The Asus ROG Ally laid down the gauntlet for Home windows-based gaming handhelds when it arrived in 2023. Whereas it had its flaws, together with an SD card reader that was unpardonably liable to malfunction, the Ally established itself because the gadget to beat within the class regardless of subsequent competitors from Lenovo and MSI. Earlier this yr, Arnold Su, Vice President of the corporate’s shopper and gaming PC enterprise, instructed me that the corporate did not consider in ready. The Taiwanese agency’s technique to be the primary to market throughout gadget classes has paid dividends in India, so why wait while you carry one thing new?
And Asus has struck the iron when it is sizzling, doubling down on its handheld wager. The ROG Ally X was unveiled in June forward of Computex Taipei 2024 and launched in India final month. It is obtainable in a single 1TB SSD storage variant that now comes with 24GB of RAM. It nonetheless runs on the identical AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive chipset as its predecessor and sports activities the identical 7-inch show. Nevertheless, there are numerous modifications — each inside and with out. The Asus ROG Ally X can also be dearer than the unique Ally, coming in at Rs. 89,990 in India.
However are the upgrades packed on this refresh definitely worth the greater worth? At Computex, after I first obtained a hands-on alternative to strive the Ally X, I felt that Asus had made all the precise selections for a mid-gen refresh of the ROG Ally. After spending a while testing the gadget, it is clear that the corporate took no half-measures.
The ROG Ally X dwarfs the Nintendo Swap
Asus ROG Ally X Design: Ergonomic enhancements
- Dimensions – 280mm (width) x 111mm (peak) x 24.7 ~ 36.9mm (depth)
- Weight – 678g
- Color – Black
Asus returned to the drafting board to make the brand new Ally extra ergonomic. Whereas the hand held retains the visible language of its predecessor — barring the Black colourway, there’s little that differentiates the Ally X from the Ally at first look — there are studied design tweaks throughout to make the hand held extra comfy and pure to, nicely, maintain in your arms. Most notably, the grips characteristic a extra pronounced curve than the unique ROG Ally — taller by 4.5mm, so the rear facet nestles into your palms somewhat than digging towards them. The grips are additionally textured to withstand slips, however these are slightly extra distinguished than obligatory. The ROG-themed textures on the rear ended up making a little bit of friction towards my palm throughout longer taking part in periods, making them sweat greater than traditional.
Alternatively, the textured rubber on the joysticks feels actually good and prevents your thumbs from slipping off throughout intense play. The thumbsticks additionally sport deeper concave grooves on prime on your thumbs to settle in comfortably. Asus additionally claims that the joysticks on the ROG Ally X are twice as sturdy as those on its first handheld — rated for five million rotation cycles. The RGB halo impact across the sticks additionally provides a little bit of aptitude to the hand held.
The ROG Ally X has a extra ergonomic design than its predecessor
The hall-effect triggers are wider and sport a barely extra curved contour. The D-pad has been redesigned to be much less sticky and floaty, leading to satisfyingly crisp suggestions. This is without doubt one of the greatest D-pads I’ve used on the modern controller. The left and proper bumpers and the ABXY buttons are fairly clicky, too. The 2 rear macro buttons are actually smaller to cut back the prospect of unintentional presses whereas taking part in.
There is a change within the port choice, too. Asus has dropped the proprietary ROG XG Cell Interface from the unique Ally for a second USB Sort-C port. That is appreciated, however it could have been higher if one of many USB ports was positioned on the underside facet of the hand held somewhat than each positioned side-by-side on the highest backbone. The ROG Ally X can also be a bit thicker and 70g heavier than its predecessor, nevertheless it feels proper at residence within the arms. The development is strong, and the hand held has a sturdy presence whereas sustaining a slick and clear design aesthetic.
The grips characteristic a slip-resistant texture that may be a bit coarse for my liking
Asus ROG Ally X Show: If it ain’t broke, do not repair it
- Dimension – 7-inch “IPS-level” contact show
- Decision – Full-HD (1920×1080 pixels)
- Refresh charge – 120Hz
The ROG Ally X retains the show from the Ally. The 7-inch multitouch LCD panel goes as much as 500nits of peak brightness. It is crisp with correct and vivid color replica. Asus additionally claims the Corning Gorilla Glass DCX coating on the panel reduces reflections, which improves visibility in shiny and outside environments. Nevertheless, the most effective characteristic of the show is the variable refresh charge assist, which reduces display tearing and stuttering to offer smoother framerates whereas gaming.
Asus, nevertheless, missed a trick by not upgrading the Ally X with an OLED panel. The hand held’s LCD show is superb, however an OLED display makes an enormous distinction within the viewing expertise, particularly whereas gaming.
The ROG Ally X sports activities two USC Sort-C ports on the highest
Asus ROG Ally X Software program: Shut the Home windows
- OS – Home windows 11 Dwelling
- Proprietary app – Armoury Crate SE
The ROG Ally X runs on Home windows 11 Dwelling, and there is nothing actually new so as to add to the dialog about Microsoft’s OS on gaming handhelds. Home windows is much from very best on a 7-inch contact show, and the OS expertise on Home windows-based handhelds just like the Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw stays constantly irritating. At this level, Microsoft ought to work with its companions to optimise its OS for the hand held kind issue, however that is unlikely. Valve has not too long ago confirmed that it could enable third-party handhelds to run its Linux-based SteamOS, nevertheless it’s additionally unlikely that producers would ditch Home windows and run Valve’s OS out-of-the-box.
Here is the place the improved Armory Crate SE is available in. Asus’ software program brings an intuitive console-like interface that may be a hub for all of your video games and your portal to dive deep into handheld settings. There are many refinements that make Armory Crate smarter and extra environment friendly. The sport library will be customised to your preferences and will get a favourites tabs to shortly leap into your go-to video games. A deeper stage of customisation involves settings, too. Now, you may modify customized TDP values and assign further reminiscence to GPU — the Ally X allocates 4GB of its reminiscence to the built-in graphics by default, however with the bumped-up RAM, I elevated it to 8GB. It’s also possible to manually modify the fan curve for each followers.
Total, Armoury Crate SE provides a hassle-free interface to Home windows, and I discovered myself working off the software program more often than not, whether or not to entry video games throughout companies like Steam and Xbox or to tweak efficiency settings and personalise the Ally X. The Command Centre, which will be introduced up by tapping the devoted button that hugs the left facet of the show, can also be a useful technique to shortly choose energy profiles, swap between Gamepad and Desktop management modes, take screenshots, and extra. Opposite to the fast settings overlay on the MSI Claw A1M, the command centre on the Ally is responsive and free from stutters and contact enter points.
The joysticks really feel sturdy, with a textured rubber prime stopping slips
Asus ROG Ally X Efficiency: Consistency is vital
- Processor – AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive
- RAM – 24GB LPDDR5
- Storage – 1TB PCIe 4.zero NVMe SSD + M.2 SSD (2280) slot for added storage
- Graphics – AMD Radeon Graphics (RDNA 3, as much as 8.6 teraflops)
The ROG Ally X comes with the identical Ryzen Z1 collection processor seen on its predecessor that works throughout a TDP vary of 9-25W (it could additional go all the way down to a minimal of 7W TDP in Guide settings) on DC energy (on battery). Energy restrict values will be adjusted to your liking within the Guide energy profile, or “Working Mode,” as Asus calls it. Other than Guide, there are three pre-defined working modes — Silent (13W), Efficiency (17W), and Turbo (25W). On AC energy (whereas charging), Turbo mode goes as much as 30W TDP regardless that it is the identical AMD chipset, the Ally X’s considerable and sooner reminiscence, its environment friendly utilisation of energy and the VRR-supported display leads to a few of the smoothest gameplay I’ve seen on a handheld.
Taking part in a demanding title like Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p decision and Medium graphical preset at 17W (Efficiency mode) resulted in very respectable body charges within the vary of 35-45fps, with densely forested areas, closely populated settlements and intense fight sections seeing body charges on the decrease facet of that vary. The typical body charge registered within the in-game benchmark stood at 39fps.
Taking part in Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the Ally X
At 25W Turbo mode, the sport carried out within the 40-50fps vary, with the typical body charge coming in at a barely improved 42fps. On AC energy with Turbo mode boosted to 30W TDP, the typical body charge on Shadow of the Tomb Raider confirmed a marked enchancment at 44fps. And since it is a small display, you may simply decrease the decision to get better extra frames and not using a noticeable hit to picture high quality. As an illustration, with the identical Medium graphical preset at 720p, the typical body charge within the sport shot as much as 63fps.
On Forza Horizon 5, at Medium current and 1080p decision, the typical body charge registered at 76fps on 30W Energy mode whereas charging. When unplugged at 25W TDP, the racing title carried out at a median of 72fps. And on the 17W Efficiency profile, the typical got here in at 68FPS. These are actually good efficiency numbers on pretty demanding titles.
Home windows stays a irritating expertise on gaming handhelds
Handhelds, nevertheless, lend themselves to smaller, much less demanding titles, even when they carry out admirably and adequately on triple-A video games. The smaller display, too, is extra suited to platformers and 2D side-scrollers, as expansive vistas of open-world 3D titles can really feel diminished on a 7-inch show. On older and indie video games, the Ally X predictably shines. On Hole Knight, for example, taking part in at 1080p decision with Excessive settings on the 13W Silent working mode yields framerates constantly above 110fps.
On Hades, I obtained comparable outcomes, with constant framerates nearing 120fps with negligible dips throughout intense fight encounters. And whereas taking part in, Jusant, a barely extra demanding puzzle platformer, I noticed framerates within the vary of 45-55fps. At 1080p with Medium settings, whereas taking part in within the 17W Efficiency mode, I observed some minor dips. On 25W Turbo mode on DC energy, the framerates climbed as much as 55-60fps vary. And with the charger plugged in with 30W TDP, I noticed a slight enchancment, with efficiency topping out at round 65fps.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the ROG Ally X
Asus ROG Ally X Battery: Greatest within the enterprise
- Battery capability – 80Whr
- Charger – 65W AC adapter
The Asus ROG Ally X’s largest improve comes within the battery division, with the hand held doubling the 40Whr cell of the unique Ally. It is a really transformative enchancment that makes the Ally X a legit transportable gadget. Most Home windows-based handhelds, together with the first-generation ROG Ally, prime out at round an hour or an hour-and-a-half of playtime on demanding video games. The ROG Ally X, with its huge 80Whr battery and environment friendly energy administration, can simply last as long as two hours whereas operating fashionable titles. I obtained simply above two-and-a-half hours of gameplay on Shadow of the Tomb Raider earlier than the battery died. Most of my playthrough was unplugged utilizing Turbo mode, however I switched to 13W TDP as soon as the battery reached the 20 % mark.
On much less demanding older and indie video games, you may keep on with the Silent working mode at 13W or set it even decrease manually to cut back battery drain and get wonderful efficiency and prolonged play periods of as much as 4 hours. On low wattage, with brightness set to a minimal, you possibly can go above and past on titles like Celeste, Hades and Spiritfarer. The superb battery life on the ROG Ally X places it convincingly above its competitors. The hand held stays cool and silent throughout prolonged play periods, too, with Asus bringing enhancements to its thermal administration.
Verdict
When it launched in 2023, the Asus ROG Ally set a excessive baseline for Home windows-based gaming handhelds. It could not contact the Steam Deck OLED by way of battery effectivity, however its spectacular efficiency on fashionable video games, its compact and light-weight design, and its 120Hz show made it the hand held to beat. With the ROG Ally X, Asus has clearly saved what already labored nicely and improved what was missing. The gadget’s greater battery, sooner (and extra) reminiscence, and higher cooling leads to an environment friendly and constant performer that beats out the competitors on practically each metric.
The price of these essential upgrades, nevertheless, is somewhat steep. At Rs. 89,990, the ROG Ally X is sort of double the value of the AMD Z1 Excessive mannequin of the unique Ally, which presently sells at Rs. 49,990 after worth cuts. That huge hole makes it a bit troublesome to advocate Asus’ newest handheld; an OLED display would have undoubtedly sweetened the deal. However for those who’re searching for the most effective Home windows-based handheld out there proper now, it is much more troublesome to advocate the rest however the ROG Ally X. With its best-in-class battery and appreciable efficiency good points, the Ally X is your all-weather pal.
Professionals
- Glorious battery life
- Constant efficiency
- Ergonomic design modifications
- Clicky, tactile buttons
- Improved thermal administration
- Easy Armoury Crate SE expertise
Cons
- No OLED show
- Home windows OS
- Steep pricing
Scores (out of 10)
- Design: 8
- Show: 7
- Software program: 7
- Efficiency: 9
- Battery Life: 9
- Worth for Cash: 6
- Total: 8
