Regardless of being one of many first gaming handhelds from a serious PC maker, ASUS obtained quite a bit proper with the unique ROG Ally. It affords higher efficiency in a smaller chassis than Valve’s Steam Deck, however with out an enormous enhance in value. And since it’s based mostly on Home windows as a substitute of Linux, it delivers nearly common recreation compatibility. That mentioned, points like weak battery life and defective SD card slots left loads of room for enchancment. So on the brand new Ally X, ASUS tweaked nearly all the things except for its chip and show. However this time, what we’re getting is the totally armed and operational battle station that I needed all alongside.
Design and show
From afar, it could seem like all ASUS did was change the colour of the Ally X’s chassis from white to black. However the second I picked it up, I seen a variety of little adjustments together with extra pronounced grips, barely taller face buttons and smaller paddles round again designed in order that they’re tougher to hit by chance. There’s additionally a model new D-Pad which is a giant enchancment from the one on the vanilla Ally, although I’d nonetheless want a standard cross or one in all Sony’s pentagon-shaped preparations.
Photograph by Sam Rutherford
Because of some refined design tweaks and main {hardware} upgrades, ASUS has turned the ROG Ally X into the flagship Home windows gaming handheld it was meant to be.
- Improved ergonomics
- Double the battery
- Extra RAM
- Vibrant VRR show
- Now comes with two USB-C ports
- Dearer than earlier than
- Home windows on handheld PCs nonetheless feels clunky
- A built-in kickstand or an included case could be good
- No Corridor impact joysticks
$800 at Finest Purchase
On the within, ASUS added stiffer springs to Ally X’s joysticks, making them tighter and extra responsive. Nonetheless, ASUS stopped in need of switching to Corridor Impact sensors like those on rivals just like the Lenovo Legion Go. There’s additionally a 3rd vent and a brand new fan system that enhance cooling and airflow, although at full load, the again of this factor nonetheless will get fairly toasty.
However the most effective half is that even with all these adjustments and a handful of recent parts on the within (extra on these later), the Ally X isn’t a lot bulkier than its predecessor. The unique ROG Ally weighs 1.34 kilos and measures 1.28 inches at its thickest whereas the Ally X is available in at 1.49 kilos and 1.45 inches. I’ve even been informed by an ASUS consultant that the Ally X matches within the authentic Ally’s official case, although I haven’t confirmed that myself, as a result of, not like the Steam Deck, you don’t get one bundled with the system.
Lastly, there’s the Ally X’s 1080p show, one in all two parts that’s the identical as on its predecessor. It has nice brightness with a peak of round 500 nits (our overview unit was truly a contact higher at round 515 nits) and a variable 120Hz refresh fee. It’s just about precisely what you need on a system this measurement and in brighter environments, its black ranges are so good that I’ve mistaken it for an OLED panel.
Efficiency
The opposite main part that hasn’t modified is the Ally X’s AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive chip. However that doesn’t imply there aren’t any efficiency enhancements. That’s as a result of ASUS massively upgraded the remainder of its parts with 24GB of sooner LPDDR5X-7500 RAM (up from 16GB) and a bigger 1TB M.2 SSD (up from 512GB). This time, ASUS even opted for a full-size 2280 module, so if you wish to improve your storage down the road, you’ll have far more choices than the smaller 2230 stick used within the earlier mannequin. Plus, and I can’t stress this sufficient, ASUS has additionally had further time to shine the Ally X’s drivers. As we noticed on the unique, improved software program help could make a giant distinction in efficiency, particularly in a class that also advantages a ton from higher optimization. And relying on the title, we’ve seen efficiency enhance by as a lot as 5-10 %, which is fairly important contemplating its chip hasn’t modified.
In Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 720p on excessive graphics, the Ally X hit 54 fps in efficiency mode and 64 fps in Turbo mode in comparison with 54 fps and 60 fps for the unique. In the meantime when enjoying Cyberpunk 2077, I noticed even larger good points with the Ally X getting as much as 78 fps in Turbo mode versus simply 69 fps for the vanilla Ally. This enchancment appears to be due largely to the Ally X’s elevated RAM, which the hand held shares with its GPU. And in contrast to on a laptop computer or desktop with discrete graphics, the Z1 Excessive’s Radeon 780M doesn’t have its personal devoted reminiscence.
However no matter the way it’s getting there, all these adjustments make the Ally X one of the highly effective handheld PCs in the marketplace. That’s as a result of whereas the Legion Go makes use of the identical processor, it has 8GB much less RAM, so in video games, it usually lagged behind by three to 5 fps.
Software program
Home windows-based gaming handhelds proceed to be a bit clunky when you must change between varied recreation launchers and menus, however ASUS has streamlined its Armoury Crate app to be extra responsive and simpler to make use of. It’s usually much less buggy and higher outfitted to be a one-stop store for aggregating all completely different video games (and launchers) or rapidly tweaking settings. Even with all that, although, it’s nonetheless much less cohesive than Valve’s Steam OS. And regardless of latest enhancements, I nonetheless bumped into issues like Armoury Crate interrupting what I used to be attempting to do in Home windows when it routinely boots up after a restart (which fortunately you possibly can disable).
Battery life and ports
One of many greatest points with the unique Ally was its brief battery life, which frequently lasted simply an hour or an hour and a half at finest. And when you could have a system that must be plugged right into a wall that ceaselessly, it calls into query how good of a gaming handheld it truly is.
However on the Ally X, ASUS doubled battery capability to 80Wh. Now it may simply recreation for a minimum of two hours to 2 and a half hours (or extra, when you don’t thoughts fiddling round with settings). And once you do not forget that the Ally X isn’t that a lot heftier than its predecessor, you could have an excellent better appreciation for the way a lot further juice ASUS managed to cram inside.
I additionally recognize that ASUS changed the proprietary XG Cell connector on the unique mannequin with a second USB-C port that helps Thunderbolt 4. This implies you possibly can nonetheless plug in an exterior graphics dock in order for you, whereas additionally supplying you with the pliability to hook up all kinds of peripherals. This enables the Ally X to higher function a transportable desktop as a result of you possibly can plug in equipment like a mouse and keyboard with out the necessity for exterior docks or dongles.
Wrap-up
Whereas the Ally X isn’t a real 2.0 model of its predecessor, ASUS has addressed just about each criticism I had concerning the authentic after which some. Its joysticks really feel tighter, its efficiency is healthier and battery life has primarily doubled. Even ASUS’ Armoury Crate app is less complicated to make use of, although it nonetheless hasn’t totally solved the problem of Home windows feeling clunky on PC handhelds. And whereas it’s a contact thicker and heavier than earlier than, these adjustments don’t influence its portability. ASUS additionally claims it has improved its RMA course of to higher help individuals who want servicing or repairs after quite a few buyer complaints. But it surely’s nonetheless too early to say if this has made a distinction.
Actually, the largest hurdle for the Ally X is its value. At $800, it prices $150 greater than the unique Ally or the closest equal Steam Deck. For many who purchased its predecessor, that would nonetheless make it a tricky promote after just one 12 months. I’d additionally argue that due to Steam OS, Valve’s handheld stays the extra streamlined and easier-to-use possibility. However make no mistake, when you’re speaking about the most effective PC gaming handhelds in the marketplace, the Ally X sits on the prime of the hill proper subsequent to the Steam Deck.
