Opinion: The Asus ROG Ally X with SteamOS is my insider tip for 2025.
The new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is here! At a price of 900 euros, you should think carefully about whether this handheld is right for you. After all, we will have more choice than ever at the end of 2025. There are now dozens of alternatives to the new handheld.
One of these has been on the market for a year, but is by no means outdated: the Asus ROG Ally X – without Xbox. With SteamOS installed, the “old Ally” feels like a brand new device and is my recommendation if you want to save some money.
What is the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X?Asus and Microsoft have jointly developed two handhelds that run on Windows 11 but offer a new full Xbox experience. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, the black model, is equipped with faster hardware and a larger battery.
What makes the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X so special?
Four features stand out in particular:
Full Xbox experience: The new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X launches the new Xbox app without loading the Windows desktop. This offers several advantages:
- Operation is optimized for controllers. A keyboard and mouse are not necessary.
- The Xbox app can be used to launch games from other launchers, such as Steam, Epic Games Store, or GOG.
- A new multitasking feature, reminiscent of smartphones, lets you quickly switch between apps and games.
- By doing away with the Windows desktop, the handheld has more system resources available for games.
Excellent ergonomics: Few handhelds fit so comfortably in your hands. With its distinctive grips and large triggers, playing with the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X feels like playing with an Xbox Wireless Controller. Thanks to its high level of comfort, the weight of 715 grams doesn’t feel as heavy as you might expect, but it is still noticeable after a while.
High gaming performance: Inside the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip. It has 24 gigabytes of RAM at its disposal. In my tests, this combination fought its way to the top of my benchmarks. If you’re looking for a handheld with the highest possible performance, you should put the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X on your shortlist.
Long battery life: The large 80 Wh battery, combined with efficient hardware, ensures long battery life. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X lasts about 150 minutes in triple-A games with a power consumption of 17 watts. With lighter indie titles, it can even last three to four hours.
My insider tip: The predecessor with SteamOS
For several months now, the Asus ROG Ally X has been compatible with SteamOS. This is the operating system that Steam Deck also uses. Installation is easy thanks to the instructions from Valve, installation is very easy.
I’ve been using this on the Ally X for two months now and have no interest in reinstalling Windows.
If the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is too expensive for you, this combination gives you an almost equivalent handheld for less money.
SteamOS is user-friendly: SteamOS has been optimized for handhelds from the ground up. When navigating menus, launching games, or switching between apps, I never need a mouse or keyboard.
The new Xbox full-screen experience on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is also much easier to use with the controller, but you can still tell that the app was originally designed for mouse control. The controller optimization was obviously added later.
Less is more: SteamOS is lean, resource-efficient, and does away with unnecessary background services. This is one of the reasons why the older Ally X with SteamOS comes surprisingly close to the performance of the new Xbox variant, despite having slightly weaker hardware. The difference is usually only 10 to 20 percent. nbsp;
A standby mode like on consoles: The standby mode works just as reliably on SteamOS as I know it from the Steam Deck or the Nintendo Switch: press the power button and simply continue playing later where I left off.
Interestingly, this also works flawlessly on the new Xbox Ally X so far. Asus and Microsoft have made some significant improvements here.
What if SteamOS isn’t for you? Although game compatibility with SteamOS will be better than ever in 2025, there are still some games that cannot be played on this operating system.
The Xbox full-screen experience will also be available for the Asus ROG Ally X via an update at a later date. So if you keep Windows 11 installed, you’ll still benefit from an optimized user interface.
Same great battery life: In the same scenario, Control with 17-watt TDP, 80 percent brightness, and 60 percent volume, both handhelds lasted almost the same amount of time.
- Asus ROG Xbox Ally X: 150 min
- Asus ROG Ally X: 147 min
Both handhelds offer enough endurance to play on the go without worrying about battery life. On top of that, however, the predecessor is slightly more compact.
In some respects, the new handheld is not better at all: Both the old and new Ally feature the same 7-inch display with 120 Hz, Full HD resolution, and VRR. It’s not a bad screen, but I would have liked to see an upgrade for the new Xbox version.
There are also few differences in terms of controls. The new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X now features the Xbox controller’s so-called impulse triggers. Put simply, this means that they are equipped with rumble motors, which make gaming a little more immersive.
The rest of the controller features are identical, so we’re not missing out on anything with the older handheld in this regard. Unfortunately, this also means that the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X still doesn’t have Hall effect sticks.
Comparison of the most important hardware specs
| Asus ROG Xbox Ally X | Asus ROG Ally X | |
|---|---|---|
| APU | AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme |
| RAM | 24 GB LPDDR5X | 24 GB LPDDR5X |
| SSD | 1 TB NVMe M.2 2280 | 1 TB NVMe M2. 2280 |
| Battery | 80 Wh, 65-watt charging power | 80 Wh, 65-watt charging power |
| Display size | 7 inches | 7 inches |
| Display resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz (VRR) | 120 Hz (VRR) |
| Panel type | IPS | IPS |
| Screen brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| OS | Windows 11 with Xbox full screen | Windows 11 / SteamOS |
My recommendation: A super Steam Deck for less money
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X could lay the foundation for the future of Xbox, and I love that Windows is finally being optimized for gaming and controller operation.
But realistically, its predecessor delivers a similar gaming experience, especially with the installation of SteamOS. If you’re currently looking for a fast gaming handheld with long battery life and find the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X too expensive, then the Asus ROG Ally X is an excellent budget alternative.
I would recommend waiting for a sale – the Ally X is often on sale for around $730 – or just buying a used device. With the release of the new version, there will be more and more gamers who want to sell the old model. Used prices range from around $450 to $600.
To me, the Asus ROG Ally X with SteamOS feels like a super Steam Deck: more power, more flexibility, but the same intuitive operation.
If you want to save money in 2025 and still own one of the best handhelds, you should give its predecessor a chance.
It is much more than just the “old” Ally.
