ROG Ally X: Improved Battery Life, Storage, and Ergonomics, But Can It Beat Steam Deck's Software and Price?
At Computex 2024, ASUS unveiled the ROG Ally X gaming handheld, just weeks after teasing the device. As promised, this isn't a completely new model but rather an upgraded version, akin to a ROG Ally 1.5.
I had the opportunity to try out ASUS's latest Windows handheld at the event, bringing my Steam Deck along for a side-by-side comparison. Here are my initial thoughts on the ROG Ally X, highlighting its improvements over the original Ally and the areas where Valve's Steam Deck still holds a distinct edge.
What’s new with the ROG Ally X?
The Ally X looks very similar to the regular Ally at first glance. It has the same basic design, the powerful AMD Z1 Extreme processor, and the seven-inch FHD+ 120Hz screen with 500 nits brightness and a variable refresh rate.
However, if you take a closer look, you'll notice some significant changes. One of the biggest issues with the original Ally was its poor battery life. Thankfully, the company has addressed this by doubling the battery capacity in the Ally X, increasing it from a 40Wh battery to an 80Wh cell. While we didn’t have enough hands-on time to fully test the battery life, this upgrade should be promising for users who were disappointed by the original model's endurance.
Despite doubling the battery capacity, the weight has only increased by 0.15 pounds, bringing the total to 1.49 pounds. When I compared it to my Steam Deck, I did notice the ROG device was slightly heavier. However, this small weight difference didn't seem to be an issue during my brief time playing on the device.
The device has undergone several significant updates. Its shape is now slightly rounder, the handles offer a better grip, the rear keys are smaller to prevent accidental presses, and the button/stick layouts have been subtly adjusted. Additionally, it features an eight-way D-pad instead of the standard four-way option, which is particularly beneficial for fighting games. Transitioning from the Steam Deck to the Ally X felt largely seamless from a hardware perspective, despite differences in joystick layouts and the presence of trackpads on the Valve device.
Our ROG Ally X announcement article details numerous other changes, such as the inclusion of a USB 4.0 port instead of the XG Mobile port, reworked internal components, and enhanced cooling. We were especially interested in whether the original model's defective microSD card reader, which damaged memory cards, had been fixed.
Whitson Gordon, ASUS's senior manager of content marketing, informed Android Authority, "We had to redesign the entire motherboard for the Ally X, which included changing the SD card reader and its power delivery." He also noted that the SD card reader's location was moved as part of the motherboard redesign, and assured that ASUS now has robust QA processes in place to catch such issues.
These updates contribute to significantly improved hardware, but how does the software hold up? This was my first experience with the ASUS Armory Crate UI and Windows 11, and I found it to be a considerable downgrade from the intuitive Steam OS on Valve’s Deck. Although my time with the device was brief, I encountered some awkwardness in the UI layout and occasional glitches, such as issues when switching in and out of games. It would be great if Microsoft developed a handheld-focused UI for Windows 11.
During our short testing period, we played games like PalWorld and Armored Core 6. Both ran smoothly while plugged in, but PalWorld exhibited noticeable judder for a while after unplugging the Ally X.
Is the ASUS ROG Ally X worth a look?
The ROG Ally X, priced at $799, remains quite expensive when compared to the 1TB Steam Deck OLED at $649, which benefits from a subsidy by Valve's storefront. A bigger concern is the software, which isn't quite up to par, an issue ASUS can't entirely fix without Microsoft's assistance.
That said, the revamped Ally model is closer to what the original Ally should have been. With 1TB of storage and a massive battery, it has a lot going for it, and the numerous minor adjustments enhance its appeal. If you can overlook the somewhat clunky software and the steep price, it’s definitely worth considering.
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