Asus Rog Xbox Ally X Review: An Extra Life For Xbox

Xbox is astatine a crossroads. While nan PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 proceed to summation popularity, multiple price hikes for nan Xbox Series S and X person killed their momentum. And pinch respective large container retailers for illustration Costco deciding to driblet Microsoft’s console from their shelves, nan current-gen Xbox whitethorn beryllium dormant successful nan water. So what should nan institution do?

Microsoft’s astir straightforward action would beryllium to simply punt nan extremity of nan Xbox's lifecycle, regroup and travel backmost beardown pinch a marque caller console successful a twelvemonth aliases two. On nan flipside, nan institution could travel successful Sega's footsteps aft nan untimely demise of nan Dreamcast and go a cross-platform crippled patient pinch a ample unchangeable of first-party studios. However, there's a 3rd way that could capable nan spread betwixt now and whenever nan adjacent Xbox arrives that could perchance grow its scope to a full caller segment: Give handheld gaming a go.

Engineering and building a caller portable gaming instrumentality isn't inexpensive aliases quick. So alternatively of doing everything itself, Microsoft teamed up pinch ASUS to create nan ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X — a brace of Windows 11-based portable gaming PCs enhanced pinch Microsoft's DNA. And while it's excessively early to opportunity if these handhelds will thief prevention Xbox itself, they're much than coagulated portables that could person a large effect connected portable gaming going forward.

Editor's note: This reappraisal is focused connected nan ROG Xbox Ally X, chiefly because that's each we person astatine nan moment. However, nan Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X stock galore features including nan aforesaid basal creation , display, fastener layout and package (the only quality is their color). That said, nan guidelines Xbox Ally has little awesome specs arsenic it comes pinch a slower AMD Ryzen Z2 chip, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of retention and a smaller 60WHr battery. It’s besides a touch lighter (1.48 pounds vs 1.58) and has a little value of $600 alternatively of $1,000.

Design and display: The Xbox goes portable

When you look astatine nan ROG Xbox Ally X, it mightiness look arsenic if ASUS bolted larger grips to its erstwhile handheld — the Ally X — and called it a day. However, nan institution says nan Xbox Ally was redesigned from nan crushed up, successful ample portion to see a number of signature features that will make Xbox religious consciousness correct astatine home. This includes things for illustration nan classical ABXY fastener layout, Impulse triggers pinch tons of recreation and, of course, nan requisite Xbox location button. Then smack dab successful nan mediate of everything is simply a 7-inch IPS LCD screen.

Speaking of nan display, ASUS picked a FHD IPS sheet pinch a 120Hz refresh complaint that appears to beryllium nan nonstop aforesaid surface utilized connected nan Ally X. While it doesn't present axenic blacks for illustration you'd get from OLED, opposition was still amazingly good. With a brightness of 500 nits (the 1 connected our reappraisal portion was really a touch higher astatine 510 nits), this show delivers almost everything you want without emotion for illustration you request to upgrade to thing for illustration nan immense 8.8-inch OLED sheet connected nan Lenovo Legion Go 2.

Around back, location are 2 customizable paddles while nan apical separator houses a fingerprint scholar and each of nan Xbox Ally X's connectivity: 2 USB-C ports, a microSD paper scholar and 3.5mm audio. Notably, while some ports support charging and show capabilities, nan 1 furthest to nan near is besides Thunderbolt 4 compliant. This intends it has capable bandwidth to support outer GPUs for illustration ASUS' precocious updated XG Mobile graphics dock.

Ultimately, nan ROG Xbox Ally mightiness not look each that different from ASUS' erstwhile handhelds, but betwixt its buttons, triggers and those large caller grips, it really does consciousness for illustration you're holding a portable type of Microsoft's console. Even without Hall Effect sensors, nan Xbox Ally X's joysticks are tight and responsive, while nan triggers connection a ton of travel. The only point I wish ASUS and Microsoft had paid a small much attraction to is nan handheld's haptics, which are fine, but they’re a acold outcry from nan expressive rumble motors you get from a DualSense controller aliases nan Switch 2's Joy-Con.

Performance: Flagship handheld power

As nan higher-end exemplary successful ASUS and Microsoft's caller associated handheld lineup, nan ROG Xbox Ally X features a AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme spot pinch 24GB of representation (which is shared pinch its GPU) and 1TB of retention that tin beryllium expanded via microSD. However, acknowledgment successful portion to nan caller full-screen Xbox experience, Microsoft tweaked a number of nan handheld's inheritance processes and services for nan first clip connected a Windows 11-based handheld. The consequence is simply a somewhat much optimized instrumentality moreover erstwhile compared to its closest rivals.

In Cyberpunk 2077 astatine 1,920 x 1,080, mean graphics and FSR group to performance, nan ROG Xbox Ally X deed 62.1 fps while plugged successful and group to its max 35-watt Turbo mode. That's almost 5 fps higher than what we sewage from nan Lenovo Legion Go 2 (57.5 fps) erstwhile its settings are likewise maxed out. Admittedly, this mightiness not sound for illustration a immense improvement, but it ends up being an other 7 percent capacity from nan aforesaid chip, which ain't bad. Meanwhile successful Returnal, I sewage akin numbers aft switching to nan Ally's much energy-efficient 17-watt Performance Mode (unplugged), wherever it produced 42 fps astatine afloat HD connected mean versus 39 fps for nan Lenovo.

That said, it's important to statement that nan Ally's capacity changes depending connected whether it's plugged into nan wall aliases not. If you want its afloat 35-watt Turbo Mode, you're going to request to usage a powerfulness adapter, while its 17-watt Performance and 13-watt Silent modes enactment nan aforesaid nary matter what you do. There’s besides a manual capacity customization tool, but to entree it, you'll request to move complete to ASUS' Armoury Crate app, arsenic location isn't a spot to alteration things straight wrong nan Xbox app.

Software: The tailored gaming acquisition we needed

Getting excited astir nan package connected a gaming handheld is usually beautiful difficult. However, betwixt nan aforementioned tweaks to inheritance services and nan caller full-screen Xbox experience, Microsoft has managed to region a ton of nan clunkiness that typically plagues different Windows-based gaming handhelds.

Instead of having to wade your measurement done nan accepted Windows desktop earlier booting into a game, now you're greeted by nan Xbox app upon startup (and moreover during first setup), truthful location are less steps to get betwixt you and your favourite title. Furthermore, Microsoft has travel up pinch a revamped layout that makes halfway features ace easy to find. The Home tab is wherever each your installed package is, while location are different dedicated sections for Game Pass downloads (assuming you person a subscription) unreality gaming/remote play (also via Game Pass) and nan Microsoft Store. If you for illustration different integer marketplaces for illustration Steam aliases Epic, location are shortcuts to download installers for those stores (and a fewer much for illustration GOG and Ubisoft) successful nan My Apps tab. You don't request to unfastened a web browser and do things manually.

Furthermore, hitting nan Xbox fastener summons a fistful of speedy settings for each sorts of things, including nan Command Center for performance, toggles for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, your Xbox friends database and a full batch more. It's benignant of for illustration a do-everything fastener and it makes accessing almost each of your astir important devices and features speedy and easy.

On apical of that, location are caller gestures that you tin entree by swiping successful connected nan surface successful different directions. Dragging your digit successful from nan near calls up nan Xbox Game Bar overlay, moreover erstwhile you're successful nan mediate of playing a game, while swiping successful from nan correct opens your Windows notifications. But my favourite bid is swiping up from nan bottom, which is simply a caller measurement to move betwixt apps (or a cooler type of Alt + Tab, depending connected really you look astatine it). From there, you tin moreover scroll done immoderate programs that are presently unfastened conscionable by tapping nan Xbox Ally's enarthrosis buttons. If you want to usage nan handheld for illustration a existent PC, you tin besides activate nan Windows desktop from location too.

The redesigned Xbox acquisition is very breezy and handles 90 to 95 percent of your accepted gaming functions, but location are still times erstwhile immoderate of Window's underlying awkwardness shows through. Most often, I recovered this happens erstwhile exiting a crippled from a third-party store, wherever nan Xbox Ally will spit you retired into your Steam room (for example), wherever you'll often person to trust connected touchscreen controls alternatively of nan joysticks aliases nan desktop mode's rodent cursor to navigate around. It's not a large woody compared to different Windows-based handhelds, and moreover though Microsoft has taken a large measurement guardant connected nan Xbox Ally, location is still a small polishing to beryllium done.

Battery life: A coagulated jump successful longevity

One of nan biggest benefits of going pinch nan ROG Xbox Ally X is that it comes pinch a larger 80WHr artillery than nan guidelines exemplary (60Whr). When that is mixed pinch improved power ratio from its caller chip, you get very coagulated artillery life — conscionable arsenic agelong arsenic you don’t max retired nan powerfulness settings.

I tested this by playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 astatine afloat HD connected mean settings and max brightness (Protip: don’t do this astatine nighttime if you want to get to slumber connected time) and nan Xbox Ally X lasted conscionable awkward of 3 and a half hours. That’s 30 minutes longer than what I sewage from nan Legion Go 2, though considering nan second has a overmuch larger surface (with nan aforesaid 500 nits of brightness), that quality wasn’t a large shock. The bigger revelation is that erstwhile compared to nan original Ally X, ASUS and Microsoft’s caller jointly-made instrumentality provided an other hr of runtime, which could make a meaningful quality connected a agelong trip.

Wrap-up

While Microsoft’s first existent foray into PC gaming handhelds isn’t upending nan position quo and it’s measurement excessively early to opportunity if this gadget will prevention Xbox arsenic a whole, it is bringing immoderate notable advancements. The caller full-screen acquisition makes launching and playing games connected Windows-based devices truthful overmuch much seamless that it’s benignant of chaotic it took truthful agelong to get here. Sure, location are still a fewer separator cases wherever you’ll person to pat nan surface aliases flip betwixt nan Xbox app and ASUS’ Armoury Create to tweak definite settings, but compared to astir of its rivals, nan ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is simply a monolithic upgrade successful wide usability.

The bigger grips and a acquainted fastener layout will instantly make longtime Xbox fans consciousness correct astatine home. And acknowledgment to nan caller spot and much processes and services that tally successful nan inheritance while you’re gaming, you get class-leading capacity and artillery life.

Aside from lackluster haptics, nan ROG Xbox Ally X’s biggest rumor is its price. I wholly get that there’s a increasing number of gamers who perpetually crave amended capacity from their portable PCs. However, nan trade-off for each this is simply a overmuch bigger deed to your wallet. It wasn’t that agelong agone erstwhile nan going complaint for a premium handheld was much for illustration $500, which made it easier to afford. After all, those devices weren’t really designed to beryllium your main gaming rig for illustration a laptop aliases desktop.

Ultimately nan biggest deciding facet for purchasing nan ROG Xbox Ally X whitethorn beryllium really overmuch personification is already invested into nan Xbox ecosystem. If you’re a instrumentality of different crippled stores aliases you don’t person a subscription to Xbox Game Pass aliases a ton of friends connected nan platform, you won’t get nan afloat use of everything Microsoft has integrated into nan handheld’s caller software. This goes double for devotees of Valve’s integer shop and Linux-based OS that don’t request bleeding separator performance, who tin safely instrumentality to overmuch much affordable Steam Decks aliases nan Legion Go S.

Alternatively, if you want a versatile portable pinch a elephantine OLED surface and detachable controllers, nan Legion Go 2 is worthy information arsenic well. Though astatine $1,300 for nan exemplary pinch a Z2 Extreme chip, it’s moreover much costly than this caller handheld Xbox. Still, contempt immoderate insignificant caveats, Microsoft has yet put its rotation connected portable PC gaming (with an assistance from ASUS) and brought immoderate invited upgrades to nan abstraction that person made nan ROG Xbox Ally X a apical support device.