Being a self-proclaimed video game blogger, I’m rather invested in the games industry and its accoutrements, as one might imagine. That said, I’ve yet to jump onto the handheld PC bandwagon, and that includes devices like the original ASUS ROG Ally and Valve’s Steam Deck which both play demanding software natively on powerful, take-it-with-you hardware. These ain’t no Game Boys or Game Gears.
Other bumps include 24GB of faster LPDDR5X memory , added out-of-the-box storage with a substantial 1TB , and better overall cooling/thermals, as the original Ally supposedly dealt withThe bummer is that the Z1 Extreme processor and 1080p display remain the same as last year’s Ally release, but hopefully all the rest of the enhanced bells and whistles will make up for a lack of screen quality elevation.
Tech and gaming YouTuber Wulff Den mentioned in a recent video that he speculates a proper ROG Ally 2 might arrive sometime next year, although the ‘mid-gen’ spec bump might make the ROG Ally X worth a purchase for newcomers to the ASUS handheld PC universe. By the way, I’ve always enjoyed Bob’s videos, and his content is definitely worth checking out.
The only modern handheld gaming device I’ve messed with is the Backbone, but that is more aimed toward console streaming services and less at playing first-party Sony and Microsoft games natively on a glass slab. I’d love to get my hands on an ASUS ROG Ally X for review, just to see what all this handheld PC gaming hoopla is all about, and most importantly to see if this upgraded hardware is worth the rather steep $800 asking price.