ROG Xbox Ally X Review – Is This the Best of Two Worlds?
ROG Xbox Ally X Review: The Gotenks of PC Handhelds
Handheld gaming PCs are having their moment. Everyone’s trying to squeeze desktop-level power into something you can actually hold, but most end up feeling either too compromised or too complicated.
The ROG Xbox Ally X feels like what would happen if ASUS and Xbox did a Gotenks-style fusion dance and somehow made it work on the first try.
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just a spec bump over last year’s ROG Ally. It’s a rethink. A bigger battery, a smarter chip, and tighter Xbox integration that finally makes it feel less like a mini laptop and more like an actual console in your hands.
ASUS says it’s built for gamers who want to play anything, anywhere, whether it’s your Game Pass library, your Steam backlog, or a few hours of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on the couch. And after spending time with it, I can say this: it’s the most complete handheld ASUS has built so far, though not without a few caveats.
Design and Build: Like Holding an Xbox Controller With a Screen
At first glance, the ROG Xbox Ally X appears to be an evolution rather than a revolution. But pick it up and you’ll notice the refinements immediately. The handles are fuller and more contoured, clearly borrowing from the ergonomics of an Xbox controller. The grips now have deeper curves, making long gaming sessions feel less like a hand workout and more like a natural extension of your thumbs.
The matte finish remains, but ASUS has enhanced the texture for improved grip. It doesn’t feel slippery even after an hour of Forza Horizon 5 under Malaysian humidity, which, let’s be honest, is a real-world benchmark worth mentioning.
Weighing around 715 grams, the ROG Xbox Ally X is not featherlight. But that’s the tradeoff for what sits inside. You can’t expect a proper cooling system, a larger battery, and a high-refresh display without a bit of heft. It’s not something you’ll casually toss into a sling bag, but it’s balanced enough that the weight feels justified once you start playing.
Up front, the 7-inch IPS display remains a beauty; 1080p, 120Hz refresh rate, and FreeSync Premium support. ASUS stuck with an IPS panel instead of going OLED, likely to maintain brightness and lifespan under sustained gaming loads. And it works. The display still punches above its class, hitting roughly 500 nits of peak brightness with great colour accuracy and motion handling. Blacks aren’t OLED-deep, but they’re more than respectable for what’s essentially a full-blown Windows PC in your hands.
Around the device, you’ll find two USB-C ports, both supporting DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery, meaning you can charge while docked to a monitor or even an external GPU. The microSD slot is still there for those who need more storage on top of the already generous 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD.
It’s a practical design with gamer sensibility, nothing flashy, just solid refinement across the board.
Under the Hood: AMD’s New Silicon Muscle
The real star here is AMD’s Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme APU, built on the company’s Zen 5 architecture with RDNA 3.5 graphics. It’s a mouthful, sure, but what it really means is this: better efficiency, stronger graphics throughput, and a surprisingly cooler running experience compared to the older Z1 Extreme.
Paired with 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000 RAM, the ROG Xbox Ally X doesn’t skimp on multitasking. Games load fast, switching between Windows and the new Xbox interface feels smoother, and even heavier titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 run well once you tweak the TDP settings.
Here’s the thing: this isn’t a “set it and forget it” console. It’s still a Windows-based handheld, which means performance can vary depending on how you configure it. Out of the box, the ROG Xbox Ally X runs at around 17 watts in its balanced mode, which is great for battery efficiency. Crank it up to 25 watts, and you’ll start seeing that sweet spot of performance and thermal balance. Go all the way to 35 watts, and it starts flexing; though you’ll also watch the battery percentage drop faster than you’d like.
Running Hogwarts Legacy on medium settings with FSR 3 upscaling gives you around 70–80fps on the balanced mode. Drop to 720p, and you can easily hit higher frames with much lower heat output. Games like Forza Horizon 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Gears of War: Reloaded stay comfortably above 60fps in performance mode, while lighter titles like Hades or Balatro barely tickle the fans.
Thermals are equally impressive. ASUS’s dual-fan cooling system and improved “Zero Gravity” heat pipes keep surface temperatures in check. Even during extended sessions, it rarely crosses 60°C internally, and the outer shell stays comfortable to hold. That’s a huge improvement for something this compact.
Software and the Xbox Experience
This is where things finally click.
The Xbox Full Screen Experience transforms the ROG Xbox Ally X from a Windows handheld into something that feels genuinely console-like. When you power it on, you’re greeted by a clean, controller-friendly interface, not the cluttered Windows desktop we all used to dread navigating with a thumbstick.
You can jump straight into your Xbox Game Pass library, manage downloads, or switch to your Steam and Epic libraries with ease. It’s all neatly tied together, and for the first time, it feels cohesive. The Armoury Crate SE still lives beneath the surface, letting you tweak performance profiles or update drivers, but you rarely need to dive in unless you want to customise deeper settings.
That said, the Xbox integration isn’t perfect. It’s still sitting on top of Windows 11, which means the occasional system pop-up or background process might break the illusion. But these moments are rare and less jarring than before. You’ll still find yourself occasionally swapping to desktop mode for updates or tweaks, but it’s far less intrusive than on the original Ally.
In short, the ROG Xbox Ally X finally feels like a handheld made for Xbox players who also want the flexibility of PC gaming, not the other way around.
Battery Life and Power Efficiency
This is the part that caught me off guard. The 80Wh battery inside the ROG Xbox Ally X is massive for a handheld, and it shows.
With the ROG Xbox Ally X running in balanced mode (17W), you can comfortably get around 3.5 to 4 hours of AAA gameplay. Play something lighter like Balatro or Hades, and you’re looking at 5 to 6 hours. That’s almost double what the previous Ally could manage.
In performance mode (25–30W), expect roughly 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the title. It’s still not “Nintendo Switch-level endurance,” but given the horsepower this thing’s packing, it’s impressive. And with fast charging, you can juice it back to 50% in about 30 minutes.
ASUS also tuned the cooling and power management smartly this time. You don’t hear the ROG Xbox Ally X’s fans spinning up aggressively for no reason, and when they do, they’re noticeably quieter. It’s a calmer machine, both acoustically and thermally.
Audio, Controls, and Everyday Use
The stereo speakers on the ROG Xbox Ally X are better tuned and noticeably louder than before, with decent separation and clarity even at high volumes. The placement helps; they face slightly outward, so you’re not blocking them while holding the device.
The controls are classic Xbox: offset analogue sticks, tactile ABXY buttons, solid triggers, and satisfying haptics. There’s a reassuring click to every press. The D-pad feels crisp enough for fighting games, though not perfect for diagonals. Unfortunately, ASUS didn’t equip the device with Hall-effect joysticks, opting for more traditional potentiometer ones instead. While they are good quality ones, anyone scarred by Joy-Con drift trauma should take note.
When docked, the ROG Xbox Ally X essentially transforms into a full-fledged Windows PC. Hook it to an external display, pair a controller, and you’re basically running a mid-range gaming laptop in disguise. It handles creative apps like Canva just fine, too, thanks to the strong integrated GPU and fast memory. Because of how good it is as a standard Windows machine, I found myself doing work using the ROG Xbox Ally X on multiple occasions.
The Catch
There’s no way around it; the ROG Xbox Ally X is quite expensive. In Malaysia, it’s priced around RM4,299. That’s laptop money.
For that price, you could easily pick up a capable gaming laptop or a desktop that delivers stronger sustained performance. But portability changes the math. The ROG Xbox Ally X isn’t trying to replace your gaming rig; it’s extending it. It’s the machine you pull out when you’re travelling, lounging on the couch, or just want to game without being tethered to a monitor.
Still, Windows on a handheld remains a love-hate relationship. While the Xbox layer masks most of the awkwardness, it can’t completely erase it. You’ll occasionally run into scaling issues, small text boxes, or apps that weren’t designed for touch input. It’s better than it’s ever been, but it’s not flawless.
Final Thoughts: A Handheld That Finally Feels Right
Here’s the thing: the ROG Xbox Ally X doesn’t reinvent handheld gaming, but it perfects the formula ASUS started with. It’s powerful, refined, and confident in its identity. It’s not trying to be a console replacement, and that’s exactly why it works.
You get the freedom of PC gaming with the simplicity of the Xbox ecosystem. It’s a hybrid done right: a machine that embraces both sides without feeling like a compromise.
Sure, it’s pricey, and it’s not the most plug-and-play experience out there. But when you’re playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on your couch, decent settings, smooth frame rate, no cables in sight, you’ll forgive its quirks pretty quickly.
In a way, the ROG Xbox Ally X is like a well-trained beast. It doesn’t just roar; it listens. It knows when to flex and when to stay quiet. And that, for a handheld this capable, is a rare thing.
Pros:
- Excellent performance from the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme
- Substantial 80Wh battery with much better endurance
- Improved ergonomics and cooling system
- Xbox integration feels natural and polished
- Bright, colour-accurate 120Hz display
- Great speakers and Hall-effect joysticks
- Dual USB-C ports and expandable storage
Cons:
- Still running on Windows; occasional quirks remain
- Pricey for casual gamers (RM4,299 isn’t pocket change)
- Slightly heavier than the previous model
- OLED would’ve been nice at this price point
If you’re an Xbox player in Malaysia looking for a premium portable that blurs the line between console and PC, this is it. The ROG Xbox Ally X isn’t just another iteration; it’s the handheld that finally gets Xbox right. You can pre-order the device now. Nationwide availability will begin from 17 October onwards.
