[The gaming landscape is shifting, and ASUS is making a bold move with the new ROG Ally X20. Is this the handheld PC gaming experience we’re all waiting for?]
Remember last year when I took a critical look at the original ASUS ROG Ally? While innovative, it had its shortcomings. The software felt unpolished, and performance on Windows wasn’t quite worth the hefty $1000 price tag. Fast forward to today, in a market where RAM shortages have driven up prices across the board for gaming hardware, and ASUS is back with the Xbox Ally X20, boasting an OLED screen and a new price point of $1300. This changes things.
The OLED Advantage
A year ago, $1300 felt steep for what the original ROG Ally offered. But after using it extensively, witnessing the relentless price increases on competing devices, and lamenting the lack of an official OLED Nintendo Switch, this feels like a more palatable upgrade. Beyond the stunning OLED display, the Xbox Ally X20 features improved D-pad and TMR joysticks for enhanced precision. The exterior design boasts a semi-transparent black finish accented with gold detailing.
The inclusion of an OLED screen is a significant step up, especially considering the limited availability of OLED options in the PC gaming handheld market. Its closest competitor remains the Lenovo Legion Go 2, which also features an OLED display and detachable controllers, but offers more RAM for a price of $1350. Then there’s the Steam Deck OLED model, initially priced at $650 and now retailing for $950. While the Steam Deck provides a smoother console experience overall, it lags significantly behind the Ally X in terms of raw hardware power.
A Premium Gaming Experience?
While the Xbox Ally X20 might still fall short in certain areas compared to its competitors, the rising prices across the market are narrowing the gap. Suddenly, a premium version of a high-end gaming console doesn’s feel quite as exorbitant. The ROG Ally’s greatest strength lies in its ability to seamlessly blend the expansive game library of Game Pass with the flexibility of Steam. This makes it an ideal choice for those deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
However, if Microsoft can truly deliver a Windows experience optimized for gaming, one that unlocks the full potential of the hardware, the Xbox Ally X20 could very well become the ultimate PC gaming handheld.
Source: Kotaku
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