The ROG Xbox Ally X is fantastic, but incomplete

...the main question surrounding the pricey ROG Xbox Ally X is whether it actually addresses Windows 11's shortcomings when it comes to gaming handhelds.

This means that if a game runs on Windows 11, you can play it on the ROG Xbox Ally X, making the handheld significantly more versatile than the Steam Deck or Switch 2. At the same time, if you already own a library of Xbox games, there's no guarantee you'll be able to play all of them on the Xbox Ally X. For example, I can't run the Xbox version of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that I own on the Xbox Ally X because it's not on Game Pass or a Play Anywhere title -- I'd need to purchase the PC version of the game on Steam, and even then, my 60+ hour save file wouldn't transfer over.

With that out of the way, the main question surrounding the pricey ROG Xbox Ally X is whether it addresses Windows 11's shortcomings when it comes to gaming handhelds. Thankfully, it mostly does, and where it doesn't, it shows tremendous potential.

As the ROG Xbox Ally X experience improves over the next few weeks, this review will be updated with additional impressions, potentially leading to an overall score increase.

I've never used a handheld this comfortable

The Ryzen Z2 Extreme is impressively powerful

Before diving into the Xbox Ally X's interface, let's examine its design and hardware. In a lot of ways, the ROG Xbox Ally X is nearly the same as Asus' ROG Ally X. Both handhelds feature the same 7-inch 1080p 120Hz IPS panel, 1TB of storage, 24GB of RAM, and 80Wh battery. I would have liked to see a display upgrade, especially since the 7-inch 1080p screen is starting to show its age compared to the 7.9-inch Switch 2's tiny bezels and larger display. Battery size and RAM upgrades also would have been welcome, especially since the Xbox Ally X is essentially the Ally X 2 with a different name. Still, these are high-end display specs, and just like the Ally X, the Xbox Ally X is a powerful, capable handheld with a great-looking screen.

The key internal hardware upgrade is AMD's Z2 Extreme chip, which offers roughly 30 percent more power than the Ally X's Ryzen Z1 Extreme. Although this upgrade may not seem significant on paper, the faster chip has substantially improved the performance of several of the more recently released games I tested, including Final Fantasy XVI, Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, and Avowed.

All of these games ran okay on the ROG Ally X's Z1 Extreme, but to achieve decent frame rates (20-30fps), I significantly lowered the resolution and graphics settings, sometimes to Low and under 720p. With the Z2 Extreme, the experience is much smoother, especially with the AI upscaling feature FSR turned on. With all three titles, I was able to get between 30fps and 45fps at 1080p, depending on the graphics settings. However, this isn't a generational chip power jump over handhelds like the Steam Deck, Switch 2, or even the original ROG Ally/Ally X.

Because the Xbox Ally X features nearly the same internal hardware as the Ally X, it suffers from the same lackluster battery life as its predecessor. Like all handhelds, battery life varies depending on the load it's under. For example, if you're primarily playing high-end recent games from the past few years, you'll want to keep the Xbox Ally X in Performance or Turbo mode most of the time. After all, playing modern games on the go is the entire point of high-end handhelds like this. This means that you'll likely get somewhere between two and three hours out of the Xbox Ally X (and sometimes less), depending on what game you're playing. To be fair, less-than-stellar battery life is a problem all high-end handhelds experience, so the issue isn't unique to Asus and Microsoft's new portable.

Then there's the Xbox Ally X's ergonomics. The original Ally X is one of the more uncomfortable handhelds out there, even in dbrand's excellent Killswitch case. Thankfully, with the Xbox Ally X, Asus and Microsoft have repositioned the bumpers, triggers, and joysticks to make it feel like you're holding an Xbox controller. If you're a big fan of the Xbox gamepad like I am, you'll feel right at home with the Xbox Ally X's design. This is the first handheld I can comfortably use for several hours before my hands start to cramp.

There does seem to be something off about its overall design, though. I'm having trouble pinpointing what it is, but the Ally X looks chunkier than I expected (it likely has something to do with the controller-like arms that make it so comfortable). That said, I really like the feel and layout of the X, Y, A, and B buttons, alongside the new hall effect magnetic triggers with impulse vibration. The new dedicated Xbox Button is great, too, and so are the upgraded, smoother-feeling joysticks.

I often get confused by the menu button since it launches the Xbox library (I'm not sure why I'd want to do this) and is right above the Start button (thankfully, you can remap it). Adding to this, it's odd that there's still a dedicated Armory Crate button when you can also access the app's quick menu through the new Xbox button. There's also a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C and USB 4 Type-C port on the top beside the fingerprint sensor (which actually works, unlike the Ally X's). This makes it easy to charge and connect the Xbox Ally X to an external television or monitor. Of course, the microSD card slot from the ROG Ally X is back, too.

It's worth noting that, like every handheld I've ever used, the back of the Xbox Ally X features soft plastic and is easily scratched. I'm very careful with my devices, but I've already scuffed the ROG Xbox Ally X a few times. With this in mind, you might want to consider putting it in a case or attaching a back skin if this is something you care about.

The new Xbox interface is so close to being great

While it's a great start, moving between the Xbox interface and Armoury Crate feels disjointed

The new Xbox interface is by far the Xbox Ally X's most notable addition. It features the same versatility offered by the ROG Ally X and Windows 11, including compatibility with any game that runs on Microsoft's OS, alongside a simplified, familiar UI. This means the handheld works with third-party stores like Steam or Ubisoft Connect. Every game I tried worked fine except for Skate and Battlefield 6, which won't boot up. The issue seems related to EA's launcher (hopefully, this gets fixed in an update). Microsoft and Asus are working on an ROG Xbox Ally Certified program, similar to Valve's Steam Deck Certified system. In theory, this should soon make it easier to identify games optimized for the Xbox Ally X.

The Xbox experience isn't perfect, though. Pressing the dedicated Xbox button to bring up the quick menu works great, but several key features like brightness, CPU power settings, performance overlays, and more, are still managed through Asus' Armory Crate app (there's even still a dedicated Armory Crate button on the Xbox Ally X).

This results in a disjointed UI experience that's initially confusing and often glitchy. During my week with the Xbox Ally X, I've experienced issues with user interface panels locking and freezing, and some settings have stopped working entirely, forcing me to reboot. I've gotten used to these hiccups, but if you're coming from a more polished device like the Switch 2 or the Steam Deck, the glitches and competing overlays will feel messy. Asus and Microsoft will likely iron out these issues in the coming weeks and months, just like Valve quickly polished the Steam Deck following its release, but at least at launch, you'll need to be willing to deal with a few growing pains.

You can easily multitask between games and apps, and still access Windows 11 if you need to, offering the best of both worlds.

Don't get me wrong -- when it works, the Xbox app experience on the Xbox Ally X is borderline magical. This is what I've always wanted from a handheld. The UI gets you right into the gaming experience as soon as you turn on handheld, it finally adds a reliable sleep mode (as long as you don't have it plugged in -- that spins the fans up), and it allocates more hardware resources to gaming. You can also easily multitask between games and apps, and still access Windows 11 if you need to, offering the best of both worlds. In this way, it reminds me of a more capable version of the Steam Deck's SteamOS and Linux interfaces.

One feature that definitely needs work is docking the Xbox Ally X. I tried to play a few games on my TV with the same dock I use for the ROG All X (Jsaux's 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station), and found that I needed to navigate to the Xbox mode's quick settings, then launch Windows 11's settings in a separate window to connect my controller and change to 1080p from my TV's default 4K resolution. This is a cumbersome and disjointed experience that felt far from seamless. If you want to dive deeper into settings, you'll need to boot into Windows 11, and unless you have a lot of patience for finicky touchscreen controls, you'll probably want to connect a mouse and keyboard to tweak certain things.

It's important to note that the Xbox software layer will eventually make its way to other Windows 11 handhelds, including the ROG Ally X (you can already install it now if you're willing to put a bit of extra work in). Although this isn't the case yet, the upcoming Xbox interface coming to other handhelds limits the ROG Xbox Ally X's appeal somewhat.

A promising future for Windows 11 handhelds

What does this mean for Xbox?

While the ROG Xbox Ally X lays the groundwork for a bright Windows 11 gaming handheld future, it makes me wonder where Xbox is headed. Is this the precursor to a Microsoft-made handheld that's actually just the next Xbox? Is the Xbox layer over Windows 11 the start of the Xbox-PC merger that's been rumored for years? It's still unclear, but the release of the Xbox Ally X feels like the start of a new direction for Microsoft and the Xbox brand.

At launch, the Xbox Ally X experience is far from perfect, making its $1,000 USD ($1,300 CAD) price tag difficult to justify. There are just too many features that lack refinement, like the disconnect between the new Xbox menu and Armoury Crate, the fact that some third-party games don't appear in your Xbox library (EA's app, I'm looking at you), and that updates need to be downloaded through several different apps, both in Xbox and desktop mode. There are other minor problems, too, like that it doesn't seem possible to turn off Windows 11's lockscreen to log into the handheld.

Still, the ROG Xbox Ally X holds tremendous potential for the way I game, especially as I find playing on the go increasingly fits better into my life. This is the direction I want to see dedicated Windows handhelds and Xbox headed in, rather than a constant stream of bad news and Game Pass price hikes. If Asus and Microsoft are able to refine the ROG Ally X, I could see this eventually being the only handheld/console I need, making its expensive price tag much easier to justify. The ROG Xbox Ally X is available now for $1,000 USD ($1,300 CAD).

Asus and Microsoft are also launching the Xbox Ally, a lower-end version of the Xbox Ally X. This handheld features 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and the less powerful Ryzen ZA chip, putting it more in line with the Steam Deck. This handheld starts at $600 USD ($800 CAD). Pocket-lint will have more on the base Xbox Ally in the coming weeks.

This device was provided to Pocket-lint by Asus.