ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X review: An extra life for Xbox

Xbox is at a crossroads. While the PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 continue to gain popularity, multiple price hikes for the Xbox Series S and X have killed their momentum. And with several big box retailers like Costco deciding to drop Microsoft’s console from their shelves, the current-gen Xbox may be dead in the water. So what should the company do?

Microsoft’s most straightforward option would be to simply punt the end of the Xbox’s lifecycle, regroup and come back strong with a brand new console in a year or two. On the flipside, the company could follow in Sega’s footsteps after the untimely demise of the Dreamcast and become a cross-platform game publisher with a large stable of first-party studios. However, there’s a third route that could fill the gap between now and whenever the next Xbox arrives that could potentially expand its reach to a whole new segment: Give handheld gaming a go.

Engineering and building a new portable gaming device isn’t cheap or quick. So instead of doing everything itself, Microsoft teamed up with ASUS to create the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X — a pair of Windows 11-based portable gaming PCs enhanced with Microsoft’s DNA. And while it’s too early to say if these handhelds will help save Xbox itself, they’re more than solid portables that could have a big impact on portable gaming going forward.

Editor’s note: This review is focused on the ROG Xbox Ally X, primarily because that’s all we have at the moment. However, the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X share many features including the same basic design , display, button layout and software (the only difference is their color). That said, the base Xbox Ally has less impressive specs as it comes with a slower AMD Ryzen Z2 chip, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a smaller 60WHr battery. It’s also a touch lighter (1.48 pounds vs 1.58) and has a lower price of $600 instead of $1,000.

Design and display: The Xbox goes portable

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When you look at the ROG Xbox Ally X, it might appear as if ASUS bolted larger grips to its previous handheld — the Ally X — and called it a day. However, the company says the Xbox Ally was redesigned from the ground up, in large part to include a number of signature features that will make Xbox faithful feel right at home. This includes things like the classic ABXY button layout, Impulse triggers with tons of travel and, of course, the requisite Xbox home button. Then smack dab in the middle of everything is a 7-inch IPS LCD screen.

Speaking of the display, ASUS picked a FHD IPS panel with a 120Hz refresh rate that appears to be the exact same screen used on the Ally X. While it doesn’t deliver pure blacks like you’d get from OLED, contrast was still surprisingly good. With a brightness of 500 nits (the one on our review unit was actually a touch higher at 510 nits), this display delivers almost everything you want without feeling like you need to upgrade to something like the huge 8.8-inch OLED panel on the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

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Around back, there are two customizable paddles while the top edge houses a fingerprint reader and all of the Xbox Ally X’s connectivity: two USB-C ports, a microSD card reader and 3.5mm audio. Notably, while both ports support charging and display capabilities, the one furthest to the left is also Thunderbolt 4 compliant. This means it has enough bandwidth to support external GPUs like ASUS’ recently updated XG Mobile graphics dock.

Ultimately, the ROG Xbox Ally might not look all that different from ASUS’ previous handhelds, but between its buttons, triggers and those big new grips, it really does feel like you’re holding a portable version of Microsoft’s console. Even without Hall Effect sensors, the Xbox Ally X’s joysticks are tight and responsive, while the triggers offer a ton of travel. The only thing I wish ASUS and Microsoft had paid a little more attention to is the handheld’s haptics, which are fine, but they’re a far cry from the expressive rumble motors you get from a DualSense controller or the Switch 2’s Joy-Con.

Performance: Flagship handheld power

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As the higher-end model in ASUS and Microsoft’s new joint handheld lineup, the ROG Xbox Ally X features a AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip with 24GB of memory (which is shared with its GPU) and 1TB of storage that can be expanded via microSD. However, thanks in part to the new full-screen Xbox experience, Microsoft tweaked a number of the handheld’s background processes and services for the first time on a Windows 11-based handheld. The result is a slightly more optimized device even when compared to its closest rivals.

In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1,920 x 1,080, medium graphics and FSR set to performance, the ROG Xbox Ally X hit 62.1 fps while plugged in and set to its max 35-watt Turbo mode. That’s almost five fps higher than what we got from the Lenovo Legion Go 2 (57.5 fps) when its settings are similarly maxed out. Admittedly, this might not sound like a huge improvement, but it ends up being an extra seven percent performance from the same chip, which ain’t bad. Meanwhile in Returnal, I got similar numbers after switching to the Ally’s more energy-efficient 17-watt Performance Mode (unplugged), where it produced 42 fps at full HD on medium versus 39 fps for the Lenovo.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

That said, it’s important to note that the Ally’s performance changes depending on whether it’s plugged into the wall or not. If you want its full 35-watt Turbo Mode, you’re going to need to use a power adapter, while its 17-watt Performance and 13-watt Silent modes stay the same no matter what you do. There’s also a manual performance customization tool, but to access it, you’ll need to switch over to ASUS’ Armoury Crate app, as there isn’t a place to change things directly inside the Xbox app.

Software: The tailored gaming experience we needed

Getting excited about the software on a gaming handheld is usually pretty difficult. However, between the aforementioned tweaks to background services and the new full-screen Xbox experience, Microsoft has managed to remove a ton of the clunkiness that typically plagues other Windows-based gaming handhelds.

Instead of having to wade your way through the traditional Windows desktop before booting into a game, now you’re greeted by the Xbox app upon startup (and even during initial setup), so there are fewer steps to get between you and your favorite title. Furthermore, Microsoft has come up with a revamped layout that makes core features super easy to find. The Home tab is where all your installed software is, while there are other dedicated sections for Game Pass downloads (assuming you have a subscription) cloud gaming/remote play (also via Game Pass) and the Microsoft Store. If you prefer other digital marketplaces like Steam or Epic, there are shortcuts to download installers for those stores (and a few more like GOG and Ubisoft) in the My Apps tab. You don’t need to open a web browser and do things manually.

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Furthermore, hitting the Xbox button summons a handful of quick settings for all sorts of things, including the Command Center for performance, toggles for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, your Xbox friends list and a whole lot more. It’s kind of like a do-everything button and it makes accessing almost all of your most important tools and features quick and easy.

On top of that, there are new gestures that you can access by swiping in on the screen in different directions. Dragging your finger in from the left calls up the Xbox Game Bar overlay, even when you’re in the middle of playing a game, while swiping in from the right opens your Windows notifications. But my favorite command is swiping up from the bottom, which is a new way to switch between apps (or a cooler version of Alt + Tab, depending on how you look at it). From there, you can even scroll through any programs that are currently open just by tapping the Xbox Ally’s shoulder buttons. If you want to use the handheld like a real PC, you can also activate the Windows desktop from there too.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The redesigned Xbox experience is very breezy and handles 90 to 95 percent of your traditional gaming functions, but there are still times when some of Window’s underlying awkwardness shows through. Most often, I found this happens when exiting a game from a third-party store, where the Xbox Ally will spit you out into your Steam library (for example), where you’ll often have to rely on touchscreen controls instead of the joysticks or the desktop mode’s mouse cursor to navigate around. It’s not a big deal compared to other Windows-based handhelds, and even though Microsoft has taken a big step forward on the Xbox Ally, there is still a little polishing to be done.

Battery life: A solid jump in longevity

One of the biggest benefits of going with the ROG Xbox Ally X is that it comes with a larger 80WHr battery than the base model (60Whr). When that is combined with improved energy efficiency from its new chip, you get very solid battery life — just as long as you don’t max out the power settings.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

I tested this by playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at full HD on medium settings and max brightness (Protip: don’t do this at night if you want to get to sleep on time) and the Xbox Ally X lasted just shy of three and a half hours. That’s 30 minutes longer than what I got from the Legion Go 2, although considering the latter has a much larger screen (with the same 500 nits of brightness), that difference wasn’t a big shock. The bigger revelation is that when compared to the original Ally X, ASUS and Microsoft’s new jointly-made device provided an extra hour of runtime, which could make a meaningful difference on a long trip.

Wrap-up

While Microsoft’s first real foray into PC gaming handhelds isn’t upending the status quo and it’s way too early to say if this gadget will save Xbox as a whole, it is bringing some notable advancements. The new full-screen experience makes launching and playing games on Windows-based devices so much more seamless that it’s kind of wild it took so long to get here. Sure, there are still a few edge cases where you’ll have to tap the screen or flip between the Xbox app and ASUS’ Armoury Create to tweak certain settings, but compared to most of its rivals, the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is a massive upgrade in general usability.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The bigger grips and a familiar button layout will instantly make longtime Xbox fans feel right at home. And thanks to the new chip and more processes and services that run in the background while you’re gaming, you get class-leading performance and battery life.

Aside from lackluster haptics, the ROG Xbox Ally X’s biggest issue is its price. I totally get that there’s a growing number of gamers who constantly crave better performance from their portable PCs. However, the trade-off for all this is a much bigger hit to your wallet. It wasn’t that long ago when the going rate for a premium handheld was more like $500, which made it easier to afford. After all, those devices weren’t really designed to be your main gaming rig like a laptop or desktop.

Ultimately the biggest deciding factor for purchasing the ROG Xbox Ally X may be how much someone is already invested into the Xbox ecosystem. If you’re a fan of other game stores or you don’t have a subscription to Xbox Game Pass or a ton of friends on the platform, you won’t get the full benefit of everything Microsoft has integrated into the handheld’s new software. This goes double for devotees of Valve’s digital store and Linux-based OS that don’t need bleeding edge performance, who can safely stick to much more affordable Steam Decks or the Legion Go S.

Alternatively, if you want a versatile portable with a giant OLED screen and detachable controllers, the Legion Go 2 is worth consideration as well. Though at $1,300 for the model with a Z2 Extreme chip, it’s even more expensive than this new handheld Xbox. Still, despite some minor caveats, Microsoft has finally put its spin on portable PC gaming (with an assist from ASUS) and brought some welcome upgrades to the space that have made the ROG Xbox Ally X a top shelf device.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-review-an-extra-life-for-xbox-130050224.html?src=rss