Late last week, I attended an ASUS preview event for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. I spent a little over an hour with both products but focused most of my playtime on the ROG Xbox Ally X.
The ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X truly feel like the long-awaited Xbox handheld that people have been clamouring for over many years. With so many handheld devices currently in the console ecosystem still being supported, it can be tough to decide on yet another handheld—especially with the Switch 2, PlayStation Portal, and Steam Deck all in the mix.
Even the original Switch still has a plethora of games confirmed for it, which has led many gamers to feel that upgrading to the Switch 2 this year isn’t worth it until more exclusives are released for Nintendo’s latest console.
Handheld consoles have been my major timesink since I was incredibly young. However, over the years, many handhelds have not been optimally designed for long hours of play without causing aching hands or sweaty palms.
Getting my literal hands on the ROG Xbox Ally X felt incredibly natural. The contours and shaping fit perfectly. They might as well have chopped off an Xbox Wireless Controller’s grips and placed them onto the ROG Ally to create the ROG Xbox Ally.
Having tried the Steam Deck in the past, I initially liked its handling, but I hesitated because I knew my hands would likely cramp up or ache easily due to its grip shape. I even remember needing to switch hands every couple of minutes because of its unwieldiness.
With the ROG Xbox Ally X, it simply felt good. It felt nice.
Hades was the first game I dabbled with on the ROG Xbox Ally. Though I had not played Hades before, it ran extremely smoothly. I was easily able to keep up with enemies, projectiles, and the environment through each room I completed.
On the ROG Xbox Ally, the few games available were Hades, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Balatro, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. These are less graphically intensive games.
I tried to boot up Hollow Knight: Silksong to get it going, but due to Wi-Fi issues at the event, I was unable to get Silksong running. It was unfortunate since, with over 80 hours in Silksong, it would have been an excellent chance to see how it performed compared to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Next, I tried the ROG Xbox Ally X, which had Doom: The Dark Ages and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 available—these being the more graphically intensive games.
Doom: The Dark Ages initially had a lot of stuttering and lag, but after tweaking a few settings (turning ray tracing and path tracing off), it ran excellently.
I’m not the type to obsess over frames per second or graphical intensity, but it was impressive to see a recent Doom entry running steadily and dynamically at 120 FPS in my hands—despite the fact that my eyes likely wouldn’t have noticed much difference if it had been capped at 60 FPS.
As a side note, I once played Pokémon Unite for hundreds of hours before discovering I had been playing it at 30 FPS instead of 60 FPS like many others.
In Expedition 33, I moved around quickly to find opportunities to engage with the game’s combat. After skipping through dialogue and roaming for a few minutes, I encountered an early one-on-one fight.
What I was most interested in testing was the timing of the counter mechanic, as many players have found it tricky. On handhelds, mechanics like counters or parries are often harder to master.
Getting used to the gameplay and timing of parries, I tried the one-on-one fight again and was able to land counters with extreme precision— even a triple counter against a flurry of enemy attacks. There was little room for error, but I easily deciphered the foe’s openings.
The ROG Xbox Ally X excels and shines in its lightweight design, handling, grip, contours, and grooves—making it well-suited for playing for hours, especially with its large battery life.
Physically, it is a massive upgrade from both the ROG Ally and the original ROG Ally X.
Additionally, it can be connected to a large television screen, though at the event, I only had the chance to play it in handheld mode.
Overall, the ROG Xbox Ally X feels like a practical and exciting step forward in the handheld gaming space.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146353/rog-xbox-ally-preview
