ROG Xbox Ally X Impressions — Green With Envy

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Ever since the Switch shook up the gaming world, I’ve always been more captivated by portable gaming over home consoles. My enthusiasm for my Game Boy Advance collection surpassed that for the PlayStation 2. Thus, it didn’t really shock me when the Switch and later the Steam Deck drew a significant amount of my attention and gameplay time. Now, the Steam Deck stands as my main gaming device due to its flexibility and abundance of affordable games on Steam. Yet, despite being a dedicated Steam Deck devotee, the ROG Xbox Ally X caught my eye. There’s plenty to look forward to with this quasi-XBX handheld, and it might just win me over as a fan.

At the Xbox showcase near Summer Game Fest, I had a quick go at the ROG Xbox Ally X. The demonstration was mostly a visual display, with only a short time given for us to play Gears of War: Reloaded on it. Consequently, my initial impressions are a blend of hands-on feedback and grand promises, but so far I’m quite impressed by what I’ve experienced and learned about it.

To begin with, the initial feel of the device is comfortable, and it doesn’t require any modifications. I’ve added third-party grips to both my Steam Deck and Switch 1, which make them thicker but provide a better grip. The ROG Xbox Ally X comes with sturdy handles right from the start, making it slightly larger and heavier than other devices, but not excessively so when compared to what I’ve already added to enhance my own devices. As someone who mostly plays handheld systems at home or on the go, I typically have a place to rest my arms while playing, so the additional weight won’t be an issue for me.

The design of this controller mimics the comfortable feel of an Xbox controller and achieves this quite effectively. Although the Xbox button is no longer centrally located due to the presence of a screen, its positioning within a ROG trapezoid shape remains logical. The sticks, face buttons, and triggers all felt familiar, as if I were gripping an extended version of an Xbox controller, tailored to house a screen in the middle.

The design of the user interface is quite alike the existing Xbox UI, featuring big square icons for games in your collection and a series of panels to navigate different parts of it. Interestingly, Microsoft is planning to consolidate all your third-party game libraries into a single location. This would include your Xbox and Game Pass library, but also marketplaces such as Epic Games Store and Steam (although the presentation didn’t explicitly mention Steam, a Steam logo was noticeable in the slide about third-party storefronts).

I’ve managed to run Xbox streaming and Epic storefront on my Steam Deck, but it required some initial setup, and I often struggle to remember which games I already own in Epic because I need to access its separate storefront to view my library. Having all my purchased games from multiple platforms under one roof would greatly enhance the user experience, making the ROG Xbox Ally X feel more like a seamless console experience: It operates just as you’d expect.

Just as important elements such as system performance are made user-friendly for gamers who prefer not to explore intricate system settings, a quick press or hold of the Xbox button displays custom menus that include details like power status, RAM usage, and other relevant information. This functionality resembles the “…” button on the Steam Deck but is more seamlessly integrated with the main Xbox button, making it seem less like an additional feature.

During our demonstration of the ROG Xbox Ally X systems provided by Xbox representatives, they were handled with great care due to their preliminary nature, and our testing period was limited. However, we were informed about potential issues, but I encountered none. The very fact that a warning was issued suggests the product is still in development. Later on, during an extended Gears of War: Reloaded demo, I found the ROG option available alongside Xbox and PS5 versions, offering me additional playtime with it.

Essentially, Gears of War: Reloaded remains rooted in its Xbox 360 origins; however, it’s been upgraded visually in a striking manner when compared to the original version. The overall appearance is cleaner, with the once grim world appearing less muddy and brown in both Ultimate Edition and Reloaded. However, it’s challenging to compare this game’s benchmark against more contemporary high-performance games like Cyberpunk 2077. Nevertheless, the game ran smoothly and looked fantastic, and an added bonus was the whisper-quiet operation of the fan.

The ROG Xbox Ally X, set for release in 2023, has several unclear aspects, one of the most significant being its price. Given that the non-Xbox version, the Rog Ally X, starts at $900, it’s likely that the ROG Xbox Ally X will cost around the same or more. However, my brief encounter with it sparked a feeling I haven’t had since my Steam Deck love affair in 2022 – envy.

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2025-06-17 21:40