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, like a bigger battery and more storage. The Asus ROG Ally X is expected to launch in July, and pre-orders are currently open at Best Buy.
ROG Ally X: Design and specs
Now that Asus has officially unveiled the ROG Ally X, we can go over what’s new, what’s changed, and what has stayed the same. First and foremost, the ROG Ally X now offers double the battery capacity. This was a major weak point of the first two models, and the X has solved it by literally doubling the capacity with an 80Wh battery. Asus has also doubled the storage to 1TB, and you can now swap this out with any other M.2, say if you wish to slap in 4TB to store all your games on one machine. RAM is also up, now 24GB, and Asus has ditched the proprietary port for external GPUs and moved on to USB 4 for wider support. Heck, Asus has even moved the micro SD slot, ideally addressing the overheating issue in previous models that fried cards.
Specifications
- Dimensions
- 11.02″ x 4.37″ x 0.97″ ~ 1.45″
Suffice it to say Asus is clearly targeting gaming enthusiasts with the ROG Ally X, which means a higher price of $800. But one thing is for sure: Asus has been listening to fans and appears intent on delivering hardware that is worth the asking price. How support will shake out is anyone’s guess, but hopefully, Asus will do better with the X than it did when it ignored the SD issues in the first two models. Cautiously optimistic would be a good stance to have at this juncture and information on hand.
ROG Ally X: Software
Asus revealed the software for the ROG Ally line will receive an update this July, likely coinciding with the ROG Ally X release. 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. So far, we know 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 this July
ROG Ally X: Price and release date
The ROG Ally X is already available for pre-order at Best Buy for $800 and is expected to officially launch on July 22nd. In comparison, the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme clocks in at $700 retail and launched in June last year, whereas the non-extreme version comes in at a much lower price, $400, and arrived later last September. These three price ranges should appeal to different consumers in the market, with the $400 device going after anyone looking at a Steam Deck and the new ROG Ally X eyeballing those of us willing to throw endless money at the best possible performance. And really, what’s an extra hundred dollars for double the storage and battery life? Ideally, many will jump at the opportunity to upgrade.
Keep in mind the ROG Ally isn’t even a year old yet, and already, we are seeing a model refresh. The X may not be the sequel some expected, and the churn of hardware may sound worrying from the likes of Asus. Still, a new model refresh is very welcome when it brings so many fan-requested features while addressing issues the last model suffered from. 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 as more handhelds are released.
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 opportunity to fix many of the things Asus got wrong with the first models, and seeing that we can finally confirm the X will come in black and sports a larger battery, we know Asus has been listening to its users, which is a good sign of things to come.
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.
