9.0
Score

It’s been two months since the release of the ROG Xbox Ally series launch, which took place globally and has been making the right strides in the market and as an existing ROG Ally X user, I have to say – there are things that changed for the better and in this ROG Xbox Ally X Review, (we have more content coming soon, so stay tuned) – we are quickly going to give you the important improvements that’s worth talking about and we have experienced.

ROG Xbox Ally X Review

Our review heavily relied on data obtained from the Alpha and Beta software, which we were enrolled on by ROG and Microsoft – so, the experience will vary a little but not by a lot.

Ergonomic Heaven, I swear

The first and most obvious improvement with the ROG Xbox Ally X is in its design. Honestly, the renders we saw in the teaser video didn’t leave the right impressions. In fact, I was a bit taken aback by the odd and alienating finish compared to the Ally X I currently use. But that opinion changed the moment I held it in my hands for the first time. For starters, the Ally handheld, in general, has had an odd ergonomic grip.

The first generation was not up to my liking at all. The Ally X improved, and it sure did add some weight to it, but I had to resort to DBRAND’s Killswitch case to get a better ergonomic experience. But this ROG Xbox Ally X truly, by that I mean truly, improved the experience by miles. The grips of the handheld has the same imitation as the XBOX Controller, which a lot of gamers call it to be a comfortable grip. As a PlayStation aficionado, I concur. But it’s safe to say it does have a textured feeling of the DualSense.

Honestly, holding this ROG Xbox Ally X felt good; it had the right grip, the right hold, and everything just felt natural in every possible way. In fact, this is the first Ally I don’t mind rocking without a case, but I have purchased my DBRAND Killswitch to see if it’s really necessary to get one – so, stay tuned for that content.

The Xbox UI is Genius, but needs More Work

The biggest mystery, well not anymore, is the Xbox UI – which really turned heads for many users and also evoked a lot of questions: is it an Xbox handheld, can I play Windows games, can I download my DRM-free Games, and the list goes on. Well, good news – if you do not know it already, is that the Xbox UI is a skin on top of an “almost” stripped Windows 11. With this comes a new button, the Xbox button on the side, which was never present in other Ally’s of the past.

By default, the moment you boot up, you get the Xbox App interface in full screen, and if you remember the Game Bar, well, that’s now been revamped to integrate most of the system settings and such into that to give a more seamless experience. Honestly, I am a fan compared to the clunky handheld experience we have had in the past, which is also the reason why a lot of other Handheld makers are resorting to Linux-based distros for more seamlessness.

That aside, at least during our Alpha/Beta testing phase till now, as our ROG Xbox Ally X is running the same firmware – and despite some crashes here and there (which is something you sign up for with such software), it is good. Everything feels intuitive, pretty easy and effortless to use, and the integration with other Game Clients is genius. Now, you can switch to the Windows 11 UI by tapping the desktop mode. But this is where the immersion fades.

Not all the settings or controls were natively available on the Xbox UI, so the switch back and forth was necessary. Some controls tend to go missing at times, but they will miraculously appear. Oh, and now you have Copilot+ for gaming. We are doing a more comprehensive video on addressing all the OS aspects of it soon, as now the stable version is out.

Xbox Aside, the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme is the Star of the Show

But forget about the entire Xbox UI, the real star of the show is the new AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, which now has efficient low-power gaming capabilities, while the high TDP mode performance kind of marginally improves over the Z1 Extreme. But what I love about the Z2 Extreme is truly for the lower TDP gaming experience. The efficiency it brings to the table is amazing, and if you play a lot of indie games on a handheld, you best believe you will have a longer time playing with it.

During my Singapore trip in October, the ROG Xbox Ally X went with me everywhere, and my friend’s daughter was playing some light games on it for a good two hours or so. And the battery dropped from 81% to probably 70%, which is pretty efficient compared to my Z1 Extreme, where I could probably play an indie game, and it would last for a lot less.

While I am not playing indie games, I do dabble in some other games that require the graphical demand and boy, for the first time, I have truly forgotten to change all the TDP nonsense and didn’t realise how good it was until I really saw the numbers. This is the first time I was not tinkering with the settings every time I wanted to play a game, and I just played. We are going to share our light to heavy gaming while travelling and the metrics, which is more important because a lot of people who purchase handhelds like this are getting it to play on the move.

However, for those who’d like to amp up their gaming experience while docked, lucky for us, Razer sent us the Core V2 eGPU Dock, which we will be testing out with this Ally X to see if it’s a worthy investment.

Almost the Same as the ROG Ally X but Different

Once you put both the Xbox aspect and the Z2 Extreme processor improvements aside, it is pretty much the ROG Ally X with a facelift. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you are getting the same hardware as the Ally X: the same display, 24GB RAM, 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD and 85Wh battery. Of course, you get the Thunderbolt support, MicroSD card slot, and better thermals.

Other subtle yet surprising improvements are:

  • The speakers are the same; however, they sound better, louder and acoustically have better surround for some reason.
  • The Impulse triggers, which are supposedly reactive in games, do work, but only in select games, which is a shame.

What I really wish could be better

Dear ROG, give me my OLED Display already

Coming from a brand that has replaced almost their entire lineup of laptops with Nebula display, which is their OLED display (though there is another Nebula panel, which uses MiniLED – not to be confused with that), I want to see an OLED display on the handheld. I think we have to live with the fact that Burn-in is inevitable, and ASUS has created solutions to mitigate all those issues – so, why are we not seeing an OLED panel here?

The IPS 120Hz display we see currently is great, but the OLED colours and peak nit brightness would have been epic, and battery life could have improved a lot too. I really hope this changes with the next Ally. Which brings to the next point…

They played it too Safe

As an existing ROG Ally X user, and now switching to the ROG Xbox Ally X, I have to say, it feels too safe a gaming device. This can be good for now, but if this formula sticks, then there’s a problem in the long run. I hope to see TMR thumbsticks, and some impressive hardware or perhaps the ability to have upgradable kits for these ROG Ally, now that would be awesome.

Z1 Extreme ROG Ally X have very little reason to upgrade

If you are on the Z1 Extreme ROG Ally X, honestly? There’s no reason to upgrade to the ROG Xbox Ally X as the performance difference isn’t that huge if your gaming is going to revolve mostly around graphics-intensive titles, and with the Ally X just a year old, I still believe it has a lot of life in it. Which is why I am not going to let go of my ROG Ally X any time soon. It just might be my experimental gaming handheld.

If at all, the ROG Xbox Ally X makes the Xbox Ally more Appealing

But you know something? If your intention is to play older titles, indie games and maybe emulation, the ROG Xbox Ally X is a perfect choice for half the price. I really think this is the device meant for the holiday season for many new and existing gamers who’d love to take things up a notch.

Conclusion

Apart from all the opinions we have shared, it still doesn’t negate the fact that the ROG Xbox Ally X, on its own, is a great handheld you will not be disappointed owning for gaming. But I do ask you to consider the ROG Xbox Ally too while you’re at it. But users who are on the ROG Ally X, you can save your money for the next one, but for the OG ROG Ally users, this is worth of a consideration to upgrade to. As for first timers, oh, this ROG Xbox Ally X is really the gateway to gaming on a Windows-powered handheld.

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