Customer Ratings & Reviews

It was a good portable pc until 1 year later it stopped working, it’s no longer charging and it’s stuck on a boot up screen stating that it’s scanning repairs and it never does.

I started with the ASUS ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme processor, and it was a fantastic device. Seriously, it did everything I wanted: smooth gaming, great build quality, and portability that made traveling with it a breeze. But then I saw this one—the upgraded ROG Ally X—and it was like it was calling my name. 24GB of RAM? A 1TB SSD? In a handheld? It felt like ASUS looked at my wishlist and said, “We got you.” I hesitated for a hot second because I already had the other model, but let’s be honest—when a gaming handheld like this exists, you don’t just ignore it. The extra RAM makes multitasking seamless, and I swear the 1TB SSD makes me feel like I can install my entire Steam library without breaking a sweat. I loaded up Starfield, Cyberpunk, and Baldur’s Gate 3 all at once, and this thing didn’t even flinch. Performance-wise, it’s everything you love about the original Ally, but with that little extra “oomph” that makes you feel like a king (or queen) of portable gaming. The black design is sleek and screams “premium,” and now every time I look at it, I know I made the right choice. If you’re debating between this and the original ROG Ally, I can tell you firsthand: both are great, but this one takes it to another level. It’s like upgrading from a sports car to a supercar. Totally worth it. TL;DR: If you want the best of the best and can spare the cash, go for the Ally X. It’s a game-changer, literally.

I’m very impressed with the Ally X. I’m more of a retro gamer and do not often play the latest titles, but even including something as “recent” as Halo Infinite, I’m very pleased with the performance, build, controls, and battery life. Setup It’s pretty tedious, but that comes with the territory given that this is a full Windows 11 handheld. Just know that you’ll have the hour(s) long setup and update process, so prepare to wait. You’ll have three things to update right out of the box: Windows, of course, MyAsus (drivers and BIOS), and then Armory Crate. Lastly, of course, you’ll need to sign in and update all of the game libraries you have, and then install any games. It was probably two hours after opening the box until I was able to run even a tiny retro title like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Build quality, hardware The build quality is top tier. The weight feels reasonable despite the battery size doubling from the previous release. I loaded up Geometry Wars first because it’s a game that eats controllers and reveals any ergo issues right away. After five hours of intense use, I’m very happy to say that the ergos are excellent, there’s great grip molded into the back, no hotspots (user experience may vary here), and the thumbsticks are super tough. The posts on many controllers, even some first-party controllers, often will show more signs of wear after that length of time, but both the thumbstick posts and the rings on the Ally X looked nearly pristine (see pic). Performance, battery life I’m very happy with the performance. It’s a retro game BEAST. Of course, this hardware should have no issues with dealing with older titles on performance, but here the battery just doesn’t quit. I was spent way before the battery was. If you’re into side scrollers, shoot 'em ups, Metroidvania-type games, you are going to LOVE this handheld. On more modern titles, I was pleased as well. With Halo Infinite set to the video defaults, performance was flawless. I wasn’t counting framerate or anything, but it felt more than fine. The same for a modern but aged title like Alien Isolation. Obviously, these modern titles will chew through the battery faster, but it passed my three-hour session, and I didn’t even start with a full charge, so I’m fine with it. Issues/Weirdness Like any PC platform, games don’t always work out of the box. This isn’t a mark against the Ally X; it’s just a heads-up notice that these things happen. I wasn’t able to get Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the Epic store to load at all. Not sure if it was a bad install or not, but given that it takes an hour or longer (depending on internet speed) to download and install modern AAA titles, I didn’t have the patience to troubleshoot it before dropping this review. On FPS games, I ran into an issue where I would inadvertently tap the touchscreen with my right thumb when reaching max tilt of the thumbstick. On some games it would register a single trigger pull; on others, like Halo Infinite, it would register a trigger hold and deplete my ammo. It took me a while to figure out what was happening. I thought maybe there was an issue with the right trigger being out of calibration. Then I thought maybe it was a game incompatibility; or maybe it was a bad install. No, I was just tapping the screen without realizing it. I don’t think this is a design flaw in the sense of thumbstick placement. A balance needs to be had between device size, screen size, and controller ergos, so the user just needs to be aware of what’s happening with their thumbs to prevent unwanted screen taps. Conclusion In the end, handhelds are already a compromise of many variables in order to pack so much into such a compact form factor. The Ally X, in my opinion, manages to strike the best balance between size/weight, performance, battery life, build quality, and design. If you have the budget and you want access to multiple libraries, this is the handheld to get.

They send me a wrong item. I payed like 750 bucks for the rog ally x and I received the rog ally 7 XD

ROG Ally X - great handheld - hampered by windows OS - this is only for those that are already windows gamers. First thing is first. If you already have a ROG Ally, or even a Legion Go, or a Steam Deck, this is not worth getting right now as a replacement. While the ROG Ally X is a great piece of hardware over-all, it is currently very expensive compared to relatively recently released gaming handhelds. AMD is the company that makes the Z1 Extreme CPU and they are releasing a more powerful version in the future that will likely make it into all the new Windows based gaming handhelds. In the case of last year’s ROG Ally itself, gaming performance across most games was only slightly faster and would likely not be very noticeable to most users of the original ROG Ally. What will be VERY noticeable is the biggest ROG Ally X’s biggest upgrade, it’s 80 kwh battery, double last year’s ROG Ally battery capacity, what was probably the single biggest gripe had with that launch unit, where more demanding games would require you to be plugged in with a charger with very short battery life for some of the more recent AAA games. The Ally X is essentially a mid generation upgrade, where everything the original ROG Ally did well has been made better across the hardware, with exception of the actual CPU/GPU which has remained the same. Asus has thankfully redesigned the internals with a better cooling configuration and most importantly fixed the dreaded microSD card slot that plagued the first generation hardware destroying users' microSD cards. Hardware: Great battery life compared to previous ROG Ally, effectively doubling physical battery capacity. Some lower end indie games will run for over 6 hours if you take the power profile down to lower settings. The controller is great, including fantastic analogue control sticks, a really good d-pad, and nice buttons. I would say this is close to being the most comfortable handheld mobile controller, but still not quite as good as either model of the Steam Deck which is near perfection. However, if you purchase the Ally X, I would advise only purchasing from somewhere with a good return policy in event you get a unit that has hardware defects such as dead pixels on the screen, sticky triggers or buttons that feel crunchy. Because the ROG Ally X has such a large battery, you can now use up to a 100 watt charger, but unfortunately Asus decided to only include the same 65 watt charger they included with the original ROG Ally. Given the high asking price of the ROG Ally X, they should have at least thrown in the 100 watt charger, as effectively you will take twice as long as you used to take if you are used to charging the original Ally X. Also to note, if you plan to game thru a dock connected to a PC monitor, or to a TV, the 65 watt charger will not let you play in turbo 30 watt turbo mode while running thru a dock. You will need a 100 watt charger, and a dock that can support 100 watts or more. Running in Turbo 30 watt mode allows you to run the ROG Ally X at its highest possible performance mode with things like AAA games. Keep in mind you probably don’t want to do this all the time, and not every game will even get much out of it. You wouldn’t want to do this for example with a low powered indie platformer /metroidvania game. There are now 2 USB-C ports on the ROG Ally X which is great. Now you can charge and also have another USB-C device plugged in at once. One of the USB-C ports is even USB 4 and thunderbolt compatible, and also will let you connect to a DisplayPort monitor if you have one. There is a microSD port so you can have extra storage. As mentioned earlier, Asus has moved the placement of the port away from the heatpipes that were the possible culprit for destroying the original ROG Ally’s microSD cards for so many users. Asus did not include a system case with the Ally X, which is also very disappointing given this is a very fragile device, meant to be used as a portable on the go device. The steam decks in comparison, all come with a very decent hard case, and every configuration of their steam decks come in at a much lower price than the Ally X. Operating system: The fact that it is based on windows is both its greatest asset and its greatest detriment. Windows opens up the world of letting you play games from not only just about every PC gaming storefront which is great, but it is terrible to use on a handheld, and unfortunately it is a pain to use if you aren’t plugged into a bigger screen with a mouse/keyboard. The ROG Ally X, as powerful as it may be for a gaming handheld, is NOT for someone who doesn’t tinker in Windows. Even though Asus has their own ROG Armory crate front end, you will still need to go back into windows now and then to set things up or figure out weird bugs to get games working. My biggest gripe here, is that even in 2024, you cannot just easily and reliably put the device to sleep in a game as you can on something like a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck which both do this perfectly!! I have had a Steam Deck for over a year and love that I can play anything I want and not need to worry about getting to save point in any game, as I can just hit the power button and it will go to sleep and I can wake it back up in seconds, exactly in the game in the exact state it was in. You cannot reliably do this on the ROG Ally X. I don’t blame Asus for this, but it is really just Windows. Windows is a very good OS on laptops and computers, but it was never designed to be a handheld gaming OS. While if you are good or at least ok with laptop or desktop PC gaming, if you are someone that doesn’t want to have to figure out why a game will not launch, or randomly just stop working with the controller, you will not want this handheld. You really need a solid grasp of Windows. I really wish at times that Asus would directly work with Microsoft on making a specific customized version of Windows and get rid of all the bloat to really make the ROG Ally X shine. Gaming: And so here we are, time to talk about gaming. And thankfully, gaming on this handheld is really great, frankly fantastic even though the Ally X is still using the same CPU as the launch Ally. Because the screen has Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) any dips or swings in frame rate are not noticeable, they appear steady as you play. This is possibly the best hand held screen of all, even the OLED steam deck in my opinion which does not have VRR. The controllers are also great. However, in one of the games I tested, the controls would just lose their pairing with the game. I managed to tab back into armory crate and it would go back to working again, only to happen again minutes later. I found that switching the control setting in the ROG software from automatic to controller. After I did that, it behaved fine. I think this is likely just a ROG Armory Crate software issue that hopefully will get fixed in future updates. I played Halo Infinte from my Xbox Game Pass subscription, and even on the middle profile power mode, I was able to maintain about 60fps at 1080p resolution, while running off the battery which I thought was really good. All the controls felt great with this first person shooter, and the handful of other games I tried out. Other less demanding games I could get similar to higher frame rates, even with that middle of the road power setting. The less demanding the game is, the longer battery life you will get too. Verdict: The Ally X is a great system for sure, and by far, the BEST WINDOWS handheld, but keep in mind it is very expensive compared to the much lower priced handhelds that offer similar performance and MUCH easier to setup and go. Even setting the Ally X up out of the box, it will take you about an hour or more, with windows updates, asus software updates, bios updates, etc. You need to be comfortable with working in windows with this handheld. With the Ally X you do however get a very well designed piece of hardware, great feeling controls, a great screen with Variable Refresh Rate, the BEST SCREEN for handheld gaming, and the longest battery life of any gaming handheld to date, that can on top of that play a HUGE amount of games from virtually every available windows gaming storefront, including the Microsoft / Xbox Store!! (You cannot do that on a Steam Deck.) If you are already a Xbox Game Pass user, the ROG Ally X is fantastic. Even if you happen to have an Xbox Series console, because the Ally X is a windows handheld, you can “remote play” into your home console, and get seemingly better performance if you have a good internet connection to both your Xbox home console, and your ROG Ally X. And, because all the “hard” work is being done on your remote console, you are mostly getting much better battery life as you are pretty much just streaming video to your Ally X and not pushing the system much at all! I was shocked how good this was. Microsoft really needs to partner with Asus to make a custom Windows handheld OS, and catch up to the experience you can get out of the Steam Deck OS experience which is so much easier to use out of the box. If you are a comfortable windows gamer however, this is still a great system, but it is not worth upgrading from a gaming handheld in the last 2 years regardless of manufacturer. Cannot wait to see what the future holds from Asus with their gaming handhelds. And all this competition is only good for consumers in the end. Asus has really upped the bar for battery life in a powerful package here. I think this is the single best improvement with the ROG Ally X, because if you don’t have battery life, you can’t play, and luckily, you can now play about twice as long if you are coming from the launch Ally and even the Steam Deck.

Drive 2 hours for a store pick up to buy what was suppose to be this and when I got home and opened it, was not what it was suppose to be. First off it was used when it was suppose to be brand new, when we opened the box there was 2 dish rags, an Xbox controller & some kind of speaker in the box. Now we are being told by customer service that we have to take it back into the store tomorrow to hopefully get a return. So there’s another 2 hour drive plus the gas we have to use to hopefully get the situation fixed.

The Asus ROG Ally X is an awesomely powerful and versatile gaming handheld that offers a customizable experience for gamers with a bit of patience. With its 7-inch 1080 P 120hz IPS display, powerful AMD Z1 processor, and comfortable controls, the Ally is a great choice for a gamer looking for a portable gaming device to take their PC gaming with them. Design The Ally has a sleek and stylish design that is sure to turn heads. The Ally X is now all black, with RGB rings around the analog sticks and a more rounded design for comfort. The device is made of high-quality materials and feels solid in the hand. The offset analog sticks are a plus and the buttons all feel tactile and nice to press. No mushy buttons here. It’s a little shorter than the other main player on the market, but about the same weight. Display The Ally X’s 7-inch screen is one of its highlights. The display is bright at 500 nits, vivid, and has a resolution of 1080p. It also supports up to 120hz refresh rate, which makes everything feel and look much more fluid. I have no complaints about the responsiveness of the screen to touch and have not noticed any ghosting, smearing or other visual issues with it. Gaming Performance The Ally X is powered by the AMD Z1 Extreme processor that delivers great performance for a handheld. I’ve played a ton of games on this little device, and they’ve all run quite well at close to medium/high settings. Games like Forza Horizon 5 and Doom Eternal run like a dream at 60FPS+, and even heavier games like Hellblade 2 run well on the device at a lower FPS. Smaller and less graphical intense games are the bread and butter of what I play, and those all ran well. I really don’t see a reason for any game currently release to not be able to play on the device with a few tweaks to the visual settings. I was able to play everything at 1080P without FSR or RSR except for Hellblade 2. Being able to support FSR and RSR is important, as they’ll come in handy for games that might struggle to keep a consistent frame rate. These are all the games I played while reviewing the unit without any issues. They all played well at either at their respective frame rates without too much tweaking or troubleshooting. Brotato Sleeping Dogs GTA V Hellblade 2 Octopath Traveler II Forza Horizon 5 Doom Eternal Farm Together 2 Diablo IV Flintlock When plugged into a powerful enough charger, you’ll be able to access 30W Turbo mode, which allows the Ally X to muster out a few more FPS at the expense of some fan noise and heat. This is a great option when you want just a little more performance out of the device for heavier games, and a welcomed feature. Battery Life/Charging and Thermals The battery life on the Ally X has been upgraded to almost twice the size and it shows. You can squeeze almost 3 hours out of the unit while playing AAA games, and a few more hours when playing less graphically intensive games. Charging is easy and quick with the supplied charger as well. The device does get a little loud when under load and put into Performance or Turbo mode. The back of the unit also gets quite warm, but the grips and controls stay nice and cool, so holding the device never becomes uncomfortable. There is a slight bit of what sounds like coil whine that’s more prevalent at certain angles, but nothing too distracting and not something most people will even notice. Interface/Functionality This is where the Ally X both shines and requires a little patience from the user, and why I don’t fully recommend it for every gamer that wants a portable device. The Ally X runs Windows 11, it’s not a special version of Windows, so you’ll be able to load all your game launchers like Steam, Xbox Game Pass, EA, GoG, Ubisoft and Epic. You’ll even be able to use programs like Chiaki to stream PlayStation games from your PS4/PS5 if you want to. This all sounds great, right? Except, even with the attempt at a unified UI with the Asus Armory Crate SE software, the Ally still falls short when trying to set all these launchers up. You’ll have to download a lot of these yourself and use the tiny onscreen keyboard to punch in the passwords and 2FA codes for each of them. Out of the box, you’ll also be prompted to update not only the drivers, but also Windows itself and the Armory Crate software. All this will take a few hours and a little patience, but once it’s done, you’ll have access to any games you would on your main gaming PC. Which is unique compared to the other market leader that’s tied to just its own storefront without some software modifications. Unfortunately, with this much versatility, I believe that these kinds of longer setups are unavoidable, but please understand this isn’t a plug and play device. Overall/Conclusion The Asus ROG Ally X is currently my favorite handheld gaming device, but I don’t say that without reservation. It’s really just a Windows 11 PC at its core and will come with all the headaches that a Windows PC comes with, unlike the other handheld out there that runs its own custom OS. What this means is that there will be a little more of a learning curve to get certain things to function the way you want and more upkeep in terms of software updates. If you’re okay with these caveats, then the ROG Ally X is a fantastic choice for gaming on the go or on the couch and will please any gamer with a bit of patience and a little know-how. If you’re looking for a simple plug and play experience and most of your games reside in Steam, then I’d spend your money elsewhere.

The ROG Ally X in black with 1TB storage is an absolute beast of a handheld! The sleek black finish looks premium and stealthy, and it feels solid in the hands without being too heavy. The upgraded battery life is a huge improvement—finally a handheld that can keep up with longer gaming sessions without constantly reaching for the charger. Performance is top-notch. Games run buttery smooth, and the 1TB storage is a lifesaver since I don’t have to worry about space for my library. The display is crisp and vibrant, and the controls feel responsive and comfortable even during long play sessions. Cooling has also been impressive—it stays surprisingly quiet while pushing demanding games. ASUS clearly listened to feedback and delivered with the Ally X. It feels like a polished, powerful upgrade that makes handheld PC gaming even more fun. I couldn’t be happier with it!

I’ve been using the ROG Ally X for a little while now, and let me just say this: Skyrim on max settings, running buttery smooth, in the palm of my hands? Absolute game changer. This thing doesn’t flinch. I cranked everything up—ultra settings, high-resolution textures, mods, you name it—and the Ally X ran it flawlessly. No crashing, no overheating, no frame drops. Whether you’re clearing out dungeons or walking through a heavily modded Whiterun, it holds its ground. And with the upgraded 80Wh battery, I can game longer without having to plug in every hour. What also surprised me was how user-friendly ASUS made this device. The Armoury Crate SE software is super intuitive. You can quickly swap between performance modes, manage your games, tweak controls, and even launch apps all from one central hub. It doesn’t feel like a mini PC that you have to tinker with—unless you want to. It’s plug-and-play, but powerful enough for the enthusiasts who like to dive into the details. The ergonomics are also a big win. It feels good in your hands, has better grip than the original Ally, and doesn’t feel like it’s going to cramp your wrists during long sessions. Add to that the ease of upgrading storage and the solid build quality—ASUS really listened to feedback with the X model. If you’re a Skyrim fan or just want a portable beast that doesn’t compromise performance or simplicity, the ROG Ally X delivers.

I've had the Ally since it came out last year and it is a great handheld device, that I was never able to quite get 'dialed in' for how I like to game, that being console titles, older games (90's - 2000's, yeah I'm old), and a handful of some modern space sims. It always seemed like the original Ally was either too powerful for the older games (with no way to dial things back), or it was lacking just that little bit to make the AAA games sing. I don't think it was actual all ASUS' fault, but the lackluster game support of Windows 11, but some things were on the Ally as well and I feel like ASUS has dialed in the hardware side and Microsoft is meeting them in the middle with some Win11/Xbox App improvements. Now, I feel like I have the handheld gaming device I've always wanted. Any other improvements are going to have to come from the Microsoft side because ASUS really nailed the improvements on the Ally X! Microsoft has made mobile gaming a priority and even just over this last year, they have made Game Pass and the Xbox App much nicer to use and with a boatload of games. In addition to being able to download and play a bunch of my Xbox games and sync my progress through the cloud gaming, the improvements to the Remote Play feature make this the closest thing to a handheld Xbox as I've come so far and that is EXACTLY what I wanted. If the team at MS were smart, they would make ASUS their official hardware partner and make this version of the Ally, the Ally X(box). If you don't believe me, you get three months of Game Pass Ultimate with the Ally X and you will be won over by the end of the first week. Like I said above, I love the OG Ally, but now I love the Ally X even more. Here are some of the improvements that ASUS made that dial the Ally X up to 11. - It's black: It looks sharp. It doesn't show dirt or scuffs nearly as much. It just looks SO much better. Plus the lighting 'pops' more with the black background (not that I use that much, it's one of the first things I turn off on gaming stuff nowadays). - The feel of it in my hands: The extra battery weight and the redesign of the grips and triggers make this thing an absolute joy to hold. I sat in my recliner (I TOLD you I was old), and played games for hours and it just felt perfect. - The controls: The previous controls were good; these are GREAT. ASUS nailed the feel for the buttons and triggers, boosted the control pad, and tightened up the joysticks. It just nails it for me. Also, the rear 'alt' buttons have been slimmed down and fall right where my middle finger rests for an easy activation that makes it so that I actually WANT to use them rather than avoid trying to touch them. I'll be interested to see what others think when ASUS puts out the upgraded Hall Effect joystick modules later this year. Supposedly it is a super easy swap out and they are supposed to be really nice. That being said, the improvement with just the stock joysticks is awesome for me. - Battery life: On paper, ASUS just doubled the capacity of the battery to 80 Wh, but in real life I am getting WAY more usage from a single charge. I plugged the ALLY X in to do all of the installation and deletion of useless junk from Windows (seriously, Microsoft, can we make a game centered version of Windows?), and then downloaded about a dozen games across three different gaming platforms. By the time I was done, the battery was at 100% and I then disconnected, tested each game out, and finally have been playing several hours of both No Man's Sky, Sniper Elite V, and Elder Scrolls Online. Ok, Ok, I also played quite a bit of Little Kitty, Big City! Sue me! It's a cute game! I STILL haven't drained the first full charge all the way! I don't know what magic ASUS did on power management, but whatever it is, it is stellar. This is NOT a doubling of play time, it is WAY more than that. - Better ports: Yay, no silly external GPU plug! USB-C all the way baby. Plus a better MicroSD card slot with an appropriate 'eject' spring. - Cooling: I may not have taxed my Ally enough to get it super hot, but now the Ally X stays cool as a cucumber and is QUIET. So quiet that I was able to play in bed with headphones and my wife (who is an incredibly light sleeper), didn't even notice. - Armory Crate: My favorite Game Center software is even better now. *Chef's kiss* There are only three 'meh' items I would like to point out. None of them are a deal breaker and one of them may just be a setting that I haven't been able to toggle yet. - Download speeds: Despite being on Wi-Fi 6E and me having a matching router and being in the same room as said router, I was not getting stellar download speeds. The speeds were so slow I had to run Speedtest just to see if there was something wrong with my system but I was getting the 500 up/down like always. I need to dig into the Wi-Fi settings to see if something is throttling those speeds back but now it is almost moot because I have all my games downloaded, and only a few need Wi-Fi. - Sound: The two front-firing speakers are good. Not great, but good. Now connect the Ally X to some bluetooth earbuds or plug in a gaming headset, and THEN you are in the game! - Hard case did not launch with the Ally X: Look, the Ally X ain't cheap and it is obviously intended to go around with you. I want to protect my investment from the get-go. I have the travel case for my first Ally and it is nice. The new hard case that ASUS is teasing us with on their website and that Best Buy has a page for, but we're still waiting on it to drop. The case should have dropped on the same day as the Ally X itself. I am having a BLAST with my Ally X and it is going to make my visit next month with my wife's relatives SO much nicer, because I'm just going to slip away and play my games quietly in another room. I'm giving my nephew my original Ally and I'm going to be the coolest uncle he has. Well, I'm his only uncle. If you already have an Ally, it is up to you on whether you think the improvements are worth it. They were for me. If you are looking at these handheld gaming devices, THIS is the one to get. It may cost more than some of the others, but ASUS packed in the value. You're still here? The review's over. Go! Go buy an Ally X!

I’m going to start this review with a very harsh sounding, but important assessment for potential new owners: Do NOT get this system if you’re expecting an experience close to a Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, or even a SteamDeck. Why? Because you will be very upset by the experience and may find it overwhelming and confusing. This is a gaming PC, placed into a portable, handheld device. It is not a pickup and go, streamlined to get you going experience. The consoles I mentioned are, well, foolproof. You start them up, they guide you through everything and there’s no room for error, be it software or user. The ASUS ROG Ally X is a Windows 11 computer. It is designed for gaming, but it’s no different than buying a full tower PC or gaming laptop, apart from its form factor. If you are comfortable with Windows, tinkering with settings, and a learning curve that is as easy or difficult as your normal windows experience, then this is an AMAZING device. I start my review that way as the ASUS ROG Ally has been out for a year and this new version, the Ally X, is the latest and greatest update to the hardware. Over the past year I’ve encountered many love stories for the Ally, but just as many frustration stories from people who purchased it not knowing how to use Windows, download games, keep it updated, or generally what they bought. If you’re new to PC Gaming you CAN figure it out, but it’s going to require some effort on your part. Watching videos, reading tutorials, getting on some forums. It is not something you’ll bring home and have a game playing perfectly on within the hour. In fact, it took me the greater part of my first hour to just update the device to the point where I could first start downloading a game. With what the Ally X is not out of the way, let’s talk more about what the Ally X is. The Ally X is a portable Windows 11 gaming PC. It’s literally a full PC setup – you could work from here, should you want. With that, you get access to every game that’s available on Windows via whatever gaming platform(s) you wish to purchase games from. I use a combination of Steam, GOG, Epic Games, and Xbox with GamePass Ultimate (of which you get a free 3 months of included). You can tweak game settings, download mods, download indie games not available on consoles, and more. The closest competing device, the SteamDeck, is limited to just Steam and not being a Windows device is limited in what else you can do. With the Ally X being just a windows computer at heart, you have a lot you can do. If you can do it on your laptop or desktop windows machine, you can do that on the Ally X. I plan to explore the world of emulation next, again, because it’s a Windows PC and nothing is stopping me. And on a vacation, I'll likely watch a movie from it. Maybe even get some remote work done! Being a Windows 11 computer gets you a whole lot of positives over other gaming devices, but it does bring along all the standard complications that come along with that. You will need to update the device. You’ll need to be updating on occasion from: Windows itself, the MyAsus app, the Ally’s own ArmoryCrate software, and then your own app libraries (update Steam/GOG/Epic games, then they’ll update the games who have updates within their own storefront applications). Occasionally you’ll have to mess with drivers. Sometimes it won’t sleep or wake from sleep properly. Not to beat a dead horse, but if you’re used to PC gaming this won’t scare you off in the slightest. This is par for the course and you’re fine with doing all that on occasion. Now that the overview of what this is and isn’t out of the way, let’s talk about the Ally X hardware. It features an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, 1TB SSD, 1080p touch sensitive screen, 24GB RAM, 2 USB-C ports (one of which being USB4), an SD card slot, and an 80Wh battery. Compared to the previous flagship ROG Ally, this has double the battery life, 8GB more RAM, and double the storage capacity – which can be user replaced now with a more common NVMe 2280 SSD. It’s said that, in comparison, the grips are better, the joysticks and d-pad are improved, the speakers are louder, and the cooling system is also improved. However, those aren’t statistics I cannot truly compare for you. Still, apart from the processor and screen, this is just an all around improvement compared the Ally Z1 Extreme. Visually, the Ally X is matte black. It looks good, but also feels good with a satisfying feel in your hand, some slight grippiness on the back. At 1.49 pounds it’s a lot of power while not feeling a lot of heft. The thumbsticks feel good in your hands. They look small, but they feel perfect. The shoulder buttons all easily reached, along with the 8-way d-pad and ABXY buttons. Along the upper side of the screen are two buttons on the left and on the right. There is a view button and menu button, which will be app specific as to their functionality, and there are two other dedicated buttons. First is Command Center, which opens an on-screen customizable menu for quick actions at any point, including in-game, such as volume, brightness, adjusting the CPU, on screen keyboard, AMD graphic settings, and more. The second button opens Armoury Crate, which is the Ally X’s main game and system settings launcher. In addition to the above, there are two customizable macro buttons on the back. Speakers, along with microphone pickups, are on the front of the device. Along the top, between the left and right bumper and trigger buttons, you’ll find the power button (which is also the fingerprint scanner for logging into windows), a headphone/mic jack, microSD card slot, volume buttons for up and down, power/battery lights and two USB-C ports (USB 3.2 and 4, capable of charging and connecting to an external GPU). In short, you’ve got everything you need and you’re more than well off for connecting to docking stations so you can then connect this to a monitor with mouse and keyboard. A minor complaint about the design is the buttons and their legibility. Those four buttons around the screen? Their iconography is grey on black. In decent lighting conditions it’s barely noticeable there’s anything stamped on them. In darker conditions it is impossible. Similarly, the ABXY buttons, while in four different colors, are subdued enough against the black of the device that in lower light situations you can’t read which button is which at all. Both of these are incredibly minor, as it won’t take you long to have a memory of what it what, but I still wish they were more legible. Another design point to note is that both USB-C ports are on the very left end of the device, which could be a factor depending on your setup / location to cables from where you play. If purchasing a docking station, do note that, as some docking stations may not have long enough cables to reach. I love my Ally X. I don’t think you’d be able to get super ultra graphic quality out of the latest released AAA mega game, but I find that to be less the point here. If you were after that, you’d likely be sitting at a computer with a giant widescreen monitor. This is convenient gaming on the go with more than enough power for everything you throw at it. Yes, eventually there will be diminishing returns on the latest and greatest game releases in terms of graphical quality settings – that is inevitable and not something limited to this device. However, it does play everything modern I’ve thrown at it, including Baldur’s Gate III and Forza Horizon – two games with quite a bit going on graphically. There are dedicated communities for discussing the best settings for modern games so you get the best graphics while not sacrificing on frames per second so they play well, too. On older games? I’ve run everything two years or older at their max settings and had zero issues. They look good, they sound good, they play good. That’s all you can ask for and all you can want! I like the ASUS Armoury Crate software. It’s speedy enough and does what I need it to do: launch games and provide settings access. I’ve had to search only a handful of things I didn’t quite understand, but ASUS’ own website and FAQs are VERY thorough and certainly I never had to look very long before finding answers to my questions. Ultimately, can it play everything I want it to play? Yes, it can! Do I enjoy playing games on it? That’s a resounding yes! I honestly cannot recommend the Ally X enough. I think, if price isn’t a limiting factor, the Ally X is an improvement in every way upon the year older Ally Z1 Extreme. If you already have one, should you upgrade it? I wouldn’t necessarily say yes as enthusiastically, as it is the same processor and screen. However, all the other key components have been upgraded and only the SSD is the user-replaceable component so I wouldn't say no either. It's not quite a second generation update, more like an inbetween. If you’re in the market for a gaming handheld and you’re comfortable with all the tweaks and settings and pros and cons that come with a Windows based gaming PC environment, you’d be foolish not to immediately consider the Ally X as one of the best devices out there. I’m thrilled to own mine and I’m eagerly awaiting bringing it on my next vacation for true gaming on the go!

I would have thought after the original Ally quality control issue scandal; releasing another product would refine this process. Came with 4 dead pixels. Shame.

It has made gaming so convenient. I can pack my rig ally x in a bag and just go. I finally played through red dead redemption 2 and bauldur’s gate 3. If you want a high-performance handheld that handles modern AAA games relatively well, with solid graphics, good battery improvements, and a premium control / build feel, the ROG Ally X is among the best you can get right now. It’s not perfect, but its strengths are meaningful and well-executed. For gamers who are okay tweaking settings and dealing with Windows a bit, this is a very, very strong choice.

When handheld PCs first started coming out I was a bit skeptical about them, at that point there was another company who had switched to his form factor and they were by far the most advanced and well set up, but there was one issue battery life and power. Those were also the big issues with the windows PC's. ASUS first go around with the ROG Ally did solve the problem with power and that machine was great. The first Ally did a lot of good things, it had a really good screen good speakers and good power to run the games you wanted to play. It did have several downsides thought battery life was not good to put it lightly, ergonomics were ok but it did fatigue over time and you can def feel the heat if you used for a good chunk of time. Software was ok but that has more to do with Windows as a whole than the Ally in particular. The Ally X is a good step up and sometimes feels like what the original Ally should have been. Battery life is greatly improved ergonomics and heat dissipation is much better and though it is slightly heavier it was much more comfortable for me to use for long periods of times. The biggest upgrade for me though was adding a second usb c port to the system. I know this seems like a small thing but it became so much easier to plug my system in and be able to use a hub to connect like a keyboard and mouse and even a monitor to the system with the second port. I had a blast using the system and be able to take my gaming sessions to other rooms whether playing Diablo 4 or Destiny it was great to have this system on the go with me. Now there are a couple of knocks that keep it from getting 5 stars the first is software. Asus has done a great job with Armory Crate to try and put a good UX/UI but at the end of the day it is a pc and you have to deal with all of the PC issues, this can be frustrating for someone especially if they do not have a lot of experience playing games on a PC. The second is the battery life, do not get me wrong it is greatly improved but it is still not long enough to take on a cross country flight or very long car ride without having to charge it up. But these issues aside, I am having a blast and would recommend anyone that wants to play their games on the go to get a ROG Ally X as it is the best by far I have used. The future and present is bright with these handhelds.

I've been using the ROG Ally X for a couple of months now, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it. Out of the box, the design is pretty sleek and feels nice in your hands. It's lightweight, which makes it easy to carry around. I added a dBrand protection on it and feels really great. Performance-wise, it holds up really well with most games I've thrown at it. The graphics are sharp, and I haven't noticed any lag during gameplay. Typically, I adjust the necessary power draw depending on the games I play (i.e indies and AAA) which is a huge plus for me. The battery life is decent too; I can usually get a few hours of gaming in before needing to recharge. The controls feel responsive, and I appreciate the layout—it's intuitive. The screen quality is impressive, with vibrant colors that make everything look great, whether I'm playing an action game or something more casual. OLED would of been a huge bonus at this price but I can live without it. On the flip side, I did find the fan noise to be a bit noticeable during extended gameplay sessions. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to be aware of if you're looking for a completely quiet experience. If you adjust the power draw to silent it will reduce the noise significantly during gameplay. Overall, the ROG Ally X has been a solid addition to my gaming setup. It might not be perfect, but it delivers a great experience overall, and I feel it’s worth the investment for anyone looking for a portable gaming option.

The ASUS ROG Ally X is a significant refinement of the original, widely considered the best Windows handheld available. It directly addresses previous shortcomings by doubling the battery life with a massive 80Wh pack and boosting RAM to 24GB for smoother performance. The upgraded 1TB SSD and improved cooling enhance the experience, though navigating Windows 11 with a controller remains a hassle. For powerful, portable PC gaming beyond Steam, it's the top choice.

This thing is absolutely horrible. Constant black screens. Doesn't work with most games. I tried everything and qhen i went back to return it some big woman with an attitude problem told me they couldnt do anything about the return because i was a day late. I am very disappointed and should have bought a different product definitely not feom best buy. Worst buy ever

Times have changed since the days of the GameBoy or even the PSP. We now have full HD quality gaming PC in a handheld device, and this ROG Ally X is probably the current leader of them all. The specs are top-notch, giving 24GB of RAM along with 1TB, plus a microSD slot just in case you need even more space. The drive is pretty quick for a handheld and there's two USB-C ports for even more expansion. One of my favorite things about the handheld is the textured grip. It's subtle, but enough to help keep the device in my hands. The buttons feel sturdy and not much different than a good quality game controller. The same goes for the joysticks. Build-wise, it's a solid device that feels good in my hands and isn't really that heavy. The Amoury Crate SE interface is also good. It's easy to navigate your various games and platforms; apply customizations, including the lighting scheme; and keep the software up-to-date. If I have any complaints, it just feels like the Windows 11 OS isn't well optimized for the experience, but overall the system doesn't get in the way of my gameplay, and having Windows underpinning everything opens the device up for further customization and control.

The ROG Ally X is an absolute beast for portable gaming. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and 24GB of RAM handle modern AAA games with ease, and the 120Hz 7-inch display looks crisp and smooth. The 1TB SSD gives plenty of space for a large library, and Windows makes it flexible for gaming and productivity. Controls feel solid and comfortable, and the battery life is impressive for the power it delivers. Perfect for gaming on the go or as a mini PC replacement.

After after 3 months im not officially stuck in a preparing automatic update loop for trying to open a game just know what ur getting into