Xbox’s future is currently a cloudy one, especially with the most recent developments regarding its future in the console business, but could the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally be that break in the clouds, giving us a clear picture of the company’s future? Well, it depends.
Ever since Xbox announced the ROG Xbox Ally and the more premium ROG Xbox Ally X, both products of the company’s partnership with ASUS, there has been excitement and speculation.
I have been using the ROG Xbox Ally for a little over two weeks, the “weaker” of the two handhelds, and I have had a unique experience with the device, both good and bad, that still has me on the fence on whether I will use this device as my go-to for gaming on the go.
A Surprisingly Light & Comfortable Experience
Immediately, I noticed how light the ROG Xbox Ally is when I picked it up. For those who have used other ASUS devices, the ROG Xbox Ally offers some familiarity in its design, weighing about the same, but what sets it apart from the OG ROG Ally is the addition of two grips —a welcome feature from popular Xbox controllers.
This is my first experience with an ASUS handheld. Still, I quickly found it ot be very comfortable to use during extended gameplay sessions thanks to the grips, which also help to distribute the handheld PC’s weight.
The ROG Xbox Ally also separates itself from previous ASUS handhelds with the addition of the dedicated Xbox button.
It lets you switch between windows, and if you long-press it, the Xbox button becomes a tab button, letting you see all the windows you have open and jump to one or close them.
You can also switch to the full-screen Xbox or Steam experience after long-pressing the button, that’s if you don’t care for the compact mode that tightens up the browsing experience. Still, the full-screen window experience is exceptional.
The buttons are also taken from the Xbox controller, but I must add that they are very loud, so if you’re playing a game that requires you to mash them, you will hear them. So playing ROG Xbox Ally while in bed next to your partner could be an annoying experience for them.
Thankfully, my partner is a sound sleeper and wasn’t bothered by the noise of me going to work while playing Hades II.
On top of the device, there are two sets of trigger buttons, also products of the Xbox partnership, paired with impressive haptics to complement your gameplay.
There are also two USB-C ports located on top of the device, allowing you to charge and dock the ROG Xbox Ally to a monitor or television.
For those who love using back paddles, the ROG Xbox Ally does feature two, but they are nothing to write home about.
You’re Going To Need A microSD Card
Out of the box, the ROG Xbox Ally has 512 GB of storage, which fills up quickly, but can be expanded via the microSD slot on the top of the device.
I bit the bullet and purchased a 1TB microSD, but it took some figuring out regarding formatting it so I could use it to install more games on the device, so it’s a safe bet anyone who owns this device will see themselves doing the same.
Performance
Now, for the most crucial aspect of the ROG Xbox Ally, performance. Under the hood, the device is powered by AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 A chip, paired with 16GB of RAM, compared to the ROG Ally X’s older Z1 Extreme chip.
If you thought you would jump into AAA gaming on the ROG Xbox Ally, I have some bad news for you. Trying to play games like Doom: Dark Ages and other titles I can’t speak on yet was an absolute struggle on this device and required some tinkering, which is asking a lot of a primarily console gamer who wants to jump into whatever game without worrying about optimization.
Now, that’s not to say you can’t enjoy those titles at all on the ROG Xbox Ally; lowering the settings will make the game playable, but far from the experience they were truly meant to be.
If you genuinely want the best experience playing AAA titles on ROG Xbox Ally, your best bet is to stream the games via the Xbox Cloud, but that requires an excellent internet connection.
Where this device does shine is playing games like Hollow Knight II: Silk Song or other smaller titles from the Steam library like Hades or Hades II, which run phenomenally on the device.
Thankfully, Microsoft will let you know which games are fully optimized for the ROG Xbox Ally experience or games that will run, but require you to do some tinkering to get the best playthrough experience.
Xbox is working diligently to get its vast library of games in its Xbox Play Anywhere program, ROG Xbox Ally, ready.
Final Verdict
I’m still on the fence after my 2 weeks with the ROG Xbox Ally. There is plenty to be excited about with this device: it does a lot, and when the games run smoothly, it’s an impressive machine.
It has decent battery life, a nice screen (even though it’s not OLED), and the ability to jump right into the Xbox app is a welcome feature, along with a button that takes you to your library of games from the Xbox, as well as the other storefronts featured on the device.
But there are some glaring issues, like Windows 11, which will remind you that it is, well, Windows. I experienced some hard crashes, weird bugs, and the constant updates are annoying.
Now, who’s to say that experience will be the same for anyone who dropped $599 on the ROG Xbox Ally, but for that price, you should be getting a gaming experience second to none.
Also, this is still a hard sell becuase there is a competent machine, the Steam Deck, which many will compare the ROG Xbox Ally to, and it also comes in at a lower price point.
This device isn’t for the casual gamer who wants to pick up their handheld, press start, and start gaming; it’s definitely a niche product aimed at the gamer who cares about frame rates, builds rigs, and knows how to optimize a game to run on minimal settings.
Who knows, as time passes, and the library of games in the Xbox library optimized for the ROG Xbox Ally experience grows, this machine will become that go-to device Microsoft feels it can be, but as of right now, it’s not an Xbox, it’s just a handheld PC with an Xbox button.
*ROG Xbox Ally provided by Xbox*
