam games
Asus hasn’t completely overhauled things on the design front, but lots of subtle changes help the ROG Ally X keep the weight off. First off, the handheld’s fans are now 23% smaller overall, with the fan blades measuring at half the thickness. Yet, the tweaks mean they now facilitate a 10% airflow increase, so you can rest assured that heat will be shifted away from the portable for maximum performance. The shell has also undergone an ergonomic glowup, and while the difference isn’t massive to the eye, all changes will contribute to keeping the weight increase to just 10%.
If you’ve been waiting for a ROG Ally with better controls, the X does have some changes up its sleeve too. The D-pad is more defined for precision inputs and the thumbsticks have shifted ever so slightly to enhance ergonomics. The back buttons are now smaller, but we’ll need to get hands-on with the portable before knowing whether that’s a good or a bad thing (it’s a pitfall for theAsus ROG Raikiri Pro controller).
Asus ROG Ally vs Asus ROG Ally X - what’s the difference?
At a glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking the ROG Ally X is just a black version of Asus’ handheld. However, subtle ergonomic differences set the two devices apart, and elements like switching out the original’s 512GB 2230 drive for a full-sized 2280 1TB SSD mean its guts will be in a different arrangement too. That change will save you from forking out for aWD Black SN770Mif you crave even more game space, enabling you to poke around thebest SSDs for gamingrather than specific smaller variants.
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Weirdly, Asus has removed the XG Mobile connector from the ROG Ally X, opting to include a second USB-C port instead. While you’d think using a device with more RAM alongside an external graphics card should be worthwhile, you’ll have to stick with the original if you want to create a hybrid rig. That said, the extra port means you won’t have to immediately think about picking up aSteam Deck dock, as you’ll be able to hook up devices and monitors while keeping everything charged up.
Ultimately, the Asus ROG Ally X is worth considering if you spend a lot of time gaming on the go. The portable PC’s 80Wh battery life will make all the difference to your overall experience, as you’d normally need to reach for your charger after just two hours in the latest adventures. Naturally, I’ll have to put the ROG Ally X to the test myself before knowing if it lives up to its specifications, but if you’ve already been eyeing up premium portables like theAyaneo 2S, the new Asus model is worth adding to your consideration list.
Already gotValve’s portable? Swing by thebest Steam Deck accessoriesfor a collection of great add-ons. Alternatively, take a peek at thebest gaming laptopsorbest gaming PCsif you want a true powerhouse rig.
I’ve been messing around with PCs, video game consoles, and tech since before I could speak. Don’t get me wrong, I kickstarted my relationship with technology by jamming a Hot Wheels double-decker bus into my parent’s VCR, but we all have to start somewhere. I even somehow managed to become a walking, talking buyer’s guide at my teenage supermarket job, which helped me accept my career fate. So, rather than try to realise my musician dreams, or see out my University degree, I started running my own retro pop culture site and writing about video games and tech for the likes of TechRadar, The Daily Star, and the BBC before eventually ending up with a job covering graphics card shenanigans at PCGamesN. Now, I’m your friendly neighbourhood Hardware Editor at GamesRadar, and it’s my job to make sure you can kick butt in all your favourite games using the best gaming hardware, whether you’re a sucker for handhelds like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch or a hardcore gaming PC enthusiast.
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