The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X: A Powerful Handheld That Shines Beyond Its Xbox Branding

The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X has finally arrived, heralding what many hoped would be a new era for Windows gaming handhelds, largely due to Microsoft’s updated Xbox app. With its compelling hardware, you might expect this $1,000 device to revolutionize the handheld space. Yet, for the most part, it reinforces why Windows-based alternatives still struggle to match the overall ease of use found in Valve’s original Steam Deck. Nevertheless, even with its disappointing Xbox console-like experience, the Xbox Ally X is an excellent handheld, primarily thanks to its phenomenal AMD processor.

At the heart of this machine lies the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, representing a significant performance leap over the first-generation handhelds, including the Steam Deck and even the original ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go. While devices like the Ayaneo 3 and AOKZOE A1X have recently offered similar raw performance (courtesy of AMD Radeon 890M-class GPUs), the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X distinguishes itself with a far more competitive, albeit still premium, price. It’s vying for a top spot among the best gaming handhelds, so let’s delve into what makes this device shine and where it stumbles.

Specs

Design

The Xbox Ally X immediately distinguishes itself with its unique grip design. However, in most other aspects, it’s clearly an evolution of the existing ROG Ally X. It maintains the same color options – black for the Xbox Ally X and white for the Xbox Ally – and features an identical arrangement of face buttons, d-pad, and thumbsticks, complete with the familiar RGB lighting rings. The only notable difference is the addition of the Xbox button on the front-left of the screen.

Consequently, there’s nothing groundbreaking here. You won’t find detachable controllers, a slide-out keyboard, a kickstand, specialized connectors, or touchpads like those on the Steam Deck. It’s largely a classic Windows handheld, save for those distinctive grips.

On the topic of the grips, they genuinely excel. This is, without a doubt, the most comfortable gaming handheld I’ve ever used. The added depth and fullness of the grips fit incredibly naturally in the hand, much like the best PC controllers. Furthermore, the distinctive split section at the bottom – which makes the handheld appear as if a controller has been torn in half with a screen inserted – allows for a truly secure wrap-around grip. This, combined with the helpful crosshatching pattern, enables easy one-handed operation.

Beyond the grips, its ergonomics largely mirror other handhelds. At 715g, it’s slightly heavier than a Steam Deck but significantly lighter than the Legion Go’s 854g. The overall proportion of the 7-inch screen within the control layout is well-balanced, though the noticeably wide bezels around the screen hint that a slightly larger display might have fit within the chassis.

Display and Sound

Delving deeper into the display, it’s an LCD panel boasting a 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, capable of a swift 120Hz refresh rate. It also incorporates variable refresh rate (VRR) with Freesync, allowing you to dial down the refresh rate for battery conservation while ensuring a tear-free and stutter-free visual experience.

These specifications indicate a screen that’s ideal for gaming, providing the responsiveness and versatility needed to run fast-paced titles at high frame rates or more leisurely games in a way that maximizes battery life, all while preserving good image quality and a smooth refresh rate.

However, when it comes to pure image quality, this screen is competent but not exceptional. It offers good viewing angles for an LCD and renders natural, reasonably saturated colors. But as a standard LCD without a multi-zone backlight, it struggles to achieve truly deep black levels. This means it can’t deliver the same contrast and vibrant punchiness as OLED panels, such as those found on the Steam Deck OLED and AOKZOE A1X. Technically, its response time also isn’t as quick as OLEDs, though this is a minor factor for a handheld device like this.

Furthermore, this screen doesn’t support HDR and only covers 100% of the sRGB color space and 75% of the AdobeRGB color space. Consequently, its colors lack some of the vividness seen in the best gaming monitor designs.

Audio, on the other hand, is a strong point for the Xbox Ally X. Its stereo, front-firing speakers achieve impressive volume – far more than typically needed – and maintain a respectable depth, preventing them from sounding overly shrill or tinny. The headphone jack also provides clean, clear audio, devoid of any noticeable background hiss or hum.

Operating System and Xbox App

Beyond its new Z2 Extreme processor and competitive price, much of the excitement surrounding the Xbox Ally X stemmed from Microsoft’s promise of a revitalized Xbox app experience that would transform the usability of Windows gaming handhelds. While the new app does introduce some welcome features, it falls short of being a complete remedy for the frustrations of navigating Windows with just a d-pad and touchscreen.

The Xbox app launches immediately after the Xbox Ally X boots up, offering a centralized hub for your installed games, Xbox profile, and access to Game Pass, Cloud gaming options, and the Microsoft game store.

The ‘installed games’ section conveniently integrates titles from other launchers like Steam and Epic, allowing you to launch them directly from the app. However, this is largely the extent of the app’s capability in terms of providing a single access point for device navigation or settings management.

Given that the app is essentially the existing Xbox app for Windows with a fresh interface, it’s somewhat understandable that it doesn’t encompass every specific device function. Yet, Microsoft has missed a significant opportunity to simply mirror standard Windows controls, such as screen brightness, volume, power mode settings, and more, within a consistent handheld interface.

The crucial takeaway here is that not only would such integration be invaluable for gaming handhelds and other scenarios where a Windows gaming machine is used without a keyboard and mouse (e.g., a PC connected to a TV), but Valve has already demonstrated how to execute this flawlessly with its Steam Big Picture mode. Microsoft merely needed to create its own equivalent.

Returning to what the app *does* offer, the main home screen presents a list of your recently played games – frustratingly, only as icons without titles – and then predominantly focuses on promoting other games and Game Pass content.

Similarly, the Game Pass section doesn’t prioritize showcasing games you’ve already installed through the service; instead, it largely promotes the service itself. The ‘Library’ section effectively consolidates all your installed games into a clean, logical interface, while the cloud gaming and store sections function as expected portals for acquiring new titles.

Venturing into the ‘Friends’ section allows you to chat with your Xbox contacts, view who’s online, and communicate via voice, voice-to-text, or the on-screen keyboard.

With minimal device management capabilities within the Xbox app, these features are relegated to the Xbox/Asus overlay. This overlay appears over games and other running applications when you press either the Xbox button or the adjacent Asus Command Center button.

Pressing the Xbox button takes you to the overlay’s home section, where you can launch one of your three most recently played games or open a game launcher. A left tap navigates to the main Asus Command Center, which is your hub for controlling all the device’s settings.

Here, you can adjust brightness and volume, power down the device, switch between various power modes, set the FPS Limiter, enable AMD RSR, and change resolutions. The power modes allow the handheld’s processor to run at a maximum output of 13W (Silent), 17W (Performance), and either 25W on battery or 35W when plugged in (both labeled ‘Turbo’ mode). Lower power consumption translates to longer battery life but reduced performance. We evaluate the impact of these settings in the performance section of this review.

To the right of the overlay’s home section is the settings area, which redundant includes volume and brightness controls, power options, and network options already present in the Command Center. Additionally, there are tabs for Xbox Social, Audio, screen capture, system monitoring, Xbox Achievements, the inevitable CoPilot AI, and a Widget Store.

This entire arrangement feels overly complex and unwieldy, with peculiar redundancies such as three different locations to control system volume (Command Center, Settings, Audio). That said, having most of these functions readily accessible is undeniably useful. It simply feels as though the entire implementation was rushed and lacked a comprehensive, holistic consideration.

Moreover, on my review unit, after a recent automatic firmware update, pressing the Xbox button inexplicably began loading Steam Big Picture. Consequently, using the d-pad to navigate the overlay ceased to function. To access these features, I had to resort to pressing the ROG Command Center button. While I’m confident this bug will be swiftly addressed, it proved to be a frustrating experience.

Crucially, the Xbox app and its overlay fail to overcome the fundamental flaw of Windows: its terrible touchscreen/d-pad navigation experience. Microsoft desperately needs to develop a unified interface that consolidates the majority of essential Windows functions into a true mobile-style experience, complete with a clean, scrolling app drawer and a straightforward settings menu.

The current approach of haphazardly combining both touch and mouse interfaces has degraded the Windows desktop experience, and it remains equally frustrating on touchscreen devices. This is a lesson the company should have learned over a decade ago when Windows 8 famously faltered, yet it still hasn’t been fully embraced.

Performance

Fortunately, while the sleek Xbox experience of the Xbox Ally X leaves much to be desired, the raw performance and gaming experience on this handheld are nothing short of excellent. Once games are up and running – especially those on Steam – the controls operate superbly, and the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor at the core of this machine delivers significantly higher frame rates than early-generation handhelds. While devices like the Ayaneo 3 and AOKZOE A1X may boast similar GPU power, the overall numbers here are still impressive.

Beginning with Cyberpunk 2077, I initiated testing using the highest 35W power mode (with the device plugged in). Running the game at 1080p with medium detail settings and FSR upscaling set to ‘Quality’, the Xbox Ally X consistently provided a perfectly playable experience. An average of 43fps with a 1% low of 33fps might not feel perfectly smooth with a mouse and keyboard, but I found it entirely adequate for controller input. Boosting the FSR upscaling to ‘Balanced’ mode (which starts at a lower initial render resolution before upscaling) saw performance jump to a 49fps average.

In the lower-power 17W mode running on battery, performance dipped by approximately 25%, with our average using ‘Balanced’ upscaling falling to 37fps. This is still just about playable, though you might consider further tweaks – such as dropping to ‘Low’ overall quality – for a slightly smoother experience during more intense combat sequences. Playing at the same resolution as the Steam Deck, and again using ‘Balanced’ upscaling, yielded a 52fps average.

Interestingly, if you’re so inclined, you can even (just barely) play with ray tracing enabled in this game at 1080p. Utilizing the ‘Low’ ray tracing quality preset and with FSR set to ‘Balanced’, the Xbox Ally X managed 29fps in the 35W power mode. While not my preferred way to experience the game, the option is there.

Speaking of ray tracing, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a game that doesn’t allow you to completely disable this feature. Yet, it still ran remarkably well on the Xbox Ally X, even without any upscaling. With the ‘Low’ quality preset, you can enjoy this game at a 33fps average using the 35W mode. Switching to 17W mode reduces this to 29fps, but for a slower-paced game like this, it remains just about playable.

For a noticeably smoother frame rate, enabling FSR upscaling at the ‘Quality’ setting delivers a 42fps average in 35W mode (37fps at 17W). Pushing to ‘Balanced’ upscaling further boosts this to a 46fps average at 35W (39fps at 17W). Throughout all this, despite the ‘Low’ quality setting, the game still looks fantastic when rendered at this resolution on a screen of this size.

Beyond specific benchmark runs in demanding AAA titles, I also played a variety of older 3D games, such as 2011’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, which smoothly ran at well over 100fps even in 17W mode.

Regarding heat and noise, this handheld maintains impressive coolness and quietness. Even in its peak 35W mode, it only reached 38dB from a distance of 10cm while playing Cyberpunk 2077. In 17W mode, it registered a mere 33dB. All the while, the device only ever became slightly warm to the touch.

Battery life

Housing a substantial 80Wh battery, the Xbox Ally X delivers solid battery life for a gaming handheld. In the demanding PCMark 10 gaming battery life benchmark, this device endured for just under two hours in its top 25W power mode. However, this jumped significantly to three hours when utilizing the 17W mode.

It’s important to note that both these tests were conducted without the FPS Limiter enabled to reduce the GPU’s workload, and the benchmark itself is quite strenuous. We plan to update this review soon with tests that include the FPS limiter, as well as measurements for video playback battery life and the PCMark 10 Office benchmark, similar to our approach for gaming laptop reviews. For now, in our general usage of the device, it consistently delivered around four to six hours of gaming on less demanding titles, placing it on par with other handhelds.

Price

The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is priced at $999 / £799, making it a premium purchase and noticeably more expensive than the Steam Deck OLED and several first-generation handhelds. However, this pricing positions it comfortably below other competing handhelds that incorporate second-generation chips, such as the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme. The UK price, in particular, is exceptionally competitive, matching that of the existing ROG Ally X. In contrast, devices like the AOKZOE A1X typically cost upwards of $1,300.

Alternatives

AOKZOE A1X

The AOKZOE A1X remains a champion among Windows gaming handhelds in terms of performance and screen quality, also featuring a similar second-generation AMD processor to the Xbox Ally X. However, it comes with a significantly higher price tag and offers shorter battery life.

Asus ROG Ally X

Despite housing an older generation processor, the original ROG Ally X is still a great handheld. It offers nearly identical features to the Xbox Ally X, just with slightly less powerful internals. Currently, its price hasn’t dropped enough to make it a compelling mid-range option. If Asus reduces its price significantly, to around $600-$700, it would become the go-to mid-tier choice.

Steam Deck OLED

The Steam Deck interface continues to reign supreme for user-friendliness. With the Steam Deck OLED being roughly half the price of the Xbox Ally X, it undoubtedly remains the best overall gaming handheld. While its 800p screen and older processor show their age, it’s still the device to beat in terms of overall value and experience.

Verdict

The high hopes for a truly slick, streamlined Xbox-branded Windows gaming handheld experience have not been fully realized with the Xbox Ally X. However, despite its Xbox additions feeling largely symbolic, this device undeniably stands as the Windows handheld to beat right now.

Much of this positive assessment stems from the sheer power of its AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, which delivers a truly noticeable improvement in gaming performance compared to the Steam Deck and other first-generation handhelds. Furthermore, the uniquely designed controller-style grips on the Xbox Ally X are a welcome and effective addition.

The most significant factor of all, however, is that while this remains an expensive, premium gaming handheld, it offers far greater competitive value than other devices in its performance class. If you’re seeking the best Windows handheld available today, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is your top contender.