Although Asus was one of many first gaming handhelds from a serious PC producer, the unique ROG Ally carried out very nicely. In comparison with Valve’s Steam Deck, it affords higher efficiency in a smaller case with out an enormous worth improve. Because it’s primarily based on Home windows somewhat than Linux, it affords practically common gaming compatibility. That stated, there’s nonetheless loads of room for enchancment on points like brief battery life and a defective SD card slot. So on the brand new Ally X, ASUS has tweaked virtually every part besides the chip and show. However this time, what we get is the totally armed, operational battle station I’ve at all times wished.
Design and show
From a distance, it seems like all Asus did was change the Ally X’s case colour from white to black. However the second I picked it up, I observed loads of small modifications, together with a extra pronounced grip, barely increased floor buttons, and smaller paddles designed on the again so that they’re more durable to by chance hit. There’s additionally a model new D-pad, which is an enormous enchancment over the one on the unique Ally, though I would nonetheless desire a standard cross-shaped or considered one of Sony’s pentagonal preparations.
Picture by Sam Rutherford
Due to some refined design tweaks and main {hardware} upgrades, Asus has remodeled the ROG Ally X right into a flagship Home windows gaming handheld.
- Improved ergonomics
- Double the battery
- extra reminiscence
- Vivid VRR show
- Now geared up with two USB-C ports
- Costlier than earlier than
- Home windows on handheld computer systems nonetheless feels clunky
- A built-in stand or included field could be good
- No Corridor impact rocker
$800 at Greatest Purchase
Internally, Asus added stiffer springs to the Ally X’s joysticks, making them tighter and extra responsive. Nevertheless, Asus hasn’t switched to Corridor impact sensors like rivals just like the Lenovo Legion Go. There is a third vent and a brand new fan system for improved cooling and airflow, though the again of this factor nonetheless will get fairly heat when totally loaded.
However the perfect half is that even with all these modifications and a few new parts inside (extra on that later), the Ally X is not any bulkier than its predecessor. The unique ROG Ally weighed 1.34 kilos and was 1.28 inches at its thickest level, whereas the Ally X weighs 1.49 kilos and is 1.45 inches at its thickest level. An Asus rep even instructed me that the Ally X matches the unique Ally’s official case, however I have never confirmed this myself since, not like the Steam Deck, you do not get it bundled with the system.
Lastly, the Ally X’s 1080p show is considered one of two parts an identical to its predecessor. It has wonderful brightness, peaking at round 500 nits (our overview unit was really higher at round 515 nits) and a variable 120Hz replace fee. It is just about precisely what you need on a system of this measurement, and in brighter environments its black ranges are so good that I mistook it for an OLED panel.
Efficiency
One other main part that hasn’t modified is the Ally X’s AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive chip. However that does not imply there are not any efficiency enhancements. That is as a result of Asus has massively upgraded the remainder of the parts, with 24GB of sooner LPDDR5X-7500 RAM (up from 16GB) and a bigger 1TB M.2 SSD (up from 512GB). Asus has even opted for full-size 2280 modules this time round, so if you wish to improve your storage, you may have extra choices than the smaller 2230 reminiscence sticks utilized in earlier fashions. Moreover, and I can not stress this sufficient, ASUS additionally spent additional time perfecting the Ally X’s drivers. As we noticed within the unique, improved software program help could make an enormous distinction in efficiency, particularly in classes that would nonetheless profit tremendously from higher optimization. Relying on the title, we see a 5-10% improve in efficiency, which is fairly important contemplating its silicon hasn’t modified.
exist Shadow of the Tomb Raider At 720p prime quality, Ally X achieved 54 fps in Efficiency mode and 64 fps in Turbo mode, in comparison with 54 fps and 60 fps within the unique model. whereas enjoying Cyberpunk 2077I discovered that the body fee of Ally X in Turbo mode was as excessive as 78 fps, whereas the common Ally was solely 69 fps. This enchancment seems to be largely as a result of Ally X’s elevated RAM, which the hand held shares with the GPU. Not like a laptop computer or desktop pc with a discrete graphics card, the Z1 Excessive’s Radeon 780M doesn’t have its personal devoted reminiscence.
However irrespective of the way it achieves that objective, all these modifications make the Ally X one of the vital highly effective handheld computer systems available on the market. That is as a result of whereas the Legion Go makes use of the identical processor, it has 8GB much less RAM, so it usually falls behind by 3 to five fps in video games.
software program
Home windows-based gaming handsets are nonetheless a bit clunky when you’ll want to change between varied recreation launchers and menus, however Asus has streamlined its Armory Crate app to make it extra responsive and simpler to make use of. It is usually much less buggy and higher geared up and generally is a one-stop store for aggregating all of your totally different video games (and launchers) or shortly tweaking settings. Nonetheless, it isn’t as cohesive as Valve’s Steam working system. Regardless of latest enhancements, I nonetheless run into points like Armory Crate, which interrupts what I am attempting to do in Home windows when it begins mechanically after a reboot (fortunately you may disable it).
Battery life and ports
One of many greatest points with the unique Ally was the brief battery life, which often solely lasted an hour or an hour and a half at finest. When your system must be plugged into the wall often, it raises questions on how good a gaming handheld it truly is.
However on the Ally X, Asus has doubled the battery capability to 80Wh. Now it is simply playable for no less than two to 2 and a half hours (or extra, when you do not thoughts fidgeting with the settings). While you keep in mind that the Ally X is not that a lot heavier than its predecessor, you may recognize much more how a lot additional energy Asus has added inside.
I additionally like that Asus changed the proprietary XG Cell connector on the unique mannequin with a second USB-C port that helps Thunderbolt 4. Varied peripheral units. This makes the Ally X higher capable of operate as a transportable desktop, since you may plug in equipment like a mouse and keyboard with out the necessity for exterior docking stations or adapters.
wrap up
Whereas the Ally X is not a real 2.0 model of its predecessor, Asus has addressed practically all the complaints I had in regards to the unique after which some. Its joysticks really feel tighter, efficiency is best, and battery life is actually doubled. Although Asus’ Armory Crate app is simpler to make use of, it nonetheless does not fairly clear up the issue of Home windows feeling clunky on PC handheld units. Whereas it is thicker and heavier than earlier than, these modifications do not have an effect on its portability. Asus additionally claims that after receiving a lot of buyer complaints, it has improved its RMA course of to higher help those that want repairs or repairs. However it’s too early to inform whether or not this may make a distinction.
In actual fact, the most important impediment to the Ally X is its worth. At $800, it is $150 costlier than the unique Ally or the closest equal Steam Deck. For individuals who purchased its predecessor, this will nonetheless make it tough to promote only a 12 months later. I additionally assume Valve’s handhelds are nonetheless the leaner, easier-to-use possibility because of the Steam working system. However make no mistake, when you’re speaking about the perfect PC gaming handhelds available on the market, the Ally X sits atop the mountain subsequent to the Steam Deck.
