The Asus ROG Ally X is the second gaming handheld from the company, a refresh of the existing ROG Ally with a new look and new hardware. It’s not the ROG Ally 2, but the ROG Ally X is a welcome addition to the family that brings some significant changes that are worthy of a hardware refresh.
ROG Ally X: Design and specs
At this point, we still don’t know what the ROG Ally X looks like; it will be revealed on June 2. So far what we do know is that a new color is in the mix, this time black instead of white, that there will be an upgrade to the battery, and that the ports, RAM, and storage will be seeing improvements of some kind, ultimately resulting in a hardware refresh that is likely to look different than the original ROG Ally. We need to wait a while to see the new design but expect to learn about that on June 2.
Photos of the original ROG Ally Z1 Extreme
ROG Ally X: Software
Asus has already revealed that the software for the ROG Ally line will receive an update. This software is known as Armoury Crate SE, and the new update to its design will be coming to the ROG Ally X as well as previous ROG Ally models sometime in July. The primary game selection screen has been cleaned up, with game launchers now relegated to their own tab outside of the game selection screen (a very welcome improvement). There are also extra views included, and you will be able to customize them, like resizing game tiles or showing/hiding game titles.
The new version of Armoury Crate SE, slated for release in July
ROG Ally X: Price and release date
At this point, nobody knows when the ROG Ally X will launch on store shelves or what it will cost. There is an unveiling scheduled for June 2, where we will learn more about the ROG Ally X, ideally including its price and release date.
Of course, we do know what the existing models cost, which may give us a clue what to expect on June 2nd. The ROG Ally Z1 Extreme clocks in at $700 retail, and this is the most performant option that comes with 8 cores, 16 threads, and 12 GPU compute units. Whereas the non extreme version comes in at a much lower price, $400 (much more competitive), but offers less performance with its 6 cores, 12 threads, and integrated GPU with 4 computer units.
We imagine the ROG Ally X will retail somewhere close to the Z1 Extreme model, especially since Asus has so far labeled the X an enthusiast’s unit, which sounds like it will offer all the bells and whistles of the Extreme but further polished.
Something to keep in mind is that the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme was released on June 13, 2023, with the non extreme landing later that September. Suffice it to say, the ROG Ally isn’t even a year old yet, and already, we are seeing a model refresh. Sure, this isn’t a sequel just yet, but the churn of hardware may sound worrying. Luckily, it isn’t worrying at all; in fact, a new model refresh is very welcome when the last model had issues with the SD slot and cards dying. A revision will ideally see this issue fixed, while improving other areas as well. One thing is for sure, the handheld market is moving fast, but this also means there is no shortage of choices, a win for consumers.
The ROG Ally X could secure Asus as the top gaming handheld manufacturer
The original ROG Ally is easily one of, if not the best gaming handheld on the market right now. It may not be perfect, but that’s what makes the ROG Ally X so appealing. It has the chance to fix some of the things Asus got wrong with the first model, and seeing that we already know the X will come in black and sports a larger battery, even before the official release, we already know Asus has been listening to its users, which is a good sign indeed.
Asus ROG Ally X
Asus has refreshed the design of the original ROG Ally, bringing with it a new color, a bigger battery, and upgraded storage and ports. It’s called the ROG Ally X, and Asus has created it for enthusiasts.
