The Asus ROG Ally X is official — and I took a peek inside

Asus ROG Ally X, a new gaming handheld, offers significant hardware upgrades.

: The Asus ROG Ally X has been officially announced with preorders starting today at $799, featuring double the battery and storage, and a range of hardware improvements. Key enhancements include increased memory, better cooling, and a more ergonomic design, alongside numerous internal upgrades for performance and durability. Despite these upgrades, it retains familiarity in chipset and screen specs compared to its predecessor, positioning it as a hefty competitor in the handheld gaming market.

The Asus ROG Ally X is introduced as an advanced version of its predecessor, maintaining similar core features like the AMD Z1 Extreme chipset and 7-inch VRR screen, but with substantial upgrades in hardware and design. Priced at $799, the new model doubles the battery life and storage space, integrates a larger and more effective cooling system, and improves the overall build to make it more ergonomic and durable. The device's I/O has been revised to include additional ports with enhanced capabilities such as a Thunderbolt 4 compatible USB-C, and it supports high-speed PCIe 4.0 SSDs.

During a detailed examination, the internals of the ROH Ally X showed significant enhancements such as the use of high-grade potentiometers for the joysticks and increased RAM which prevents the GPU from sharing system memory effectively. Upgrades to the physical structure include a beefier battery that surprisingly does not add much to its weight, a revised cooling module, and modified external ports that cater to better efficiency and performance. These modifications not only boost performance but also extend the longevity and usefulness of the device in daily gaming scenarios.

Despite its many improvements, the ROG Ally X is branded as a revision rather than a sequel, reflecting its development philosophy. Even with these refinements, it doesn't drastically alter the foundation set by its predecessor, indicating Asus's intention to refine rather than reinvent. This strategy might position the ROG Ally X as the preferred choice for users seeking a robust and high-performance handheld gaming PC, although it continues to face strong competition from other leading devices like the Steam Deck OLED.

handheld gamingROG Ally XAsus upgrades