ROG Ally X quick hands-on: Great upgrades have made this gaming handheld more compelling now (updated)

(This article was originally published on 4 June, 2024, and has been updated with launch and pricing details.)

For gamers who want to play their PC games on the go, the ROG Ally is one of two good alternatives to the Steam Deck OLED (Lenovo’s Legion Go being the other). But the former has had some drawbacks (read about them in our review) and ASUS has since gone back to the drawing board to make an improved version of the ROG Ally – dubbed simply the ROG Ally X.

Announced at Computex 2024 over the past weekend, the ROG Ally X isn’t the successor to the vanilla ROG Ally – it’s really simply an “improved” version. So there’s no significant upgrade to the horsepower (it’s still powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme) nor is there a change in the display (it’s still using the same 7-inch 1080p LCD screen).

But there are some slight, albeit important, quality of life improvements on the surface.

For starters, the ROG Ally X now sports 24GB of DDR5 memory, which is an improvement over the 16GB from the original ROG Ally. Storage has also been upgraded – the ROG Ally X will have up to 1TB of SSD. Last but not least, the new handheld also has an additional USB-C port (up from one on the ROG Ally).

But the changes are not just limited to more memory, storage and another USB-C port. ASUS has made some key changes on the inside too.

One of the standout changes is the redesigned motherboard. ASUS says the ROG Ally X now includes a M.2 2280 slot so users can upgrade their storage easily. More importantly though, is the introduction of an 80Wh battery. The ROG Ally X has literally double the battery capacity of its predecessor, and ASUS has done this without adding too much weight – weighing 678g now.

Externally, the ROG Ally now sports a sleek black colourway and what I felt to be a more ergonomic button layout. ASUS claims the new analog sticks can withstand up to 5 million cycles and the back buttons have been made smaller, which should help reduce accidental presses during gameplay sessions. Additionally, the analog sticks and face buttons are now positioned at a more comfortable angle, making it easier and more comfortable for gamers to move their thumbs between them.

My colleague Zachary was at the ROG booth and had the chance to get a quick hands-on of the ROG Ally X alongside the original ROG Ally, and here’s what he thinks:

It’s definitely much cooler to the touch than the Ally, button placements changes are subtle, you won’t feel it unless you have both devices side by side, but is it “better”? I find them less stretchy on the thumbs, but I won’t really know how fatigue my thumbs will feel until I get to play with it for longer periods.

The Larger triggers are better too. And the new shape feels more ergonomic when held with both hands. I find that my palms wrap around it more naturally, and it doesn’t feel as “flat and rigid” as the original Ally.

The ROG Ally X will be available for US$799 from July onwards. Local pricing and availability will be announced soon.

(Updated) The ROG Ally X will be available for S$1,199 starting from 26 July and will be available at the ROG Experience Store Bugis, ASUS Online Store, and all authorised retailers. Additionally, customers who pre-order between 21 June and 25 July will receive an ROG Gaming Charger Dock 65W (worth S$99.90) and a 3-months Xbox Game Pass (worth $29.90), while stock last.

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