ROG Xbox Ally X Review: The Best Windows Handheld, at a Premium
7.5/10 — ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X
Pros
- Superbly comfortable, controller-style grips
- Ryzen Z2 Extreme handles modern PC games well
- Xbox full-screen experience tidies up Windows
- Plays Steam, Xbox PC Game Pass and other PC stores
- Generous 1TB storage and 24GB of RAM
Cons
- Very expensive at £799 / US$999
- Battery life drops to around 90 minutes in demanding games
- Screen is the same 1080p IPS panel as cheaper rivals
- Windows still pokes through now and then
The ROG Xbox Ally X is the closest thing yet to an Xbox you can carry around. Built by Asus with Microsoft’s input, it’s a Windows 11 gaming handheld with a new Xbox-style interface on top. It can play your Xbox PC Game Pass library, your Steam games and almost anything else that runs on a PC. It’s an impressive machine, but at £799 (US$999), it’s also a very expensive one.
Design
This is where the Ally X shines. Its sculpted grips are shaped like an Xbox controller and are far more comfortable for long sessions than the flat backs of older handhelds. The buttons and sticks feel high quality, and the triggers support impulse vibration, just like an Xbox Wireless Controller. It’s a hefty device at around 715g, but its weight is well balanced.
The 7-inch, 1080p, 120Hz IPS screen is bright and supports variable refresh rate, which smooths out uneven frame rates. It’s good, but it isn’t an OLED, and it’s the same size and resolution as the cheaper ROG Xbox Ally.
Performance
Inside is AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip with 24GB of fast memory and a 1TB SSD. It handles a wide range of modern PC games at the screen’s native resolution, with upscaling helping in the more demanding titles. Reviewers broadly agree it’s one of the fastest Windows handhelds available, though the gain over the previous ROG Ally X is modest.
Software
The Xbox full-screen experience is the big change. It boots straight into an Xbox-style launcher that collects games from different PC stores in one place, and it reduces Windows’ background clutter, so games have more resources to work with. It’s a big improvement over using raw Windows 11 on a small screen, but Windows still appears for some tasks and settings. Valve’s SteamOS on the Steam Deck still feels more polished as a pure console-style experience.
Battery life
The Ally X has a large 80Wh battery, and in lighter games you can get several hours out of it. Push it with demanding modern releases, though, and battery life can drop to around 90 minutes. Plan to play near a socket for the biggest games.
Verdict
The ROG Xbox Ally X is the best Windows handheld for most PC gamers, with superb ergonomics, strong performance and an interface that finally makes Windows usable on a handheld. Its price is the problem. At £799, it costs more than a PS5, and cheaper handhelds like the Steam Deck offer much of the same experience for a lot less. If you want the most comfortable, capable way to take your PC library on the move and money’s no object, this is it.
