a powerful handheld PC tied to a battered brand : NPR

Tech manufacturer ASUS is struggling to keep up with demand for its new ROG Xbox Ally X, released on Thursday. After testing a review unit of the handheld gaming PC, I can attest that it’s a powerful, if pricey, alternative to the Steam Deck. But it’s also compromised by an unpopular shift in Microsoft’s gaming strategy, and it doesn’t quite fit into the niche I hoped it would.

This is (not) an Xbox

The Xbox brand is facing a crisis. Sales for its latest generation lag far behind the PlayStation 5. Demand slid further after tariffs prompted owner Microsoft to raise prices for the consoles. Meanwhile, the company’s also trying to broaden the Xbox brand beyond such flagship devices.

The recent “This is an Xbox” ad campaign presents anything from phones to laptops to smart TVs as capable of high-end gaming through Xbox Game Pass. But that subscription service, long touted as the “best deal in gaming,” enraged fans when Microsoft hiked the cost of its fanciest tier to a staggering $30 a month. While Microsoft pitched the change as an upgrade, since it also added hundreds of games to the service, the move still drove users to crash its membership site in a rush to cancel their subscriptions.

The Xbox Ally X, and its less potent sibling, the Ally (without the “X”), could not come out in a weirder moment. Neither comes cheap; the Ally X retails for $999, and the Ally for $599. Ultimately, they feel more like intriguing half-measures than true breakthroughs.

Unboxing

I reviewed the original ROG Ally in 2023 and its improved sequel, the Ally X, in 2024. Each was essentially a tiny laptop with joysticks and buttons attached, and they came with all the flexibility and annoyances of a Windows PC.

My fingers struggled to hold the sides of the Xbox Ally X comfortably, as they’d end up squished between the controller grips and blocky edge of the device.

James Mastromarino

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James Mastromarino

ASUS markets the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X as more straightforward options. Turn on the machines and they default to a “Full Screen Experience,” putting your most recently played games at your fingertips. Push the big Xbox button next to the left thumbstick, and you’ll swap between apps, settings, or the normal Windows desktop mode.

But the Xbox Ally X still isn’t the mobile console I wished for. It took a few updates and restarts before I could log on to my Xbox account. When I did, I couldn’t even play much of my Xbox library — instead, I could only stream those games over WiFi from my Xbox Series S, making the Ally more like a PlayStation Portal and less like a console in its own right.

Thankfully, I could download my “Xbox on PC” games. When I finally started one, it went pretty well. No, I couldn’t put the device to sleep while playing and reliably pick up a game where I left off, like I could with most consoles. But the Xbox Ally X runs games that struggle on the Steam Deck even better than the 2024 Ally X model, from the famously intensive Cyberpunk 2077 to the new Silent Hill f.

You’ll feel the heft of all that power — literally. The Xbox Ally X is much thicker than the Steam Deck or the svelte Switch 2. That buff size comes with a huge battery and stubby controller grips, which I found more awkward than ergonomic.

A comparison of the thickness of handheld gaming devices, from the Xbox Ally X (bottom), the OLED Steam Deck (middle), and the Nintendo Switch 2 (top).

James Mastromarino

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James Mastromarino

The bottom line

I’m obsessed with novel gaming gizmos, but I ended up prioritizing the Xbox Ally X only when my Steam Deck couldn’t handle a game. Despite its fluid interface, it’s not something you can pick up and put down for a few minutes.

It’s also looking less cost-effective now than it did even last month. Before the Game Pass price hikes, the Xbox Ally X made a case for itself as an on-the-go alternative to a full gaming PC, especially with 3 months of Game Pass Premium bundled with every purchase. Tech nerds with money to burn will still find plenty to like, but they alone won’t save the Xbox brand, nor will they likely herald a new era of handheld gaming.