Asus ROG Ally X: Official Announcement on June 2!

Out of all the handheld PC gaming devices we’ve seen come out following the success of Valve’s Steam Deck, we still think Asus’ ROG Ally comes closest to rivaling its performance and dominance in the field. And as such, we think there’s plenty of things to be excited about for the newest Asus ROG Ally X, which has been confirmed for an official June 2 reveal.

But, for those who are planning to pick up a handheld PC gaming console around this time, is it worth waiting for the new console to launch? We think it all depends on how well Asus delivers on the improvements and features they’re promising with this new device:

Bigger where it counts

Right away, the ROG Ally X doesn’t seem like it’s going to be the true “successor” of the previous Ally. After all, Asus has confirmed that it’s coming with the same AMD Z1 Extreme chip that already powers the higher-end variant of the Asus ROG Ally so performance should be quite similar between the two. Kind of like how the OLED version was for the Steam Deck.

Instead, Asus seems to be focusing on other areas when it comes to improvements. For one, the company’s reportedly looking at beefing up the battery in order to offer more than “30 or 40% improvement” on that front though Asus hasn’t given any numbers just yet. As a heads-up though, Asus SVP Shawn Yen has already mentioned that this would make the Ally X a bit heavier than the old model.

Additionally, Asus is also promising to up the 16GB of RAM found in the Ally, allowing you to allocate more of it to the Z1’s GPU without affecting the rest of the system’s Windows OS. There’s also a longer M.2 2280 SSD slot, which should make it easier for users to buy storage upgrades.

Though if Asus’ “bigger” promises extend to the storage as well, we could be seeing 1TB or even 2TB models come to the market eventually. The ROG Ally does come with up to 512GB of storage already after all.

Want the best PC gaming experience ready to go out of the box? Check out the best Asus ROG desktops here to start playing your favorite games at the highest settings!

Redesigned in black

As for overall design, it’s a mix of old. In order to accommodate the bigger battery that Asus is promising, the new Ally X may be a bit thicker and heavier than the original model. Despite that, Asus has confirmed that they will use the same display as the original: a 120Hz VRR IPS LCD at FHD (1920 x 1080p).

Asus does plan to revise its internals however. They’re reportedly moving the SD card slot away from its original placement near the vents in the original Ally, though they still don’t recognize it as a problem despite reports of cards getting damaged from the heat.

The Ally X is also supposedly getting redesigned joysticks, with a focus on easier repairability and interchangeability. This should make it easier for you to swap in your preferred sticks if the one on the Ally doesn’t work to your liking.

Finally, the Asus ROG Ally X will be coming in a new black color, perfect for those who like that more subdued look. Rest of the design is said to be the same otherwise, minus the increase in heft and weight.

Should I get the new Asus ROG Ally X?

Right now, it’s a little hard to tell without the specifics. The reported battery, RAM, and storage increases should be very good but Asus already confirmed that it will come with a slight price bump compared to the original model.

If you’re an existing Ally owner, then we think there isn’t much of a reason to upgrade to this one. Assuming you’ve never run into problems with its SD card, you should still get the same performance and visual clarity with the Ally X. Unless you really want to play a bit longer or you just really like black gadgets.

Personally, we think it could be worth the wait if only for the redesigned SD card slot. If you don’t have an ROG Ally just yet and are dying to take your PC gaming library (and not just your Steam ones) with you on the go, then this will probably be the best console to do it on.

You can also just get the Steam Deck, which we’ve usually got on sale right here. That’s still an option after all. Plus, it already comes in black.

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