ROG Ally X: 5 Upgrades, 2 Downgrades

[@RetroGameCorps]

Please don't take a shot every time I say the word "pinky".

[@yurf0]

Too late i'm already trashed and it's only noon.

[@Vlad-vb8lo]

Its actually a very important note because holding weight on your pinky like that can cause nerve and other issues in your hands/nerves

[@TrevHolland]

I did this in one take, so I could be wrong but... "pinky" : 5 "pinkies" : 10 "bottom fingers" : 0.5 TOTAL: 15.5

[@FavEpcot]

Retro game corps I have a question, I have a anbernic rg353vs and I don’t have a clue on how to add games to it cause I have been wanting to add a few game to it and I was wondering if you could help

[@kreptogaming5201]

Alredy did taht I mite be drunck

[@NeilMoore]

Thank you SO much for doing a thorough dpad break down and using celeste as a gauge.

[@OpoSai]

Loving the new setup for real! I am excited for the Ally 2. I started saving towards it now so I can purchase the Ally 2 whenever it comes our

[@utilisateurnothing-xd5wj]

Why not just wait for Ally 99 it will be perfect

[@morterox2]

@@utilisateurnothing-xd5wj But not even close to the Ally 100

[@utilisateurnothing-xd5wj]

@@morterox2 right. Lets just wait for 100

[@nicklen6873]

Considering the Saturn controller was the greatest thing ever, that’s a big pro.

[@omegamanGXE]

Not as great as the Uranus controller

[@MrRandomTurboHDRemix]

Seems like a decent upgrade. I don't even think one of the "downgrades" is actually a bad thing either (I like clicky shoulder buttons).

[@sophieedel6324]

Yup. Great battery life, great Sega D-pad, rounded ergonomic corners, better performance. It's relatively expensive, but then this is one of the best PC handhelds on the market. Nintendo will have their work cut out for them , the Switch no longer has a handheld monopoly.

[@johncraftenworth7847]

absolutely. I love clicky buttons, my fave

[@CoachTabe]

Clicky buttons and button noise seem like things that hardly anybody cares about other than reviewers.

[@cheeeeezewizzz]

Yeah Im sure that tens of millions of parents are just rushing out to buy their kids 700 dollar handhelds. ​@sophieedel6324

[@alexh7513]

I like to play with headphones in public places or next to my girlfriend. So the less noice the better for me. But it depends on the usecase. If you play it by yourselfe in your room, then the noice doesn‘t matter to you.

[@thecentrist2062]

Great review, as usual. It would have been useful if you had mentioned about ergonomics of the pinky.

[@Hayden120]

I'd love to see the default suspend/resume functionality tested in different games. I'm hearing that AC SE 1.5 has greatly improved its Extreme Standby Mode and Modern Standby Assistant features (which override some of the jank intrinsic to Windows).

[@Gazpolling]

Some people just had bad day, your concerns are on point, comfort is one of the biggest selling point, its a shame that some people are just doesnt realize how hamd fatigue is a thing

[@Mmmmmk247]

Was playing on my deck yesterday for like 45 min and my pinkies fell asleep. Have yet to have any handheld prevent this. The switch OLED was the worst

[@adamdavis1737]

Cool overview. I was on the fence just about getting into these handheld gaming PCs in the first place so I finally gave in and bought the original ROG ally the other day on a pretty good sale at Best buy It is cool that they have already put out a refresh for it though

[@GarydeBrown]

Russ, as the only PC HandHeld CC who actually tests Destiny 2, I'm counting on you to let us know if there'a a big enough jump in performance to be worth the upgrade. Currently I play it on the Ally at 1080p, everything low but textures, which are set to highest. I get around 45fps and really like it.

[@BrentCox2B]

The clicky shoulder buttons is actually a huge upgrade. Pro controllers that are like 300+ dollars often have clicky buttons and people pay extra money to get that

[@Misfit626]

The Ally X seems like a solid step up but I’m curious what Lenovo is cooking up for the next Legion Go

[@gAndres44]

I’m looking forward to the Legion Go 2 and Steam Deck 2. Currently using the Legion Go and it’s way better than the Ally. I owned the Ally for 5 months before upgrading to the Legion Go.

[@fpvpilot7713]

I find the Switch battery run time pretty good. Anything less I see as a problem. My Ally runs about 45 minutes. Double that is still not enough. I end up playing on the switch because of it. If the Ally X had 4 hour battery life I might buy one.

[@clintk4691]

Alright I'm sold, I'll be upgrading. The downgrades are upgrades for me

[@timothyrees6318]

Great comprehensive review! 🙏🏻

[@christopherfeist1687]

New d-pad test, Helldivers 2 stratagem hero! Or just normal gameplay. Running for your life and hitting them stratagems.

[@Zero]

sticking with my oled deck, cant imagine anyone purchasing from Asus after years of repeated disrespect to consumers. I wouldn't even use this for free.

[@mullergui13]

After the whole ASUS drama regarding the Ally that Gamer's Nexus covered I wouldn't risk buying this as of now. But it does seem like a very cool product overall so I wouldn't say never.

[@SteliosElia-k9b]

Hey Russ, do you know if any of the manufacturers are doing an Independence Day sale? Other than steam discounting products that are out of stock of course

[@elkay80]

The buttons on the old Ally already clicked loud enough to annoy people around you while playing Tekken 8 on the train. These new ones gonna mean conflict haha

[@kibatechwolf]

but what about performance? that is what we are all waiting for, is it worth the upgrade

[@alfre1277]

I just hope this accelerates the release of the steam deck 2.

[@gregorywilson2124]

Seems they would find these problems in the early design phase.

[@ErikTomac-vw2xh]

Hey Russ! Hope good luck in next videos and also could you please answer me this: Should I buy a POWKIDDY X55 now and hope you post a new video about its setup OR should I save money and buy STEAM DECK 512G LCD in a few months? PLEASE ANSWER THIS?

[@ErikTomac-vw2xh]

Please? I cannot decide if POWKIDDY X55 is worth it?

[@piensluc7444]

steam lcd 512 is on sale right now on steam !!!! Steamdeck all the way

[@Bert439]

$800 gets you a great RTX 4050/4060 laptop Even then a refurbished Deck can be had for $230

[@Thesavagesouls]

How does it compare to a 8840u with a 780m ?

[@JohnnyFiction]

Looks like an improvement, but still not nearly as good as the SteamDeck OLED

[@tookooldude5520]

I just bought the rog ally and I really don’t see a difference between the two! No point in upgrading in my opinion…

[@donebk]

I said 800 is a lot but open box for $700 or less is good

[@thegrapevine10]

I just wanna know if it's usb4 or 4.2? I sold my last one because i was not feeling the RAM, m.2, or the proprietary xg mobile. But im more excited about the aftermarket mods than the device itself 😂

[@eric131313]

Half of the video is about how his little pinky gets hurt 😂

[@SCORP1ONF1RE]

there needs to be a stand of some sort, that takes the weight off of the user.

[@BAMozzy69]

I found the RoG Ally to be too small and cramped for me. I couldn't easily find the ABXY buttons and certainly didn't feel as comfortable as my Xbox controller. I also bought a 'Dock' that is now Useless if I upgrade to a RoG Ally X so really disappointed they didn't keep the port and add a thunderbolt port for those who buy a different eGPU. I don't know whether to upgrade or wait now for a newer, better Handheld gaming PC - there is 'rumours' of MS making a Handheld and if they make a Surface Handheld 'Gaming' PC to compete with Asus, MSI, Lenovo etc, basically with their 'Xbox' controller with a 1080p 120hz VRR display built in, I think I'd buy that over a RoG Ally X...

[@steverich9979]

What’s the race car game?

[@ssaaffuu]

love the new set russ

[@Mishoczech]

This or wait for Steam Deck 2?

[@hexshadow6647]

Just play it while plugged in and you won't run out of battery so you can play all day and night. Evem if they "improved" the battery on this device batteries still are horrible.

[@ToddMcF2002]

My GameSir G7 licensed XBox controller has nearly silent buttons. The Legion Go has silent buttons. My Odin 2 has silent buttons. The ROG Ally (original) already had obnoxiously loud buttons. No excuse for it. Obnoxious in a car. Obnoxious on a plane. Nobody is going to want to hear that thing which really limits its travel utility.

[@Maedhrossss]

Now the only one who needs to pass the test is actually Asus. Not touching their products until they get their shit together.

[@driftitlikeyouownit]

So basically most of the upgrades can be had for cheap "3d printed and some time to replace on the original ally. The ally x just isn't worth it.

[@WhatLiesBeneath24]

Literally the only thing I care about is battery life.

[@NoonMight]

AGREED, i get less than 2 hours with like just one game at a time, no matter what i play, 18w, brightness at 30% and 720p

[@TheDepressedSenpai]

Agree with this aswell. Along with the turbo mode I won't have to worry as much when enabling it.

[@kota7789]

It’s going to be just as poor as everyone handheld pc. Meaning an hour to two at the very best.

[@Playerdrew10]

I love how in depth you went on rhetorical ergonomics. One of the things you don’t really think about until you’ve had the device for a bit and something that may be annoying but you can’t fix w/o selling/returning the device

[@NotYourFriend-YT]

Completely agree -- as a Steam Deck user, I've always been curious about the ROG Ally device(s) but the ergonomics kinda freaked me out. I'm glad that RGC spent some time going into it during the video. 💯

[@bigflea11-ig8jr]

For the most part that seems true, though I've noticed a growing market of cases and skins that could solve some minor ergonomic issues, though of course it may also make some worse. An excellent device won't die on ergonomics if it can be fixed by a case and a stick swap.

[@davek8836]

Great overview! Thank you for going over the action button loudness.

[@Kidney05]

The analysis of ergonomics is amazing, as someone who needs a comfortable device I really appreciate the time and thought put into this explanation.

[@watchmejumpstart24]

But even so though I hated the ergonomics of the orignal too. It's like holding a flat phone with a tiny groove on it.. Awful

[@williedee1003]

I just received my Steam Deck Oled a couple of weeks ago, but I’m also very interested in this device as well. I’ll wait till there’s more reviews near release date before I decide to drop $799. I’m on the fence right now.

[@lmh4162]

Same here I am debating selling my SD Oled. It's new open box but now with Ally X I may sell it and get this instead.

[@VeegovonDOOM]

I'm glad it sounds like Xbox controllers because I love Xbox controllers. 🥰

[@WhiskeyWelk]

Just add two little grip hexagons where the pinky goes. Super cheap on Amazon. Usually marketed for mice.

[@datpspguy]

interesting, are these the adhesive grips?

[@WhiskeyWelk]

Yes, they stick on. I have them on my legion go

[@RedBeardRetroTech]

Thanks for your videos❤ Time is flying, I'm grateful we all get to enjoy this hobby together

[@antonio_carvalho]

Very gay, but very true.

[@ZwheelZ]

Just used your guide for the odin 2 and it was amazing! Thank you for what you do for the community 🙏

[@henrydrago]

Well the "downgrades" you pointed is basically "what I don't like", is more like a user experience than a downgrade

[@manceirvin7068]

Can you look at the Ayaneo 2s 8840U? Would love to see a review from you before I buy it

[@joelgrebinsilvestri]

steam Deck oled is better? i want the steam deck oled for emulation as well

[@gzero26]

it really boils down to personal choice, I have a Steam Deck LCD and I LOVE using it for emulation and pc gaming, emulation is easy with EmuDeck. maybe a little more user friendly than a Windows Handheld. but that is just my opinion.

[@piensluc7444]

A no buy because Asus is known for bad custumor service when you have a problem,,,,,

[@elg2025]

Nah the mouse click buttons is an upgrade it feels more responsive. My envision pro has mouse clicks and they feel amazing. The downgrades arent really downgrades

[@datpspguy]

Honestly, Russ is the only youtuber I trust when it comes to these reviews and devices because of how he's able to explain his experience and its possible impact to the user. Specifically the ergonomics and how details that explanation was compared to every other channel out there.

[@CSHummer]

You mean you don't like ETA Prime saying every product is flawless?

[@mechanicalmonk2020]

​@@CSHummer ETA doesn't do that. He's also not a reviewer and never claimed to be.

[@datpspguy]

@@CSHummer okay, i’m glad it’s not just me who was thinking this lol.

[@robras2850]

@@mechanicalmonk2020you’re right he’s just a shill, avoid his insights and content, basically a paid advertisement

[@vlv723]

@@robras2850 Like always, Thanks for Watching LMAO

[@nefariou5]

i love that you put in so much effort to make such a detailed and informative video. Although it having no real benefit over the original aside from battery and is 100 bucks more completely removes it as a temptation

[@alexh7513]

Especially when valve made a bigger upgrade with oled and also cuts the price significant. 300$ more just because of the bigger battery is not worth it. (Because the original ally has a lot of discounts)

[@farhankhan8686]

Thanks you showing Destiny 2. I use my Ally mostly for D2 and I have been using my Ally more since TFS. Btw how are you liking the TFS Russ?

[@omegamanGXE]

Destiny 2: Electric Boogaloo

[@Subtlepenguin]

Digging the new studio layout and shot format.

[@Jelly2003]

I don't know why people prefer the cross style D-Pads, as I think the rocking style is far superior (when well made!!!!).

[@VeegovonDOOM]

The emulation guys think that because the old consoles had the cross style. It fits better with the old ass games they play.

[@Jelly2003]

@@VeegovonDOOM I was mostly a Sega kid, so I grew up with the Sega style D-pad! The cross is for the Nintendo fans.

[@elmergloo3259]

A Windows handheld without trackpads is an immediate no.

[@VoicefulRiver]

7:30 it's the same as holding a giant phone. You end up putting your pinky at the bottom to hold it properly, causing pain overtime.

[@NZtechfreak]

This is a great update on the OG. Like every body and their dog I'd love an OLED screen, but I guess it's still VRR or OLED, so on balance I'm OK with it. With new AMD processors on the way I'll hold off a bit longer (and for handhelds Lunar Lake may even bring something).

[@MagicZant]

Seeing the price, i bought Ally Z1 Extreme instead in a 400 usd offer, for half the price im ok with that

[@TravellerChris]

I prefer the louder, clickier sound of face buttons and shoulder buttons of the ROG Ally X. On the other hand, I'm the kind of guy who's using a mechanical keyboard for PC gaming and work because I enjoy the sound.

[@carltonleboss]

Can't wait for the in-depth review.

[@antonio_carvalho]

Manufactures must hire Russ as a consultant to help them with the ergonomics, he really knows what he's talking about!

[@tapiolehto5312]

really waiting for your whole review. I have Switch oled, Company of Heroes 1 was main reason to buy it. It works very fine witch switch and I can play it outside in summer, in shade. It would be fun to use handheld and have all 3 Company of Heroes, few Total War games, Uncharted 4.

[@fnggaming89]

There's nothing wrong with the Rog Ally...this new one is more 1.5 version instead of Ally ( 2 ) and for 700-800$ for a minor upgrade nah get the first one or a steamdeck

[@charleyweinhardt]

the right thumbstick and button lay out is better but still WACK! how could lenovo and Asus and especially Nintendo (of all companies🙄) and all these handhelds and phone attachments get it sooooo WRONG! Steam deck is actually decent with this... 14:20 you say the sticks feel right, YOU CAN'T REACH THE BUTTONS FROM THAT GRIP POSITION!

[@FalzarThrone]

FIRST LETS GOOOOOO I HAVE MY SNACK AND DRINK

[@zuzu9823]

All these companies keep giving gamers half of what we want, the 1st company that gives us EVERYTHING we want in a handheld, at a decent price, they'll dominate.....I hope it's Microsoft but who knows. Give us a nice-sized OLED screen, great specs, a powerful battery, beautiful and functional UI where it feels like a gaming handheld instead of a handheld PC

[@alexh7513]

I understand that they wanted to keep the vrr screen and no oled. But i don‘t understand why they didn‘t made a bigger screen with less bezels and also 100-200 nits brighter.

[@TYKU121]

Downgrade. No XG Mobile port. They should have kept it and added a 3rd port. The XG mobile was the main selling point when I got my first Ally. I was able to sell my gaming PC and my partner's PC and replace it with Ally/XG combo. Me with the 4090, my partner with the 6850. It's nice having all games on the go and especially games without cloud saves all on one device.

[@Danrarbc]

My biggest missed opportunity handheld had to be the Odin 2 Mini. This is something that could have been introduced at a price slightly lower than that of the Odin 2 - but the Mini LED screen choice made it MORE expensive than the original. This was a critical error and it should have been cheaper. IMO the price of the ODIN 2 was already too high and drives you to decide the Steam Deck is better. With the Mini actually being more expensive IMO it makes every Odin moot. Odin 2 Mini could have been the sweet spot just below the Steam Deck, with small extra cost associated with the screen size increase. But it’s literally the opposite. A refurbished Steam Deck starts at $280. That’s cheaper than every Odin 2 and that’s a more capable system.

[@Alt-mb3uc]

Appreciate your view on the ergonomics, but I never had a problem accidentally pressing the back buttons, I think maybe the way you're holding it, causing the back buttons to be pressed, is also part of the problem you're having with your pinky fingers. Also... don't PC gamers use clicky mechanical keyboards, is a clicky shoulder buttons bad? ;)

[@DeanSmith84]

I regret purchasing the Ally; the build quality is terrible. SD card failure, buttons sticking, squeaky triggers and bumpers, the sticks feel like crap and make a clicking sound when rotating. I expect better quality from Asus.

[@jinx20001]

great review as always... the best reviews are those done by the real gamers who use the device, most reviewers wont actually give these things the time of day to ever discover the issues you find. My one reservation with this (besides having the ally and deck oled already) is i would love to have seen Asus do something with the low power capability, turning off of cores or something to enable it to hit really low wattage and be usable... the fact the ally has a minimum of 7w means it will almost always be drawing more power than we know certain games really need, some games like cue club 2 i know will run at 90hz no issue at 4w on deck oled and it just extends that battery life, keeps everything cool etc but on ally you got 7w mins and its often much higher total system power. Its all great that the battery is pretty big now but the potential on offer if they could get this thing sipping 4w and running well in indie games would be staggering... it would be a massive massive advantage dwarfing all other handhelds but they just dont seem to be very interested in that... its why the deck is as good as it is, valve just understood the assignment for handhelds.

[@AnimeFan-dl4qd]

To sum it up: Pros: better abc buttons, better buttons behind, better stick and battery I dont care. Better control stick, I care Conra: Weight is not optimal distributed - bad l, R button loud -really bad In conclusion: I should think twice if I sell my Ally. On the other hand, there is still this problem with the sd cards which does not seem to be the case the the new one.

[@Punisher9419]

SOmetimes it doesn't make any sense to have such a powerful device depending on what you are going to use it for. Having more performance means the battery life will suffer so if all you are doing is playing GBA emulated games it would be a bit silly to have such a powerful device.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Playing games like armored core 6 I'd get about 2 and a half hours to 3 hours depending what I was doing. This version will definitely give you 5-6 hours

[@jervz13696]

My only major problem with my rog ally is the battery life. I just bought a 100wh power bank and that solves my problem. Also, it's cheaper than upgrading to ally x 😄

[@ConnorORya]

I agree with you i would have just settled with my OG ally z1 extreme 2tb hard drive but my credit card company said that I've had my credit card for 10 months and I have yet to use it even once so they said they were gonna cancel it. So I ordered the ally x, I just can't lose a 5000 dollar credit limit from Mastercard, just couldn't. So thats my excuse to by the ally x

[@jervz13696]

@@ConnorORya You can't go wrong with the ally x. I would also buy it too but my budget is tight atm so I rather wait for the ally 2 instead and hoping by that time, I have enough money to buy it lol. Grats btw and enjoy with your ally x! 😁

[@Armando_Aranda]

I just leave mine plugged in all the time, and it doesn’t bother me.

[@jervz13696]

@@Armando_Aranda Same. But I forgot to mention, it's about when using it outside or traveling 😅

[@Armando_Aranda]

@@jervz13696 Use a power bank and leave plugged in if you want to when you’re away from home.

[@gmoney0987]

800 bucks. Sorry. Not gonna sell when the deck exists. Shoot, you can buy a last gen (better spec ROG gaming laptop for 800 bucks)

[@emirhb]

These tech channels and reviewers are so anxious to get their videos out there first it’s ridiculous. I don’t know about anyone else else, but the only thing I care about are FPS and battery life FPS is generally going to be improved because of the ram and it has double the battery so the battery life is going to improve over the first generation so what is this video about your personal feelings about this specific device? Yeah you should’ve just waited and released a full video with everything. Everyone wanted to seehopefully my minute and eight seconds didn’t count towards a view for you

[@LuluManager2]

Same pinky problem for me with the original Ally

[@jj515789]

Lol can't talk about benchmarks, fps, or battery life? That's all anyone cares about for this refresh.......that's the make it or break it of the Ally X. Why do companies do this?????

[@arunabhmahanta]

So literally no ‘actual’ downgrades at all? I don’t have any problem with it feeling heavy or clicky shoulder buttons. I don’t have any PC handheld so this might be the one for me.

[@hartaleee]

Waiting for performance review ROG Ally X BazziteOS vs Steam Deck OLED, so i can make the decision which one to get 😂

[@luckysgi-5karrow378]

WHOA the motion blur you have on this video is great! I was second guessing if it was 30 or 60 fps without checking my video quality setting.

[@maxd5007]

I doubt this is worth 60% more than the aokzoe 2 32/2tb set up. I play it at home so the limitation with battery is moot, FX sound add-on makes the Audio amazing, and playing at home means the brightness is a non issue.

[@dnmaia]

For me the biggest downgrade is the lack of XG mobile port. It is the best eGPU so far. ASUS just killed her own product.

[@DragonBourne]

At 800$, I can promise that this thing is not the right fit for me, unless it can transmute lead into gold.

[@midgard9552]

kinda wish i could decide between the normal rog ally and the steam deck oled. I get the ally for around 450€ and the oled cost 569€ ... im really kinda scared of the battery, so not sure about it.

[@etvow]

Nope! Their customer service does not exist. And I never received my $50 rebate on a graphics card I bought from them 10 years ago.

[@sunrisesunset1734]

It is severe nitpicking to put in the title of this video that this device has 2 downgrades compared to the original ROG Ally, then to reveal that clickier better buttons and how the very bottom of the device feels to your pinky fingers are downgrades.

[@rhythmandblues9302]

ASUS = non-starter. I need to see proof of sustained customer service improvements before buying anything from them again. As things stand, they cannot be trusted.

[@gunpowder1002]

Why should I update the bios, configure windows and such. For this money this console should be ready to work out of the box.

[@Canqwertz1]

He is yapping about ergonomics half the video. Only thing I cared was the battery life. But he is not „allowed“ to talk about it.

[@gmmgrey1852]

Broooo, the clicky-ness of the triggers is a BIG PLUS!! That's how you know it's still good!

[@mistermars9534]

I'm happy with my ROG as is to put the money down for this version. If there was a trade-in i would have jumped at it though but alas.

[@WaxPanels]

I had to stop using my xbox controller cause it was so loud 🤣. I use mainly a switch pro controller nowadays