ROG Xbox Ally X - A big step towards console PCs, but shows a side that still needs work

The evolution of console PCs has taken significant steps forward over the last three years. And it seems that everything has revolved around a single question: how to offer a simple experience to users who want the power of a PC but with the finesse of a handheld device? When Xbox and ASUS announced the ROG Xbox Ally X in the middle of this year, it seemed that this key step would finally be taken: combining familiarity and power in a single device, capable of being recognized by both the console and PC worlds. After several weeks of intense gaming, this is my experience with the ROG Xbox Ally X.

The hardware

Before I begin, I must be honest: this is the first console-like PC I’ve reviewed. Although most of the games I play are usually on consoles, I’ve never been far from the PC ecosystem, so I understand the middle ground between the two experiences well.

The ROG Xbox Ally X is a device that, despite its size, surprises with its ergonomics and weight. From the outside, its IPS screen looks impressive, and in terms of design, the handles, button placement, and joysticks show solid workmanship. It may not be the most ergonomic on the market, but for what it offers, it is quite comfortable.

Something that impressed me was how everything is laid out. The button layout, top USB ports, ventilation, and speakers make the experience very familiar to anyone who uses a traditional controller. Plus, its design feels well-crafted and visually appealing.

Inside, it features an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, which improves performance over the first ROG Ally. Its 80 Wh battery, combined with different performance modes, offers superior battery life over the previous version. But I’ll talk more about that later.

Setup

If there’s one thing that really caught my attention, it’s that the first few hours with the ROG Xbox Ally X are like sitting in front of a computer, and then reality hits you. This device is still a PC console, which comes with Windows 11. Far from having its own operating system, we are faced with a Windows version that eliminates certain unnecessary things to support performance, but it is still Windows. This is achieved with an Xbox mode, which is more reminiscent of the application used in Windows than the OS itself within consoles.

One thing to note is that, although you have to configure Windows, it comes with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass, so there is a reward in all this.

Much of the preparation and initial hours are spent setting up and updating. This includes both Windows and Armory Crate, which is used to manage all aspects of the equipment and even check if MyAsus has any updates that our device requires. If you expect the ROG Xbox Ally to be plug and play, this is the first hurdle, although it is not complicated.

Once everything is set up and the various game clients—Xbox, Steam, GOG, EA, Epic Games, and Ubisoft—are installed, it’s time to download and try them out.

Gaming experience

Over the course of these three weeks, I tried to play a little bit of everything, on every platform possible. The titles I installed were as follows:

I tried mixing titles that were extremely simple (such as Minecraft) with those that I knew would be complicated for the device (Portal with RTX is simply not designed for this). In general, Xbox games, or those that don’t require much configuration, don’t have as many problems. Some titles on Steam, such as Civilization VI, did require extra adjustments, especially when configuring the controls and having to run the app from the Big Picture format.

Throughout the games, I tested how Armory Crate allows users to choose different battery and screen settings that affect performance. In the end, it’s a matter of trial and error until you find a configuration that suits your needs at that moment. With these tests, I mainly tried to see how the frame rate and battery performance fluctuated. It would be difficult to give a total number of hours and configurations for more than 12 games, but in general, I came up with the following results:

One of the “extreme” tests was playing Sea of Thieves in multiplayer mode. In Performance mode, it lasted about 4 hours with an online session, using chat services, and in Full HD. This experience had no lag issues and made the experience just as good as when I play on Xbox Series X. At the same time, Doom: The Dark Ages proved to be one of the games that ran best, reaching close to 60 fps in Turbo mode, although the same Performance mode already delivered between 40 and 50 fps. On the other hand, Forza Horizon 5 was a title that proved more difficult to run than the Xbox titles, with stuttering and lag that made some races a complicated experience, although not always.

However, one of the problems I encountered at first was the font size. With a few exceptions that have no problem displaying large letters, many games have the detail of displaying tiny letters that require moving and configuring on Windows to be legible.

User experience

On the other hand, let’s talk about the user experience, which is similar to the setup. The ROG Xbox Ally X shines least when you’re not playing. Sometimes switching between games can be slow. And I’m not talking about starting a game when you’re already in another one, because one thing the device does very well is ask if you’re sure you want to close the game you’re in to open another one. And, well, it’s understandable that you’re in the Xbox layer, and when you want to run something on Steam or GOG, the app has to load, log in, and finally open, but sometimes it seems like your input is ignored.

On more than one occasion, I had problems with Windows performance rather than with the device itself. This highlights the serious problem with these devices: they don’t have their dedicated operating system that allows for a better workflow. Of course, these launchers are designed to work with Windows, and losing this system would limit the range of options, which would be counterproductive. All of this made one thing clear to me: it is still necessary to have PC knowledge in order to use this device. Although the name Xbox suggests this approach, having to get involved

Sound

One of the most notable features is the audio. The speakers offer powerful, balanced sound; on more than one occasion, I had to turn down the volume because it was louder than necessary.

In multiplayer games, I was surprised by the quality of the voice chat: both the built-in microphone pickup and the sound from other players are clear and crisp. In fact, my teammates preferred me to play without external headphones.

Score: 8.5

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