Is ROG Ally X the best new portable PC for gaming on the go?

Handheld gaming PCs have taken off as a category since Valve introduced the Steam Deck in 2022. Combining the play-anywhere convenience of a Nintendo Switch with a much more open and flexible tech ecosystem, not to mention the thousands more games available on PC compared to any other platform, has proven a winning combination.

But bafflingly the Steam Deck itself, which would otherwise win my recommendation with its long battery life and easy integration with the Steam store, is not sold officially in Australia. This has left the door open for Windows-powered devices to fill the void in PC shops or the shelves of JB Hi-Fi, and the ROG Ally X from ASUS is the best of them all.

At $1600, the Ally X is also practically the most expensive option, so some players will be better served with one of the many lighter Windows or Android devices that are geared towards retro or mobile-style games.

The advantage of the Ally is that it works with games from any launcher or storefront you’d find on a desktop PC, from Steam to Game Pass, and it has the specs and raw power to do them justice.

Brawn and battery

Physically this is a device that unapologetically leans into the PC gamer aesthetic, with customisable RGB lighting rings around the thumbsticks, vents everywhere and a holographic strip accenting the underside. But it is comfortable to hold, and not too bad to lug around, at 678 grams.

Hardware wise, the Ally is effectively a high-powered laptop with game controls instead of a keyboard and mouse. Its Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor gives it almost as much graphical grunt as current-generation game consoles, while its 7-inch LCD touchscreen is full HD with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and support for Freesync, which helps keep things looking smooth.

The Ally X comes in black, rather than the original’s white, but it’s not a subtle-looking device.

Those specs are the same as the original ROG Ally of a year ago, but the X does make some substantial (if technical) leaps forward in other areas. Storage has doubled to 1TB and now comes in an M.2 2280 form factor, meaning if you plan to upgrade the device with your own storage in the future you’ll be able to purchase up to 8TB. System RAM is up from 16GB to 24GB, and is of a much faster bandwidth. The sticks, D-pad and triggers have all been replaced and feel more reliable. There’s a second USB-C port (one is a USB 3.2 Gen 2, one is a full-fat USB 4 with Thunderbolt 4, so you can connect to a high-end display or external graphics).

Most vitally, the battery capacity has been doubled with an 80Wh unit, which means the unit is physically fatter, but it’s certainly a worthy trade-off. All these specs mean you can expect top-notch portable performance in games, console quality when attached to a TV, and the option to use the device as a regular PC if you choose. That said, a high-powered portable still comes with some tradeoffs to consider, depending on what you like to play.

When I’m on the go, I love playing indie platformers, puzzles or more laid-back open exploration games, and this machine has absolutely no issues with that. I’ve been playing a lot of Gestalt: Steam and Cinder and Volgarr the Viking II, which are both 2D retro-style games, and at 1080p and 60 frames per second I can get more than six hours of play. These games are sipping the battery.

The Ally X is much more powerful and flexible than the Nintendo Switch OLED, but it’s more complicated to use and is three times the price.Credit: Tim Biggs

Moving to 3D and more graphically intensive games like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Halo Infinite, you have to do a bit more juggling to find the sweet spot between settings and battery. The Ally X can absolutely play Halo at 1080p and 60 frames per second (with graphical settings on medium), and it feels amazing to do that if you have a power source handy to plug into, but on battery alone you’ll only be able to play for an hour and a bit.

Most games have settings you can lower for less battery draw, but ASUS also provides a quick-access toggle you can use to limit power. Setting it to “silent” will give you long play sessions even if some high-end games will be forced down to a juddery 20 frames per second, while “performance” offers a good middle ground, and “turbo” should really only be used when you’re plugged in.

So-so software

And speaking of ASUS’ software, its Armoury Crate app that works like a home screen for the device has improved since last year, but is still far from perfect.

It does a good job of organising your installed games into one library, regardless of whether you got them from Steam, Xbox, GOG or any other launcher, or downloaded them straight from the internet. And you do have some capacity to customise control profiles, for example to make a mouse-only game playable with sticks or to aim in a shooter using the built-in motion controls. But in some cases it can still feel like settings do nothing at all, or don’t do what they say.

In some games, the quick-access Command Centre is invisible, or breaks the controls so they don’t work or certain buttons register as held down. Very few games work flawlessly the first time you play with no tweaking or troubleshooting needed, and that’s not always ASUS’ fault (you could argue that it’s an unavoidable aspect of PC gaming), but it’s still ASUS’ problem if it wants non-technical users to enjoy its machine.

Just like other Windows-based portable PCs, there’s also an inescapable vibe of fiddliness when you’re doing anything other than playing a game. Windows is crying out for a version custom-designed for devices like these, because elements that are already messy on desktop (app updates, pop-up windows, multitasking) can be a nightmare on a little touchscreen with no keyboard or mouse.

Yet many of these issues melt away once you’re immersed in a game, and the ROG Ally X is the best portable PC you’ll find on Australian shelves right now.

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