Conclusion
The return of the handheld console, but not only
The Ally X is part of the revival and resurgence of portable consoles, which began with the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck. Initially, I was rather sceptical about the idea of this Ally X, which I considered to be too gimmicky, especially after testing the first generation of Ally, which left me wanting more, with quite a few shortcomings. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this second generation of consoles from Asus. With notable improvements, such as redesigned ergonomics and doubled battery life, my opinion has changed radically. To my great surprise, I literally fell in love with this console.
It has huge potential, not least because it runs on Windows, which makes it far more open than alternatives like the Steam Deck, which is often confined to its own ecosystem, allowing you to play Steam games only. With a price tag of €849, compared with €499 for the Ally with Z1 Extreme, the Ally X is a tad overpriced. Admittedly, it offers some notable improvements, but the price is still a little too high for my liking.
ASUS ROG Ally X
We liked :
- Excellent performance
- Still lightweight in the hand
- Excellent grip
- The screen
- The freedom of Windows
- Double the battery life
What we didn’t like :
- Windows optimisation, which can consume too much battery power at times
- The price, which is a little high
We’re giving the Gold Award to this ROG Ally X, which stands out as the best portable Windows console in terms of battery management. Already excellent, the original ROG Ally has been revisited and improved in every aspect to reach near-perfection with this Ally X. Its potential and the power offered by this format really impressed us.
It’s not just a portable console: it rivals a real laptop in many scenarios.