00:00For nearly a week, I've been testing out
00:02the new ASUS ROG Ally X,
00:04and I'm pretty impressed with the results so far,
00:06but it's definitely not perfect.
00:07Is this a true upgrade over the OG ROG Ally,
00:11or is it just not worth the insane price hike?
00:13Handheld gaming is a tricky one.
00:15It feels like we're super close to the winning formula,
00:17but haven't achieved it just yet.
00:19I reviewed the original ROG Ally
00:21and found it had a few issues that were hard to look past.
00:24Still, I was expecting to get my hands on the ROG Ally X,
00:27getting it into our testing lab
00:29and see how it compared to the original.
00:30Could the ROG Ally X be the handheld
00:33that could finally crack the code?
00:34First things first, let's talk about battery life.
00:36As I mentioned earlier,
00:37one of the bigger issues with the ROG Ally
00:39was its stunted battery life.
00:41The 41-watt battery, which lasted just one hour
00:43and 43 minutes, was given a huge upgrade in the new model.
00:46Now doubled in size,
00:47the ROG Ally X sports an 80-watt-hour battery
00:49that lasts just about double the time.
00:51Three hours might not sound like a lot of time,
00:53but for me, it's a perfect amount of time
00:55to get some gaming in from my commute to and from work.
00:59Though it uses the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip
01:01as the original, upgrades elsewhere still help
01:04to see improvements in the overall performance
01:06of the ROG Ally X.
01:08A bigger battery, faster SSD, and improved cooling
01:10are contributing factors in giving the handheld
01:13a small performance bump,
01:14helping games run smoother than before.
01:16The frame rates when I play Doom Eternal
01:18hover around the 50s and lower 60s when running at 720p,
01:22and 40 FPS when running at 1080p.
01:24In both cases, the ROG Ally X exceeded the original
01:26by about five FPS.
01:29Finally, another good reason to buy the ASUS ROG Ally X
01:32is its updated ergonomic design.
01:34The small design tweaks and added weight
01:36make it easier to hold onto for longer periods of time.
01:39It's not a radical departure from the original,
01:41but it's because the Ally X has that bigger battery life
01:44that feels heftier.
01:45It's heavy enough to feel more premium,
01:46but not so heavy that it becomes a chore to hold
01:49like the Lenovo Legion Go.
01:51Button placement is unchanged,
01:52but the buttons and analog sticks themselves
01:54feel sturdier and more responsive.
01:56If you think you like what you hear so far,
01:57you can check out the full review over at tomsguy.com.
02:00And make sure to subscribe to the channel here
02:02so you can see how the ROG Ally X
02:04matches up to the Steam Deck OLED and Tech Takedown.
02:07Despite the pluses so far,
02:09there are a few things I wasn't too fond of
02:10that kinda make me think this could be a skip.
02:13This could be written on my forehead at this point
02:15since I've said it so many times,
02:17but I'll say it again, Windows 11 sucks for handhelds.
02:20Okay, yeah, the touchscreen is plenty responsive
02:23when navigating through the operating system,
02:25but the fact that you have to use the touchscreen at all
02:28prevents us from feeling like a dedicated handheld.
02:29To be fair, Asus' Armory Crate Launcher opens on startup
02:33and lets you easily browse and select games
02:35from your library.
02:36I'm also pleased to report that even though
02:38you're taken to a games launcher,
02:39when you select it, you're returned to Armory Crate
02:41when you exit to the desktop.
02:43If that reason is too nitpicky, then hear this,
02:45the ROG Ally X is insanely expensive.
02:48Well, not insanely expensive,
02:50but $799 is a lot for a handheld.
02:53That's a whopping $150 more
02:54than the original high-spec ROG Ally.
02:57That is not chump change.
02:58If cost is a sticking point,
02:59you really won't be missing much
03:01by staying with the original ROG Ally
03:03or better yet, getting a Steam Deck OLED instead.
03:06So what do I think, buy or skip?
03:09Despite the lofty price and the annoyances of Windows 11,
03:12I think the Asus ROG Ally X is worth the upgrade.
03:16Most notably, that battery life,
03:17which is again, double the original,
03:19really makes me feel as though I'm playing
03:21on an improved machine.
03:22With minor but noticeable performance improvements,
03:25I would recommend the Asus ROG Ally X
03:27to anyone looking for a solid handheld gaming device.
03:30These improvements also make me excited
03:32to see what a hypothetical ROG Ally 2 could look like.
03:36Now over to you,
03:37let me know what you think in the comments below.
03:38Don't forget to follow us on socials
03:40and check us out at TomSka.com
03:42for a full reviews of both the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X.
03:46I'm Tony Polanco and I'll see you around, later.
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