Summary
- New Asus ROG Ally X offers black color, larger battery, and more storage for gaming enthusiasts at $800 price.
- Improved specs include 24GB RAM, 1TB storage, and better controls with stiffer sticks and deeper handles.
- Asus listened to feedback to create a refreshed ROG Ally X for enthusiasts, with price increase of $100 but worth it for upgrades.
We’ve known Asus would reveal more about the ROG Ally X today ever since the company teased the device in a video last month. We learned a new color would be available, black, and that we could expect a device built for enthusiasts, with benefits like more storage and memory and a larger battery. Well, today is the day, it’s the eve of Computex, and Asus has revealed everything we need to know about the ROG Ally X. So strap in; it’s time to see exactly what Asus is bringing to the table with its refreshed ROG Ally X, with pre-orders open today at Best Buy for all that are interested.
Asus ROG Ally X
The Asus ROG Ally X is a refresh of the original design that is geared towards enthusiasts who want more features, like a larger battery and expandable components.
What improvements you can expect
Plenty, all geared toward gaming enthusiasts
I’m sure everyone wants to know what precisely is new for the ROG Ally X as a refresh on the original handheld. The first thing you’ll notice is the new color. Yep, you can finally get a ROG Ally in black, and this will indeed signal you splashed out for the $800 device. Beyond the new color, there are plenty of improved specs, like the 80Wh battery, which is double that of the original. The device’s memory is improved too, jumping up to 24GBs, and the storage wasn’t forgotten either, now 1TB, and you can even easily remove this storage to slap in your own stick, say if you want to bump things up to a whopping 4TB.
Specifications
- Dimensions
- 11.02″ x 4.37″ x 0.97″ ~ 1.45″
And that’s just the improved specs; you can also expect tweaks to the device’s controls, with a more rounded shape to the case, deeper handles for better gripping, and shrunk back paddles that are less likely to trigger by accident. Heck, Asus even added new sticks that are rated for more use, and they do come with stiffer springs, a primary complaint that the original sticks were a little too loose.
While the XG Mobile port has been removed, it’s replaced with two USB-C ports, and one of them is Thunderbolt compatible, which means we are no longer locked to using only Asus’s external GPUs. It would also appear the SD reader has been moved to a better location to avoid any overheating, a major issue with the first model.
Last but certainly not least, the device thermals are expected to be better, thanks to a couple more tunnels for airflow. The fans have shrunk, too, with thinner blades that promote more cooling. Ideally, smaller fans will also mean less sound when they are cranked to the max, but that remains to be seen.
Asus has clearly been listening to fans
All of these improvements are pretty tempting despite the higher price
Okay, so now that we know what the ROG Ally X brings to the table, it’s time to decide if the $800 price is worth it. Sure, there are plenty of PC gaming handhelds out there that cost more than $800, but up until today, the most you would pay for a ROG Ally was $700, so the jump in $100 may be hard to swallow for some. Personally, I’ve owned the original ROG Ally since its release, and do feel the asking price was worth it. Beyond that, I do plan to replace my original device with the ROG Ally X, as I want the bigger battery, more RAM, and improved erganomics. I’m not even turned off by the thicker design, and I am looking forward to holding something that feels more substantial in my hands thanks to the added 0.15 lbs.
Still, $800 is a lot of money, especially in this economy, and so it’s understandable if some are trepidatious to spend that much. For them, two older ROG Ally models do exist that are cheaper, and those devices are no slouches. The ROG Ally X, on the other hand, does appear to be made for enthusiasts, and as a longtime gaming handheld aficionado, I’m indeed delighted to see that not only has Asus been listening to fans and their feedback, the company has decided to deliver on our input with a refreshed ROG Ally that makes a heck of a lot of sense.
While we still don’t know when the ROG Ally X will ship, the fact that we can expect a redesigned Armoury Crate SE to drop in July may be a hint of when to expect the ROG Ally X. So stay tuned; more news is certainly coming as we near the device’s (unknown) ship date. Until then, enjoy theorizing which games will run better on the X, and I know I will be.
Best Android handheld consoles in 2024
From retro handhelds to streaming powerhouses, there’s an Android handheld for every situation
