Customer Ratings & Reviews

Its one of the best handhelds ive ever played on. The performance is good, battery, it feels good, i would recommend it to anyone who asks about it. (I cant add pictures because my camera is broken)

I am coming from the original Z1E and I know they say it’s only a 10-15% performance difference (fps increase) but trust me when I say you FEEL it. Not only is everything running buttery smooth but I feel like the WiFi connection is faster and the data transfer for the SSD is much faster. Combine that with the much bigger battery, much better efficiency (at 17w you’re getting the same performance as a 30w turbo on the older Z1E devices) which gives you more hours playing TRIPLE A games insanely smooth at 1080p or if you wanna upscale (which is phenomenal as well). Cyberpunk runs like a dream, well honestly this thing hasn’t struggled to run anything I’ve thrown at it on high settings.

I grew up playing on consoles and PC. Always preferred the comfort of a controller and would hook up controllers when gaming on PC. Haven’t gamed much in years due to the complexity of setting up a whole rig. This made things easy for me and I’m gaming again at the end of my work days. Super stoked with the performance & form factor! I’m used to windows operating systems so the quarks that it comes with aren’t that annoying to me. I grew up using the psp, game boy & Nintendo DS. This thing is a dream! I mainly use it for steam games and not the Xbox library. It’s pricey but worth it and the price is within range of other pc handhelds of its caliber. Definitely got some weight to it, I prefer setting it on a pillow or rest when gaming. Mainly playing COD & survival games, been killer so far.

My only real frame of reference for comparison in the handheld space is the Playstation portal. I have been very happy with Xbox Ally X. It has run everything I have wanted to play thus far well, this has been mostly indie titles and older games so I can't speak to how in runs AAA titles. I have been happy with battery life as well. The only cons I have about the device are no oled screen (this probably would have driven the price higher), more storage is always better, and finally I find the PlayStation portal to be more comfortable in my hands, but that is definitely a personal preference thing.

The ROG Xbox Ally X is the top-tier variant of the newly launched Windows-based handheld gaming system. Microsoft and ASUS have officially partnered to bring an “Xbox Full-Screen Experience” handheld that combines PC gaming (Steam, Epic, Game Pass, etc) with Xbox’s interface Key specs for the Ally X include: a 7-inch 1080p (FHD) display with up to 120 Hz refresh, an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24 GB LPDDR5X RAM, a 1 TB SSD, and an 80 Wh battery.  The standard ROG Xbox Ally (non-X) sits at a lower tier (Ryzen Z2 A, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD).  This device is aimed at gamers who want portable AAA gaming with console-friendly controls but PC-like flexibility. What Works (Pros) Ergonomics & controls Many reviewers highlight the build and grips of the Ally X as a major win: comfortable controller-style grips, excellent button layout, impressively quiet fans in many cases, which all combine to a handheld feel that is more polished than many earlier PC‐handheld attempts.  Performance and graphics headroom Thanks to the Z2 Extreme chip and the higher-end specs, the Ally X delivers substantially better performance relative to many competitors (e.g., the base model or earlier handhelds) in real-world tests. For example, in one benchmark the Ally X managed ~62 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p medium while plugged in.  Windows + Xbox integration flexibility The device is not just locked to one ecosystem: you get full Windows 11 (with the “Xbox Full-Screen Experience” overlay) which means access to Game Pass, Steam, Epic, and more. This gives it versatility that pure console handhelds often lack.  Display refresh & visuals Having a 120 Hz screen (albeit at 1080p) is a nice perk in a handheld, enabling smoother visuals when the hardware allows it. Reviewers mention that the fast refresh rate makes the experience feel more “console-like” in smoothness.  Where It Falls Short (Cons) Price is steep At around US $999 (or equivalent) for the Ally X, the cost is a major barrier. As one review bluntly puts it: “It’s just a shame that it costs a grand.”  Battery life remains limited for AAA gaming Despite improvements in battery size and efficiency, real-world gaming battery life for demanding titles is still modest. TechRadar’s battery benchmark for gaming shows around 3 hours of actual gameplay under heavy load.  Screen and display trade-offs Though the device boasts 120Hz, the screen is still 1080p (not 1440p or 4K) and is not OLED (which many premium handhelds now offer). Some reviewers highlight this as a missed opportunity.  Windows / software complexity Because it’s a full Windows device layered under an Xbox-friendly UI, there can be more setup/maintenance (drivers, Windows updates, game installation) than a dedicated console handheld. Some users note friction with the “Full Screen Experience” mode versus classic Windows.  Not a pure console experience One key caveat: even though it feels like a portable console, it is a PC gaming handheld. That means games may require tweaking, settings adjustment, and depending on the title, may not hit native 60fps/120fps without compromise. 

Honestly this and a gaming laptop is all you really need in life. My gaming laptop is for home use and my RogXAX is for travel but im away for months at times so techincally its my main device and it does the job! Beautiful screen, good battery, great hardware, amazing handheld feel/control/eroganmic shape from Xbox, great speakers, etc. my only issue is the software/os itself. Its buggy, glicthy, not smooth, etc. i always have issues with it but its something that is fixable with updates and hopefully soon rather than later.

I did alot of research on this before I bought it and I'm glad I did. I have a gaming laptop that I would bring to work and the set up and weight was getting old. So the fact I can do all the same stuff like game or stream shows with something way lighter and without all the set up is amazing. The only "compromise" from my laptop to this is the 1080p screen but honestly it still looks good.

Bought this as a Christmas gift for my husband after he had been talking about it months before the release. The shipping was faster than expected, even arriving before Christmas when the estimated delivery was a week after! My husband is OBSESSED with his ROG and uses it daily. He has expressed no issues. It runs great, great picture and sound quality. Overall, great product!

First, let's get that title out of the way, absolutely no handheld is worth the money, when there are 2-in-1 devices that can game with similar performance and gaming laptops that can run better, both for a similar price. I could easily use a high-end Bluetooth controller for a similar price on a 16" screen that will sit right in front of me. This makes the Legion Go 2 Extreme pointless as a 16" OLED screen can be found on such devices. Now as for this device, I had it for about 2 months and while I personally think it is the best of the bunch, I still don't find the value in the device. Yes, the controller and grip are great, the screen size is ideal for portability, and it's pretty much the best Chip you're going to get in a name brand device like this for sure. The Windows Experience is great, but still not as nicely implemented as Steam OS. When you can get a hassle-free installation of Steam OS on this thing it is going to be a very good day. Now as for the controllers, Hall-Effect sensors are awkward in my opinion, as they have an unnatural feel when they're not a TMR variant and no the Legion Go 2 does not have TMR sticks. The storage is fine, and you will not notice any slowdown, but even more, you can install a full-size 2280 M.2 drive in this and bring it up to 8 TB if you want. I had a 4 TB in mine with no issues. Another issue is that I couldn't get an eGPU to work with the device and that was a severely limiting factor for me, and ultimately why I decided it was best to return the device. Bottom line, this is a nice device if your main goal is handheld gaming wherever you want to go, if you want it for more than that, then just get a laptop. However, if you're hoping to get a good handheld gaming device, this is probably the best experience out there for a truly handheld device (no, 9" portable gaming is not truly handheld). If you're okay with not going with a PC, then the Switch 2 is the best option all around, in my opinion and half the price.

The good: super comfortable, potential to really be great in 6-12 months. OMG the speaker's sound is amazing. They did a great job with directing sounds to the left and right for gaming. The bad: The multiple XBOX/Armoury Crate/Steam combo I was running while also dealing with Windows OS was frustratingly non-intuitive. XYBA Buttons are extremely loud. TLDR: To be 100% honest, this did not live up to all the hype online. Battlefield 6 ran great, which made me at first love this thing. Then the new relationship energy died as most of my games are on Steam. Operation of the device using the Steam app from Armoury Crate on top of the xbox interface was the most non-intuitive experience I have ever had. I'd rather just boot up into windows and launch Steam. There is no rhyme or reason to the buttons you have to press to change apps or close games. Ok, so now I'll try a partition with dual boot into Steam OS....guess not since there's a secure boot mode that I, in my very limited PC prowess, could disable but still couldn't partition. I cry uncle, returned after three days. Also, I ran the same games simultaneously on a Legion Go S with Z1 extreme running Steam OS and they were so much smoother with a lot less tweaking to all the video settings.

It’s a very, very good to great performing handheld. Most games you throw at it form well, with some setting tweaks ect. Still is very much pc gaming at its core so don’t expect just a plug and play experience, like a switch or you’d get from a console. For me personally the initial updates weren’t as bad as some people online are stating. Approx 1-2 hours total for me not a deal breaker. Xbox full screen experience does streamline things some and makes switching launchers, games ect easy to do, However it’s very buggy at times. Sometimes control inputs just stop working, or switching apps/launchers causes the screen to crop weirdly, ect, or the most annoying is once in whole it won’t allow me to enter my pin and my fingerprint won’t work, but nothing a quick restart doesn’t fix but annoying non the less. I’m sure future updates will address this and the overall experience will get better, but If you’re expecting the flawless UI of consoles this isn’t quite yet there yet. My only 2 major complaints are the Buttons - they seem cheap and occasionally get pushed down and stuck under the actual chassis of the handheld and have to be finessed back up, not entirely a huge deal but on a $1k device this is kind of unfortunate, the buttons shouldn’t feel like a Amazon power A controller. Also no Hall effect sticks but they do feel good. No drift issues as of yet. The other is the screen size - didn’t really think much about it prior to ordering, but 7 inches is too small in my opinion - you won’t notice it to much if you don’t play on another handheld w/ 8in+ screen & go back and fourth but just going from switch2 or my PS portal then back to this you def feel how small it is. But its looks good and performs well enough for me. My other major complaint is/was with Best Buy return policy as of the day I purchased my unit. I preordered prior to 10/31 (the date Best Buy’s holiday gift return policy starts) thus I only had 15 days from delivery date to return this and for me that just wasn’t enough time with this device for someone who’s sitting on the fence with the device which was - I wouldn’t return it solely on any of the complaints I outlined, but with those small complaints +$1k I was def considering returning it and i just needed more time with the decide and feel really comfortable with my decision either way. (30 day return window doesn’t seem unreasonable to me) but here I am and I am now fully in on the device. I’ll close with this - if you’re a huge gaming enthusiast, subscribe to Gamepass ultimate (play anywhere is great), don’t mind tinkering a bit with tech, and want to play almost any game on the go and are familiar with PC launchers steam, epic, EA, this is a really good device. I’d recommend. But I wouldn’t recommend this as someone’s very 1st entry into the handheld market or for a gift from parents (who aren’t gamers) to a child ect that isn’t familiar with pc gaming. Get a switch 2 or steam deck oled, And again I say this not based on the performance or the couple of complaints I had - but you can get a similar not exact but similar performance experience on other devices for a much cheaper price point. Also, steam deck although dated tech at this point and you can’t play most multiplayer games on it, is much more user friendly for say a child or someone just wanting to dip their toes into pc gaming. Again it really comes down to the $1k that’s a hefty price tag for what you get here or the experience that ASUS and Xbox are trying to market this device as. Hope this helps someone make a decision. Great device, indie are amazing on it, triple AAA titles run smoothly, interface is slightly dumbed down for newbies, but buggy software, 7 inch screen, awful buttons, and that $1k price point make it hard must buy or 5 star review. Overall it’s a 4 and if you’re a gaming enthusiast and $1k won’t take food off your table it’s an easy recommendation.

I really like this handheld. I love being able to pick up where i left off on my console and continue achievement hunting. Some things can be hard to see on the smaller screen but i think a bigger screen would be too bulky. I wish it was a bit cheaper but i do enjoy being able to game away from home.

Plays games good has great speakers fun for on the go.

Graphics and performance is amazing. Have tried many games and it runs smoothly and almost the sam as on my xbox/pc! The only 2 things that are not perfect is the storage and the weight of the console.

My first handheld! I was thinking about Legion Go 2 or this one but after usage of 2 weeks I noticed that this was the perfect choice for me. Traveling with this beauty is really fun! I had some doubts about screen size and IPS panel but I never had any negative thougts about screen. Okay blacks are not inky blacks but colours are really looking beautiful and the most important thing for me no backlight bleeding on the edges. I have upgraded the storage to 2TB and I strongly recommend at least 2TB.

This is a great little gaming handheld. Could it have been less expensive? Sure. Is it the most comfortable handheld computer I've used? Definitely. Its quick and light, and the battery lasts quote a long time as far as I am concerned. Maybe not a full weekend of gaming time, but for the hours here and there I spend on it... it lasts several days!

This thing is awesome! I bought a gaming pc for when I travel. This is all I use now is perfect and portable. Not only an Xbox but a compact computer. This is perfect for gamers in all forms to play who are mobile more often than not. The handheld itself is very quiet too oddly. Doesn’t overheat and the fans are quiet. As far as game play it’s buttery smooth which is crazy and the Xbox button for convenience only adds to the perks of having this! It’s rather quick in all actions too even switching interfaces and games.

This device is awesome. Runs games at decent performance at 17w which yeilds great battery life. Grips are very comfortable and screen looks great.

Super responsive, comfortable, resolution is great. Easy to use, a little configuration to make it run better. Battery life is great as well.

I'm 38 and got into handheld gaming by just taking a walk in best buy as a wait for a friend. I started with the legion go s then jumped to the MSI claw. The latter was just too big ( pause lol). This one however is perfect able to play all the games I wanted because it's windows but it's almost feels like steam because of the new windows game experience. It's very portable and light. The sound coming out the speakers are great. Worth every penny and it's new so there will be driver updates and it would get even better