Customer Ratings & Reviews

PROS 1. Excellent Ergonomics: Fits comfortably in the hand, making it easy to hold for long sessions. 2. Lightweight Design: Perfect for extended use — a factor often overlooked by many reviewers. 3. Strong Performance: The 17W mode delivers impressive power and efficiency. 4. Outstanding Speakers: Loud and clear with one of the best soundstages among handhelds. 5. Whisper-Quiet Operation: Virtually silent — no distracting fan or system noise. 6. Perfect for Travel: Compact size makes it ideal for portability (though at the cost of a smaller screen). 7. Future-Proof Potential: Plenty of room for improvement through upcoming updates, especially the NPU update. 8. Good Controls: Triggers, buttons, and sticks feel solid and responsive (though XYAB buttons are a bit noisy). 9. Good Battery Performance: Offers two hours of back up even on AAA games. 10. Surprisingly Effective Sleep Mode: The sleep mode via Armoury Crate works well and is more reliable than expected. --- CONS 1. Small, Non-OLED Screen: The 7-inch display feels cramped and lacks OLED quality. 2. Slightly Overpriced: Could be at least $100 cheaper — every dollar counts. 3. Noisy XYAB Buttons: Too loud for late-night gaming when others are sleeping nearby. 4. Fullscreen Mode Glitches: The fullscreen experience occasionally has glitches but also shows strong potential for improvement through future updates.

The ROG Ally X is definitely a game changer — having the ability to play Xbox Game Pass titles natively alongside your full Steam library on the go is unlike anything else on the market. It bridges the gap between console and PC gaming in a way that feels seamless and powerful. Performance-wise, the upgraded internals, longer battery life, and improved cooling make it a huge step up from the original Ally. The controls feel responsive, the display is vibrant, and the build quality strikes a nice balance between premium and portable. What really makes it special, though, is freedom — you can play anywhere, whether you’re diving into Halo Infinite through Game Pass or jumping back into your favorite indie hit on Steam. The ROG Ally X isn’t just a handheld — it’s a true hybrid gaming device that brings console-level experiences to your backpack. Verdict: Asus & Xbox has nailed the balance between performance, portability, and accessibility. For gamers who want to take their Xbox and PC libraries on the road without compromise, the ROG Ally X is an easy recommendation.

Awesome handheld PC, never owned one before and i liked the idea of a streamlined handheld PC that made it easier than steamdeck to have access to epic and steam and xbox. It totally delivered on everything it promised to be. Even though its an xbox branded item don't expect it to be an xbox, it is a PC so not all xbox games are avaliable but a lot of work has been done to make most new games work on PC or xbox, you'll mostly miss out on xbox classics games. Its battery is great, its not too loud but the buttons are a bit clicky. I don't ever hear the fan really but i havent had to turn it up to its max performance mode yet. It is expensive but considering its better than any laptop I've owned I'd say its worth the price. The full screen experience for the handheld is awesome, i have had zero issues and unlike early reviewers it is installed and ready to go out of the box.

Been using the ROG Xbox Ally X for about a week, and overall it’s an awesome handheld. The new design feels solid, the battery life is much better than the original ally x, and performance in most games is excellent — smooth frame rates and no overheating issues so far. That said, for the price, I really wish it had an OLED screen. The current display is good, but not great compared to other premium devices. And Windows still feels clunky on a handheld — the Armoury Crate SE helps, but it’s buggy and not always stable. Overall, great hardware and power for its size, but the software experience still needs serious polishing.

I am constantly wowed by what this machine is capable of. It can run games such as RDR2 and Doom at a pretty consistent 60fps. Battery life is great. Can play AAA games for two hours and indie games for double that. The speakers are amazing. I was amazed on the quality when I loaded up Forza. Once you get the hang of it, everything is easy to use and navigate. There are some minor bugs and freezing, but it doesn't take away from the experience. The buttons are also a bit clacky if you are in a quiet environment. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for their first handheld!

I recently got my hands on the ROG Xbox Ally X and I have to say—it’s a truly impressive handheld. From the moment I picked it up, the ergonomics stood out. The grips feel comfortable and the button layout is very intuitive, which makes those longer sessions far less tiring. Many reviewers highlighted this too. Performance-wise, the Ally X delivers in a big way. With the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, 24 GB DDR5X and a 1 TB SSD, it handles demanding games with ease. According to benchmarks it outpaces many rivals in portable power. The Windows 11-based “Xbox Full-Screen Experience” adds real value, blending console-style simplicity with PC gaming freedom. One review said: “If you’re serious about gaming on the go, this is a great option.” That said, it isn’t perfect. The price is steep—many feel you’re paying a premium for handheld portability. Battery life remains the usual trade-off for power: you’ll get a fantastic experience, but not all day unplugged. In summary: if you’re looking for one of the most capable handheld gaming PCs on the market, and you’re willing to invest for premium, then the ROG Xbox Ally X is absolutely worth it. If budget or battery life are bigger concerns, you might want to weigh those trade-offs.

The ROG Ally Xbox X is an absolute powerhouse. I’ve used the Steam Deck, MSI Claw, and the previous ROG Ally X, and this latest version is a major upgrade. I was able to play Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty while docked to a 144Hz gaming monitor, and the experience was incredibly smooth—especially with the ROG Bulwark dock, which let me hardwire the device to the internet instead of relying on Wi-Fi. This handheld is seriously powerful. While I still use my gaming PC at home, the Ally Xbox X lets me keep playing seamlessly when I’m on the go. One important tip: if you’re using the Bulwark dock, make sure to get a 100W or 140W charger. The 65W charger that comes with the device isn’t enough to support the Turbo mode, and you’ll need that extra power to unlock its full potential. Overall, the Ally Xbox X is a beast. Highly recommended for serious gamers who want flexibility without sacrificing performance. Picture of my Xbox Ally X docked in a Bulwark at work! o

Okay so the title is misleading, I own both first and second Nintendo switch consoles but never a gaming console. I tried a friends Steam Deck and said meh, too bulky, my hands will fall asleep holding this beefy monster. When I found out about Xbox and Asus teaming up, I was curious. Said well, let me try it, if it’s not for me, I’ll return it. Much to my surprise, this device is light, comfortable, feels good in the hands, and with it running native Windows OS, allows you to download Steam, Battle.net, EA, Epic, and other game clients. Plus with it being a mini windows PC, a powerful one at that, combine it with a docking station and you’ve got the perfect setup for gaming at home and on the go! The customization options are near limitless. If you’re on the fence between this and the cheaper model, buy what you can afford, but if you can afford this model, it’s worth it, I promise.

This thing is pretty amazing. It was very easy to upgrade the storage to a 4 TB if you want you can upgrade all the way to an 8 TB literally took 10 minutes to swap out the SSD‘s amazing performance for a handheld. I am very impressed at this item over the steam deck. I’ve been very happy with the progress that the ally has made over the years. Just remember before you get started to open armory crate and make sure everything is up-to-date. Takes a little bit of time but as well worth it. And if you pair it with a keyboard and a docking station, it is basically a laptop. This thing does the exact same stuff that my 20 22 rog laptop does.

This device is awesome. It's my first high end handheld gaming device. But word to the wise. This is a really a portable PC. Note, not all xbox games will work on this. Only Xbox Anywhere games & games from the other PC store launchers will play natively on this device. Expected at least an hour for the initial setup and updates. When you get the chance, open the MyAsus app and do the updates there first, as its updates armory crate & the bios. Then finish up with the windows updates in desktop mode. Build quality is great. I love the ergonomics, I can game on this for hours with comfort.

This system is a powerhouse I did not expect. Sure I read all the reviews and watched all the marketing hype up videos but, this gaming machine actually lives up to it all. Now I’m studying all the extras I can buy for it. But first I need a decent travel case for it. If you’re looking for an amazing machine to play your games while mobile the way they were meant to be played ASUS ROG ALLY X is the one you want.

ive been gaming on console all my life and MAN having a mini pc is awesome! ive been using it docked almost the entire time and it runs great, ive heard an egpu would push it even further do ive been considering that as well, but as far as the handheld part goes, no complaints! only had a good time using this the last few weeks!

The build quality is great and very comfortable with the controller grips. The battery life is good especially with the amount of power it offers. The only negative is the windows OS. It does a decent job in game mode with keeping windows out of the way, but there are still issues tha need to be ironed out.

Wow, okay, as a total newcomer to the whole PC handheld scene, I have to say the ROG Xbox Ally X is seriously impressive. It took me a couple of days to figure out the whole Windows layer—I use Macs and game on my PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X—so there’s definitely a bit of a learning curve if you’re coming from pure consoles. But, the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) is a game-changer (to me). It genuinely makes this thing feel like a dedicated console from the moment I turn it on, after I got used to it. I'm rocking it with Game Pass Ultimate and downloading everything through both the Xbox app (GPU) and Steam. I've been running demanding stuff like Battlefield 6 and ARC Raiders, and it chews through them without breaking a sweat. So far, I haven't hit a single game or setting that has given me trouble. If you’re like me and hesitant about jumping into PC handhelds, or you're just looking for a powerhouse, I'd recommend the Xbox Ally X completely!

The Xbox Ally X is a very performant handheld for its price point of $999. It beats all other handhelds at that price, and with a slightly more premium version of the Z2E, the Z2E AI. Unfortunately, the "AI" part of the name is currently meaningless, as AutoSR, the automatic upscaler that will take advantage of the TPU to automatically upscale all games to the resolution of the connected display, will not be available until next year. Despite this, it still performs greatz around 50% better than the Steam Deck. And its 120hz VRR display makes all games look smooth without having to lock to a specific framerate like on the Deck. And the ability to enable specific driver settings on a per-game basis, such as Radeon Chill, is another nice bonus over the Deck, though the Deck can do most of it. With all that out of the way, I'd like to make one thing clear. This is NOT a 1080p machine. The display is 1080p, yes, but in most games you will need to rely on upscaling or very low settings to achieve that resolution. Some exceptions, of course, like Forza Horizon 5, which I've found runs great at native 1080p on, if I remember right, medium settings. It would still run well on high, I just wanted a good frame rate for that game. On turbo mode, it can run Cyberpunk on native 1080p as well. For this game, that is my preferred way to play, because something about it just looks off when using upscaling to me. Though that's true no matter where I play it. But like I said, these are exceptions. I noticed that more often then not in FF7R (both games) it would run 720p or below, for example. And the CPU shows its limits when I try playing games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, where the CPU really matters. I'm curious about Starfield's performance, but I don't have time to test that one. Note that while the CPU certainly isn't the best it's still the best you can get in a handheld. I almost forgot to mention the really good ergonomics. As someone with arthritis, it's difficult for me to hold most handhelds for long periods of time. But I have had no issues with this. Turns out designing it like a controller with a screen in the middle was actually genius. I have treated the PlayStation Portal too harshly. While the performance on the Xbox Ally X is solid, albeit not quite as good as Microsoft advertises, the main flaw with this device lies in the software. Xbox Full Screen is a HUGE step in the right direction, but it feels like it wasn't quite ready for a public release. It works well for the most part, but it does have bugs. And it often fails to load the proper icons for third party launcher games. Someone recently made a Game Bar widget available in the widget store that can help fix this problem, however. Armoury Crate works well for the most part, but there is one big flaw. Being a Windows handheld means that this cannot download games in sleep. Armoury Crate attempts to remedy this by allowing an option to assign the power button to only turn off the screen when the handheld is plugged in. However, this setting frequently turns itself off, which is very frustrating to me. And the sleep mode doesn't work well at all. I replaced it with hybernate, which, despite the slower startup time, is much less headache-inducing, and I highly recommend it. I am also annoyed by the lock screen occasionally just not working, forcing me to restart. This rarely happens, but I think it shouldn't happen at all. Updates are also really inconvenient to deal with. You have to go to the Microsoft Store and Windows Update practically every day to keep things up to date, and sometimes the updates don't even work properly and you have to restart. Of course, a lot of the problems here could be resolved by just switching to a build of SteamOS, such as Bazzite or ChimeraOS. But I keep Windows because of Game Pass, as well as a few Windows-only games (like the previously mentioned Xenoverse 2). TL:DR — The hardware is solid, and as far as handhelds go this thing is a beast, especially for the price. However, the software is far from a smooth ride, and it seems Microsoft has a long way to go before the next Xbox arrives. I hope that all these flaws will be addressed in updates over time. It is highly likely they will. The jankiness isn't a dealbreaker, but just keep it in mind. This is not a console. This is for people who are fine with PC jank but just want to get a little bit closer to a console. I can look past these issues, but I'm sure the average consumer can't. To me, I give it 4 stars. Though my hope is that this will change.

The handheld is super comfortable to hold while playing games. It is easy to transition from the xbox home page to the windows desktop and back again. Games run smooth and look great. Battery last long enough for gaming on the go.

I love it. I think the battery life on it is amazing and that it’s really comfortable and convenient to play games on. I’ve been playing games like Fortnite, call of duty, and Dead by Daylight and the performance is great. 10/10 highly recommend.

I've been wanting a gaming PC but didnt see the point being an OTR truck driver. Got a docking station to go with this. I absolutely love this device. Being able to play custom zombies on Black Ops 3 is amazing.

Here’s a tightened, cleaner, more polished version of your review while keeping your tone, opinions, and structure intact. I didn’t change what you’re saying—just how it flows, reads, and lands: ⸻ Review After Owning the Xbox Ally X and the Legion Go 2 The Xbox Ally X is a great device and has come a long way from the original model. While it’s not perfect, there’s a lot here to like—and only a handful of gripes. Here are my key pros and cons after hands-on time with both the Ally X and the Legion Go 2. ⸻ Pros 1. Ergonomics This is the biggest win for the Xbox Ally X. It’s incredibly easy and comfortable to hold, even during long sessions. I recently completed the Black Ops 6 campaign on it, and the experience was genuinely enjoyable. The built-in grips aren’t the prettiest thing to look at, but they’re absolutely worth it. In comparison, the Legion Go 2 felt awkward to hold, especially with its poor button and joystick placement. 2. Controls This is huge—and I don’t think enough people are talking about it. The joysticks, their placement, and the overall button layout are all excellent. The sticks are even tighter than a standard Xbox Series controller, making it absolutely viable for competitive games. This alone was the deciding factor for me keeping the XAX over the Legion Go 2. The Legion’s joysticks are floppy, poorly placed, and practically unusable—too low on the “joycon” so your palm ends up where your thumb should be. On the Ally X, the triggers feel great and the vibration in both the grips and triggers is fantastic. 3. Speakers & Fan Noise These speakers rock. They’re loud, full, and deliver impressive directional audio. The fans are also shockingly quiet—you rarely, if ever, hear them, which makes the whole experience feel more premium. 4. Xbox Full Screen Experience I’m optimistic about where this is heading. It’s not perfect and can be a little laggy at times, but it’s improving with updates. Compared to the messy software experience on the Legion Go, this feels far more streamlined and semi-console-like. ⸻ Cons 1. The Screen This is the biggest disappointment for me. A 16:10 7” or even 8” display would have been ideal. It doesn’t even need to be OLED—I’d rather keep the price down than turn it into a “halo” device like the Legion. The current screen looks fine, but it’s small and not especially immersive. The excellent speakers help a lot, but small opponents in games can be tough to pick out on a display this size. 2. Xbox Full Screen Experience Like I said, it’s good but still needs work. Ideally the user should never have to leave full screen for anything. Right now you still need to drop back into Windows to adjust system settings, check for updates in Windows/Armory Crate/Microsoft Store, etc. Lots of rebooting back and forth. 3. USB Ports Minor gripe, but the ports are too close together, making it hard to plug in multiple accessories. ⸻ Conclusion That’s really it for the big cons. I’m ultimately keeping the ROG Xbox Ally X over the Legion Go 2, and I feel like I’m in the minority. A lot of people seem obsessed with having a pretty OLED screen—even if the device is heavy, awkward, and not fun to actually play on. For me, ergonomics and functionality matter more, and the Ally X delivers where it counts.

Great gaming handheld device for those who want to take their AAA gaming titles on the go. I played a various about of games on it with great success. As this console released side by side with Battlefield 6 there was a lot of issues with DirextX crashing. The ergonomics are excellent as they feel like an Xbox controller. That along with the Xbox Full Screen experience make the handheld a gaming device with a familiar front end. While Microsoft used this as a attempt to piggy back off the success of the original Ally, it does deliver a more polished look and feel for the UI. In terms of value, it's not worth the $999.99 price tag in the USA, but if something like this came out 20 years ago it might have been justified.