After years of requests, Microsoft teamed up with Asus to unveil the ROG Xbox Ally X back in June. The device brings the full Xbox and PC gaming experience to a compact, powerful handheld.
Thanks to the new Xbox Handheld Experience, which overhauls how players navigate Windows, Microsoft’s latest device doesn’t just rival the Steam Deck; it surpasses it.
ROG Xbox Ally X pictures
Key Specs
- Screen: 7” 1080p IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate
- CPU/GPU: AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme with AMD Radeon Graphics
- Storage & Ram: 1 TB SSD, 24 GB LPDDR5X
- Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
- Audio: Dolby Atmos, stereo speakers, built-in microphone
- Connectivity: 3.5mm headphone jack, 1 USB 3.1, 1 Thunderbolt 4, MicroSD card reader
- Price: $999.99
Design
The ROG Xbox Ally X delivers the premium build you’d expect from a thousand-dollar handheld. Its matte black finish and ROG Xbox branding give it a clean, high-end look.
What really sets it apart are the grips. Instead of the flat handles found on the Steam Deck or earlier Ally models, Asus has shaped them to mirror the Xbox controller. They feel natural and secure, with contoured edges that fit snugly in your palms.
On the back, two programmable buttons sit beside the grips. They’re easy to reach, but recessed enough to avoid accidental presses.
At 715g, the Ally X is heavier than the 534g Switch 2 and 669g Steam Deck, but the weight distribution makes long sessions comfortable. Even after hours of Forza Horizon 5, it never feels fatiguing to hold.
Features
Asus may not call it a sequel, but the ROG Xbox Ally X is everything the first Ally should’ve been. Every major component has been upgraded.
The new AMD Z2 Extreme chip is faster, cooler, and far more efficient than the Z1 that powered the original. RAM has doubled from 12GB to 24GB, giving the handheld breathing room for heavy hitters like Cyberpunk 2077.
The CPU inside the Xbox Ally X easily outpaces the Steam Deck’s. It packs eight cores, 16 threads, and 16 graphics cores, which is double what Valve offers. That extra 8GB of RAM is immediately noticeable the moment you load into a demanding game.
Just like Ally X and Steam Deck, a 1TB SSD comes standard, offering enough space for most players. A 2TB option would’ve been ideal given the focus on Game Pass, but may have pushed the price up a little further.
The Ally X sticks with LCD over OLED, but its 1080p, 120Hz variable refresh panel keeps gameplay sharp and responsive without tearing or stutter.
Controls
The standout feature of the ROG Xbox Ally X is its grip design, modeled after real Xbox controllers. The contoured handles make it noticeably more comfortable than the Steam Deck or Switch Joy-Cons, and they’re easily one of the best parts of the build.
It also includes Xbox-style impulse triggers, giving subtle feedback through your fingers while playing. The feature isn’t supported in every game, but when it is, it adds an extra layer of immersion.
Xbox Handheld Experience
At first glance, the ROG Xbox Ally X looks like any other Windows handheld that’s followed the Steam Deck’s lead. But inside, it’s a different story.
Running Windows 11 on a handheld used to be painful. You’d boot to the desktop, drag a cursor with the joystick, and dig through launchers just to play a game. Switching apps meant more menus and more hassle.
The new Xbox Handheld Experience changes that completely. It overhauls Windows navigation and finally makes the Ally lineup feel like a real Steam Deck competitor.
Like Steam’s Big Picture mode, the Xbox Ally X boots straight into the Xbox app, giving instant access to your Game Pass library and Microsoft Store titles. The app also now integrates games from Steam, Epic, and GoG, turning it into a single hub for all your libraries.
The Xbox Handheld Experience transforms Windows from a clunky desktop interface into a clean, console-style system that’s actually enjoyable to use.
Gaming Performance
Performance-wise, the ROG Xbox Ally X can handle everything you want to throw at it, from indie hits to the most demanding AAA games.
Lighter games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Balatro, and Two Point Campus run flawlessly and are ideal for handheld play. They use less power, keeping battery life strong during longer sessions.
For heavier tests, I played Forza Horizon 5 and Cyberpunk 2077. In Forza, the Ally X held a steady 60 FPS at 1080p on high settings, with no dips even during crowded races. Turning on AMD’s FSR and lowering a few settings boosted it to around 90 FPS.
Cyberpunk 2077 performed even better than expected. With FSR enabled, it stayed close to 60 FPS, and with AMD’s frame generation turned on, it jumped to a smooth 105 FPS.
To reach those numbers, you’ll need to tweak performance in Asus’ Armoury Crate software. It drains the battery faster, but the tradeoff is top-tier portable performance.
Given that the Xbox Ally X is a Windows 11-based handheld, you won’t run into issues with anti-cheat and the occasional incompatibility that you do on the Linux-based Steam Deck.
Games like Battlefield 6 that require Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be enabled will run without issue, although not everyone will enjoy playing such an intense first-person shooter on such a small screen.
Battery
Battery life on the ROG Xbox Ally X varies a lot depending on what you’re playing and how much power you’re drawing.
Asus’ Armoury Crate software offers four performance modes, and on Turbo – which is used for demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Black Ops 6 – I averaged between two to three hours per charge.
Switching to lighter games like Silksong, Balatro, or Supermarket Simulator and running in Silent or Performance mode stretched that to around four to six hours.
The battery life on the ROG Xbox Ally X comes from its rather massive 80Wh battery, which is double the size of the Steam Deck and other Windows PC handhelds like the previous ROG Ally and the Legion Go S.
Verdict
The Steam Deck has dominated the handheld PC space largely because SteamOS made gaming on the go effortless. Windows handhelds never matched that simplicity until now.
Microsoft’s new Xbox Handheld Experience finally makes Windows 11 feel built for a controller. It’s smooth, intuitive, and removes the constant need for a mouse or keyboard. That change alone gives the ROG Xbox Ally X the polish it needed to truly rival Valve’s device.
At roughly a thousand dollars, the Ally X isn’t cheap, but it delivers performance and usability that justify the cost. It’s $350 more expensive than the Steam Deck or Legion Go S, but for that you’re getting twice the CPU and graphics power, and a bigger battery, future-proofing your handheld. It’s the first Windows handheld that feels like a complete, ready-to-play system rather than a compromise. If you’ve not yet invested in a PC handheld, this is the one to buy.
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