The ROG Xbox Ally X Reviews Are In, And Here Are What The Critics Say

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Today is a big day, as Xbox has unveiled its next generation of what Xbox could look like moving forward. The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X are the first two handhelds to release with the Xbox brand, further emphasizing their "everything is an Xbox" motto, and the results of their efforts look great. While we didn't get a handheld to review, many other amazing press outlets and friends of ours did, and with so many reviews, I wanted to compile some of them to show just what everyone thinks of it so far.

While I will be paraphrasing and showing their scores, I highly recommend checking these websites and videos out. These guys put a ton of time into testing and reviewing the handheld. The reviews are listed in no particular order, but I will start with press outlets and then move to YouTube videos.

VGC/Video Games Chronicle - Written by Chris Scullion - 4/5

The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is very much a jack of all trades by design, but rather than a master of none it offers exceptional performance and an impressive selection of app stores within easy access. Its price will put off some, and there are plenty of cheaper alternatives to fit your more specific needs, but if you're looking for an absolute beast that can handle almost everything you can throw at it, this is the one for you.

Chris Scullion

XboxEra - Written by Jon "Sikamikanico" Clarke - 7/10

The ROG Xbox Ally X. Is it an Xbox? I don’t think so. It’s a $1000 dollar PC handheld that has a distinct Xbox flavour. A capable and extremely comfortable PC Handheld with some great design ideas that bring Xbox and PC closer than ever before, and is one of the best handheld PC experiences to date. Despite the software effort though, Windows 11 is still the primary cause of many of the machines woes, even with all the freedom the more open, PC platform provides. It’s certainly an interesting transitionary step for Microsoft and Xbox, but I think it needs a few more updates for the potential to be truly realised.

Jon Clarke

IGN - Written by Jacqueline Thomas - 9/10

The Xbox Full Screen Experience alone would probably be enough for me to recommend the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X to anyone looking for a new handheld gaming PC. But the fact that it’s so comfortable to use and performs so well is just icing on the cake. All it really needs now is a couple of software updates to really refine the Full Screen Experience and it will be a device for the history books.

Jacqueline Thomas

Windows Central - Written by Rebecca Spear - 4.5/5

In the end, the Xbox Ally X is a Windows handheld gaming PC that's easy to recommend. You'll be able to play a wide range of games on this device from various services while experiencing some of the best handheld performance to date.

Rebecca Spear

Eurogamer - Written by Tom Orry - No Score

Back to that big question, then: Is the ROG Xbox Ally X actually an Xbox, and does it even matter? The answer, in truth, will vary depending on how much you have used and are expecting an experience like that of an Xbox console. For me, while the ROG Xbox Ally X opens the door to being a console, it's still quite clearly a PC, which presents a number of quirks, but also benefits that can't be overlooked. A true Xbox ecosystem experience without the need for game-by-game tweaking would be wonderful, but access to all PC gaming stores, with downloaded games all aggregated in one serviceable app, is worth the trade offs if you are more excited about PC gaming than Xbox gaming.

Only you can say if £800 is a reasonable price for a handheld that is capable of playing new, technically demanding games, but it's essentially what you need to pay to get this level of performance. Ultimately, I like what the ROG Xbox Ally X offers. It's not a true Xbox handheld console, but for a lot of people it's probably a better, more versatile device.

Tom Orry

Rock Paper Shotgun - Written by James Archer - No Score (Mostly Negative)

While it stumbles in the right direction, then, the ROG Ally X never fully lives up to the promise of being a truly tailored Windows 11 handheld. I don’t want to put that entirely on Xbox mode’s shortcomings, because ultimately the interface (and general, sofa-splayed gameplaying experience) is better than that of vanilla Windows.

But then, I don’t have to. There are enough other reasons – the underwhelming screen, the middling battery life, the aggravating face button noise, the price, and especially the temperamental vibration – to give this handheld a miss. Or, at the very least, wait for some fixes.

James Archer

The Verge - Written by Sean Hollister - 6/10

We won't post a paragraph of what was written by Sean here, but we recommend subscribing to The Verge to check it out, it's a fantastic read.

Tom's Hardware - Written by Andrew E. Freedman - 4/5

If you're just now jumping into the gaming handheld market and want something that just plays games and runs Windows, this is the one to get. It's comfortable and is finally starting to get close to the ease of use that Valve offers with SteamOS. When the Xbox Full Screen Experience becomes available more widely, however, the field may blow open.

Andrew E. Freedman

Dexerto - Written by Dylan Horetski - 5/5

At roughly a thousand dollars, the Ally X isn’t cheap, but it delivers performance and usability that justify the cost. It’s $350 more expensive than the Steam Deck or Legion Go S, but for that you’re getting twice the CPU and graphics power, and a bigger battery, future-proofing your handheld. It’s the first Windows handheld that feels like a complete, ready-to-play system rather than a compromise. If you’ve not yet invested in a PC handheld, this is the one to buy.

Dylan Horetski

Pocket Tactics - Written by Sam Comrie - 7/10

If you're leaping into the handheld PC market with an ample budget, the ROG Xbox Ally X is a good place to get started, thanks to its user-friendly form factor and improved user experience. However, it doesn't distract from the fact that Asus' previous models directly rival it and provide the same amount of gaming value at a much cheaper price.

The ROG Xbox Ally X puts up a decent fight against other Windows-handhelds performance-wise, but so do the ROG Ally X and Z1e models. I can't quite get the past price, especially in tandem with the recent Xbox Game Pass subscription increase, making it even more expensive to check out the latest titles out of the box. In my opinion, the existing ROG Ally models are still worth considering.

Sam Comrie

Polygon - Written by Oli Welsh - No Score (Mostly Negative)

As a harbinger of Microsoft’s wider gaming strategy, the Xbox Ally is thrilling in theory, deeply frustrating in practice. The promise of seamless, borderless access to all your games and all your progress across multiple platforms in a single place is enthralling — even half-realized like this. It is arguably just what this fragmented industry needs. But the practical result is compromised, confusing, annoying to use, and prohibitively priced. The Xbox Ally X is emblematic of everything Microsoft’s gaming initiative has become, from its corporate acquisition strategy to the increasingly unaffordable boondoggle that is Xbox Game Pass: an incredibly costly attempt to hedge every bet and be all things to all people that is nominally successful in its goals, but that has, along the way, defeated its own purpose.

Oli Welsh

The Phawx

Wulff Den

Parris

Spawn On Me

Destin

Linus Tech Tips

Dave2D

Overall, it seems that reception is leaning towards the positive side, though still a bit spotty in some areas. While I wasn't a fan of holding the device, it is quite powerful, and the new unified interface seems to be an improvement over Windows in general. This is going to be one I watch to see how it is updated and developed, as it sounds like there is still some work that needs to be done. However, the framework is clearly there, and I can't wait to see where it goes next.

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