When Valve introduced the Steam Deck OLED, I called it “everything nan original should person been.” Asus is trying to do nan nonstop aforesaid point pinch nan caller ROG Ally X.
After months of leaks, teases, and exclusive early details from yours truly, it’s official: nan ROG Ally X handheld gaming PC is going connected preorder coming for $799.
When it ships connected July 22nd, it’ll travel pinch double nan battery, double nan storage, double nan USB-C ports pinch quadruple nan USB bandwidth, 50 percent much (and faster) 7500MHz representation for up to a 15 percent capacity boost, dramatically revised ergonomics, an overhauled soul layout, and an extended database of different tweaks.
ROG Ally (top) vs. ROG Ally X (bottom).
There are truthful galore changes, successful fact, that I spent 2 hours connected nan telephone pinch Asus method trading head Sascha Krohn to perceive astir them all. I besides went to nan company’s US office to unfastened up an ROG Ally X pinch my ain screwdrivers and play pinch nan caller build. I took plentifulness of pics, because I want you to nerd retired pinch me.
But first, fto maine punctual you what nan ROG Ally X is not. Here’s what I wrote last month:
Don’t telephone it an Ally 2: erstwhile it ships successful nan 2nd half of nan year, nan Windows-based Ally X will person nan aforesaid AMD Z1 Extreme chipset and nan aforesaid 7-inch 48–120Hz VRR screen. It’s not rather like the Steam Deck OLED, wherever Valve sewage AMD to revise its spot for amended artillery life and stableness and added a larger, brighter, gorgeous caller OLED sheet pinch improved consequence clip and slimmer bezels.
The ROG Ally X is simply a revision, not a sequel, and it’s a pricier one. It still runs Windows, and I still firmly judge Windows drags gaming handhelds down. But nan Ally X mightiness beryllium nan champion Windows handheld yet — because Asus has crammed a monster 80 watt-hour artillery into a handheld that doesn’t consciousness heavy, one that fits my average-sized hands better than immoderate Windows handheld I’ve tried.
At 1.49 pounds (678g), nan ROG Ally X is only 0.15 pounds (70g) heavier than nan original, and it’s only 0.18 inches (4.5mm) thicker astatine its thickest point. It’s almost precisely nan aforesaid weight arsenic nan original Steam Deck, and almost half an inch thinner, but pinch doubly arsenic overmuch artillery capacity inside.
How? While nan bigger artillery added complete 120 grams of weight, Asus was capable to offset half of it by making different components lighter. Krohn says a stronger, thinner, lighter chassis offered nan biggest savings — nan weight of nan talcum-filled ABS / polycarbonate composite went from 176 grams to 134 grams by nan clip Asus was done. (I did tally into 1 broadside effect of nan stiffer integrative blend: it’s harder to popular it unfastened for repair.)
The Ally X has lighter circuit boards, too, shaving distant tons of unnecessary board, and a lighter cooling module — including 23-percent smaller fans that are really more powerful, because nan company’s in-house creation squad created its ain civilization group of 77 ultra-thin blades that trump nan 47 of nan original. Krohn says you mightiness spot nan Ally tally a mates degrees cooler, and nan thinner blades thief trim nan audible sound bump astatine astir 5,000Hz, too.
And, there’s a caller bid of vents that fto nan Ally X cool its touchscreen much efficaciously — up to 6°C cooler.
The joysticks are different spot wherever they’re some amended and lighter: wholly revised modular boards now usage nan aforesaid high-grade potentiometer based ALPS sticks you’ll find successful a PS5 aliases Xbox gamepad, pinch acold tighter propulsion than nan original Ally, delightfully tacky concave tops a la Steam Deck OLED, wider bases for amended particulate resistance, and debased clash POM plastic stems for smoother action erstwhile they scrape against nan joystick ring’s edge.
They’re rated to 5 cardinal rotation cycles, up from 2 million, and if that’s not enough, they’re modular — fresh for a drift-resistant Hall Effect magnetic joystick upgrade kit that Gulikit already has successful development. (Krohn says not capable gamers for illustration Hall Effect sticks for them to travel standard, which... maybe?)
And, Asus has seemingly addressed almost each of nan biggest complaints astir I/O:
You get a full-length M.2 2280 PCIe 4 SSD slot now, 1 which supports double-sided drives too, opening up some nan highest capacity and nan astir costs effective retention options connected nan market.
Asus has besides ditched its proprietary XG Mobile eGPU larboard for a 2nd USB-C port, 1 that offers each nan benefits of Thunderbolt 4 too: 40Gbps speeds, 100W USB-C PD charging, DP 1.4 video output, and 4 lanes of PCIe for modular eGPUs. (No Oculink, sorry.)
Both ports are top-mounted, but Krohn says that lets moreover nan weaker 1 connection 100W charging and 10Gbps data.
And yes, Asus says you get a new SD paper scholar that is not nan aforesaid arsenic nan 1 that Asus won’t admit has an issue.
The ROG Ally X one-pager. 24GB RAM intends nan GPU and strategy fundamentally nary longer request to share.
Here are immoderate of nan smaller specifications I learned:
- The D-pad is not only eight-way now, it’s besides larger and much comfortable. I vastly for illustration it.
- The look buttons are 3mm taller, wrong a longer conduit for much stability. I recovered they person a flatter press.
- The speakers person a somewhat larger enclosure for somewhat much measurement and bass.
- The haptic actuators person moved to nan edges of nan device, beneath palms, for much pronounced feedback and weight distribution.
- The enarthrosis buttons are mounted otherwise connected nan committee truthful they don’t break arsenic easy successful a fall.
- The triggers are wider and made of steaming semi-transparent integrative that looks cool.
- The rear intake vents are somewhat larger.
- The joystick tops are now attached pinch screws, truthful you could theoretically 3D people your ain tops aliases stem extenders.
- Similarly, nan caller backmost buttons are screwed into nan rear ammunition now, truthful you could theoretically move their position successful your ain 3D printed rear shell.
- There’s a ringing astir nan fingerprint powerfulness fastener now to find it easier by feel.
- The Turbo mode still operates astatine 25W, but Silent has been bumped from 10W to 13W, and Performance from 15W to 17W.
- The artillery is now rated to person 80 percent remaining capacity aft 3 years of cycling, up from 70 percent
- The handheld uses a different IMU now.
- It still has magnetic Hall Effect triggers, but revised somewhat to make judge they don’t interfere pinch nan speakers aliases vibration motors.
- While it does support 100W charging now, it still comes pinch nan aforesaid 65W adapter.
- It’s not compatible pinch existing cases and mounts, but Asus is successful touch pinch instrumentality favorites JSAUX, Deckmate and Dbrand to connection caller ones.
- Existing Ally owners will beryllium capable to migrate settings to an Ally X pinch a unreality backup.
Last but not least, there’s an easter ovum successful nan comfy caller grips — just for illustration nan PS5’s controller is studded pinch incredibly mini PlayStation symbols, nan ROG Ally X’s grips are covered pinch “ROG ROG ROG”:
Touch nan ROG.
I can’t hold for a reappraisal portion of this handheld, because artillery is king successful handheld gaming PC world, and nan Ally X is astir to beryllium king of handheld artillery packs. Just don’t needfully expect it to dethrone nan Steam Deck OLED, because there’s only truthful acold Asus tin spell without a much businesslike spot and surface — and because I’m still not judge really I consciousness astir Asus’ deteriorating reputation for support.
Some mini news coming location too, though: Asus has conscionable announced that each ROG Ally devices successful North America now person a two-year warranty.
Photography by Sean Hollister / The Verge