After a somewhat disappointing reveal through an official Asus livestream, the Asus ROG Ally X has finally been fully announced. While not a full successor to the original ROG Ally, it’s an updated re-release with substantial quality-of-life changes and improvements stemming from buyer feedback.
The ROG Ally X still comes with the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, but features upgraded storage, RAM, battery life, and an updated chassis for improved ergonomics, cooling, and connectivity. It also uses Armoury Crate SE 1.5, an updated version of the UI from the original ROG Ally with new menu options and tools to simplify organizing your video games across PC storefronts.
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The ROG Ally X’s new list of specs includes a 1TB M.2 2280 SSD, 24GB LPDDR5X-7500 RAM, an 80Wh battery, improved joysticks with stiffer springs and a five-million-cycle lifespan, and a more precise D-pad. It also has a redesigned motherboard featuring an M.2 2280 form factor slot for easier upgrading, and two new USB Type-C ports (replacing the original’s XG Mobile port).
Thermals have also been enhanced to better serve the increased hardware. This includes new fans that are 23% smaller but push up to 24% more air through a third vent, while keeping the panel up to 6°C cooler to the touch.
Weight distribution, grips, buttons, and stick locations have also been reworked for a more natural hold for gamers. Interestingly, the ROG Ally X only weighs 70 grams more than the original, despite the much beefier specs and slightly larger chassis. This newer model also comes in black instead of the white color of the older version.
Right now it’s available for preorder exclusively through Best Buy in the US and Curry’s in the UK for a retail price of $799.99 / £799. In Australia, you can pre-order from JB Hi-Fi for AU$1,599. It will officially launch on July 22, 2024.
The Asus ROG Ally X could be a serious contender
Despite Asus not calling it a true sequel to its PC gaming handheld (which makes sense as it still has the same processor, display, and general design), the list of QOL changes is still quite impressive. What impresses me the most is that these changes have all been made due to user feedback, even on certain aspects the manufacturer was set on previously, like the XG Mobile port being swapped for the far more practical and widely used USB-C ports.
Other upgrades, like nearly every spec being doubled or otherwise enhanced, were clearly based on the countless videos of buyers augmenting their own ROG Ally to add in more memory, a better motherboard, better storage, more ports, etc. It’s simple but refreshing that a massive corporation such as Asus is still paying such close attention to its userbase.
The Verge recently had a hands-on with the ROG Ally X and, judging from that alone, this could be the PC gaming handheld that truly stands up to the Steam Deck, as well as the Lenovo Legion Go in terms of both power and sheer quality.
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allisa.james@futurenet.com (Allisa James)
