Late last week, I attended an ASUS preview event for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. I spent a little over an hour with both products, focusing mainly on the ROG Xbox Ally X.
The ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X truly feel like the long-awaited Xbox handheld that people have been clamouring for over many years. With so many handheld devices currently supported in the console ecosystem, it can be tough to decide on yet another handheld—especially with the Switch 2, PlayStation Portal, and Steam Deck all vying for attention.
Even the original Switch still boasts a plethora of confirmed games. Many gamers feel that upgrading to the Switch 2 this year isn’t worth it until more exclusives are released for Nintendo’s latest console.
Handheld consoles have been my major time sink since I was incredibly young. But over the years, more and more handhelds have felt less than optimal for long hours of play, often causing aching hands or sweaty palms.
Getting my literal hands on the ROG Xbox Ally X felt incredibly natural. The contours and shaping fit perfectly. It was as if they had chopped off an Xbox Wireless Controller’s grips and placed them onto the ROG Ally to create the ROG Xbox Ally.
Having tried the Steam Deck in the past, I initially liked how it handled. However, I hesitated because I knew my hands would probably cramp or ache easily due to its grip shape. I remember needing to switch hands every few minutes because of its unwieldiness.
With the ROG Xbox Ally X, it felt good. It felt nice.
Hades was the first game I dabbled with on the ROG Xbox Ally, and although I had never played Hades before, it ran extremely smoothly. I was easily able to keep up with enemies, projectiles, and environments through each room I completed.
On the ROG Xbox Ally, there were a few games available: Hades, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Balatro, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. These titles were less graphically intensive. I tried to boot up Hollow Knight: Silksong, but due to Wi-Fi issues at the event, I couldn’t get the game running.
That was unfortunate, especially since I have over 80 hours in Silksong. It would have been an excellent opportunity to see how it ran compared to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Next, I tried the ROG Xbox Ally X, which featured more graphically intensive games: Doom: The Dark Ages and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Doom: The Dark Ages initially suffered from stuttering and lag. However, after tweaking some settings—turning ray tracing and path tracing off—it ran excellently.
I’m not the type to obsess over frames per second or graphical intensity, but it was shocking to see a recent Doom entry running steadily at 120 FPS in my hands. Even though my eyes might not have detected the difference compared to 60 FPS, the smoothness was impressive.
For context, I once played Pokémon Unite for hundreds of hours before realizing I was playing it at 30 FPS instead of 60.
In Expedition 33, I explored the game, skipping dialogue and roaming to find an early one-on-one fight. I wanted to test the timing of the counter mechanic, as many players have had trouble with it.
Handhelds often make timing mechanics like counters or parries harder to master, but with a bit of practice, I landed counters with extreme precision—sometimes even a triple counter during a flurry of enemy attacks. There was little room for error, yet I was able to read the foe’s openings seamlessly.
The ROG Xbox Ally X excels and shines with its lightweight design, comfortable handling, intuitive grip, and well-crafted contours and grooves. These features make it well-suited for hours of gameplay, especially with its large battery life.
Physically, it is a massive upgrade over the original ROG Ally, standing out purely for its practicality. Additionally, it can be connected to a large TV screen, although at the event, I only had the chance to play in handheld mode.
Overall, the ROG Xbox Ally X feels like a promising new entry in the handheld gaming space and a worthy contender among the current devices.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146353/rog-xbox-ally-preview
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