After teasing that a new ROG Ally device was on the way last month, Asus has finally revealed its next handheld gaming PC as part of its Computex 2024 announcements. It will feature better battery life, RAM, storage, and more.
At first glance, the most obvious difference from the Asus ROG Ally is that its color variant is black instead of white, like the original ROG Ally. Yet the most significant changes for the handheld are on the inside, as the ROG Ally X features 1TB M.2 2280 SSD storage, but there will still be a Micro SD Card slot to add an external storage option, in addition to 24GB of LPDDR5-7500 RAM.
Asus also addressed the issues regarding battery life with the ROG Ally, as the device now includes an 80Wh battery. Asus further notes that the ROG Ally X includes an additional vent, which should improve the device's thermals. The company promises the panel will be up to 6 degrees Celsius cooler.
Beyond the new additions, the ROG Ally X uses the Windows 11 operating system, the same AMD Z1 Extreme CPU processors as its predecessor, and RNDA 3 AMD Radeon graphics. It also has the same 7-inch LCD display supporting up to 1080p resolution and a refresh rate that caps at 120Hz with support for AMD FreeSync Premium.
As you can tell from all these changes and what was previously revealed, the ROG Ally X is not an ROG Ally 2, but rather a more enhanced version of its original design. Though Asus has said in the past it is planning to commit to making another, more powerful design of the ROG Ally, joining other companies, such as Valve, MSI, and Lenovo, all of whom have released a handheld gaming PC in the last several years.
In our review of the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme model, my colleague Robert Anderson wrote: "ROG Ally has the potential to be a serious contender against the Steam Deck. While it's not perfect, there's a lot to love about this powerful new handheld."
The Asus ROG Ally X is available to preorder, retailing for $799.99. Those looking to order the device can head to Best Buy. For more on the ROG Ally, check out our hand-on preview.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
