ASUS ROG Ally X (2024): what the reviews agree on

Reviewers agree the Ryzen Z1 Extreme is unchanged and the gains come from RAM, cooling and power limits. They differ on size: IGN calls the jump big in some games, GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer call it modest.

• IGN measured Hitman 3 at 55 fps at 1080p, against 48 fps on the original Ally, and Cyberpunk 2077 at 31 fps, against 27 fps on the Legion Go. IGN credits the faster 24 GB memory.
• PC Gamer found the Ally X about 6 to 10% faster than the original with FSR Balanced and medium settings. In Cyberpunk 2077 in Silent mode it ran 62% faster, though at 21 fps on average.
• GamesRadar+ saw Assassin's Creed Valhalla go from 32 fps to 37 fps against its original Ally and called the gain real but not decisive.
• Tom's Hardware found the Ally X beat its predecessor and the Steam Deck in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Cyberpunk 2077, Borderlands 3, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Forza Horizon 5, by small margins in some games and larger ones in others.
• Tom's Guide got a steady 40 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at medium with FSR and 50 fps in Forza Horizon 5 at 1080p medium with FSR, and says frame rates hold over long sessions.

Every review credits the 80 Wh battery, double the original's 40 Wh, with a clear gain. Real play time still depends on the game and the power mode, and heavy 3D games drain it in about two hours.

• IGN's PCMark 10 battery test ran 9 hours 23 minutes, against 4 hours 53 minutes for the Legion Go. Yakuza 0 at 1080p and around 80% brightness lasted 3 to 4 hours.
• Ars Technica's PCMark 10 gaming test suggested 2 hours 15 minutes in Turbo and nearly 3 hours in Performance. Elden Ring on Turbo ran 1 hour 48 minutes, and Deathloop on Performance 2 hours 49 minutes.
• GamesRadar+ played Octopath Traveler at 25 W and full brightness for about 3.5 hours, against 2 hours on the original Ally.
• Tom's Hardware's laptop-style test lasted 8 hours 19 minutes at 150 nits, against 5 hours 51 minutes for the original Ally.
• Ars Technica says it still drains faster than the Steam Deck OLED in less demanding games.

The 7-inch 1080p, 120 Hz IPS panel is unchanged from the original and reviewers call it sharp and bright. They agree it cannot match the Steam Deck OLED, and some wanted an OLED at this price.

• IGN calls the 7-inch 1080p 120 Hz panel a good fit for the chip and praises its 500-nit peak brightness in bright rooms.
• Tom's Guide measured 523 nits and 112.7% sRGB, against 597 nits and 143.7% for the Steam Deck OLED, and says the Ally X lacks the OLED treatment.
• Tom's Hardware says the screen looks great but cannot fully match the Steam Deck OLED, and found it noticeably brighter than the original Ally's.
• PC Gamer says a higher-resolution or higher-refresh panel would cost performance or battery, so it accepts the 1080p 120 Hz choice.

Reviewers agree the redesigned grips, thumbsticks, face buttons and smaller back buttons make it more comfortable than the original, even at 678 g.

• Ars Technica held it for 60 to 90 minutes without discomfort despite the extra 70 g, and says the textured grips are the most underrated change.
• Tom's Guide praises the shoulder triggers, tactile face buttons and joysticks, and the smaller back buttons that avoid accidental presses.
• GamesRadar+ found the tighter thumbsticks a clear improvement. The smaller back buttons suit larger hands but are harder to reach with smaller hands.
• Tom's Hardware says the larger grips and Hall-sensor triggers feel better, though the triggers and bumpers still sit close together.
• PC Gamer notes the weight of 678 g against 608 g and calls it bulky but nothing like the Steam Deck.

The extra vent and revised cooling get praise for a cooler screen and a quieter fan. PC Gamer notes it can still run warm when docked.

• IGN says the touchscreen stays cool even after hours of play, which the original did not manage.
• Ars Technica found the third top vent makes it quieter in Silent and Performance modes. It repeats Asus's claim of up to 24% more airflow and a panel up to 6 degrees Celsius cooler.
• PC Gamer calls the cooling quiet and effective, with a lower-pitched fan in 30 W Turbo mode, but lists heat when docked as a drawback.
• In Tom's Hardware's Metro Exodus loop at 720p, plugged in, the CPU averaged 71.87 degrees Celsius and the GPU 69.

Every review says Windows 11 is the weak point on a handheld. Armoury Crate and the Command Center help, but setup and some launches still need a keyboard, mouse or patience, and SteamOS is rated easier.

• IGN calls Windows 11 on a touchscreen terrible and says the Steam Deck's SteamOS is the only thing it has over the Ally X. It still says Windows is needed to run all PC games out of the box.
• Tom's Guide says Armoury Crate is a good workaround, but setup on a small screen is poor, and it wants a handheld-focused Windows.
• Ars Technica found Armoury Crate and the Command Center less crash-prone than before. Launching a game is still a die roll, with launchers and windows landing in the background.
• Tom's Hardware found setup a pain and says games do not reliably pause on sleep. The upside is that Windows runs basically any PC game, including ones with anti-cheat that struggle on SteamOS.
• PC Gamer needed several restarts to get F1 22 working and could not get Dragon's Dogma 2 to recognise the Ally X as a controller over Steam Remote Play.

At $799 reviewers split on value. Tom's Guide and IGN call it the one to buy on Windows, while PC Gamer and GamesRadar+ point to cheaper options. All say owners of the original should not upgrade.

• Tom's Hardware calls $799.99 a lot, with the Steam Deck over $100 cheaper in its top configuration.
• PC Gamer notes the 1 TB Steam Deck OLED is $150 cheaper, and says the Ally X costs almost as much as an entry gaming laptop.
• GamesRadar+ says the original Ally often sells for $549 to $649 and is the better value for anyone who mostly plays plugged in.
• Ars Technica says the $800 price leaves a narrow value case unless you want the best possible handheld and tolerate Windows.
• IGN and Tom's Guide say that owners of a Z1-based handheld or a Steam Deck should not upgrade.