As someone who primarily plays on Xbox, I was cautiously optimistic ROG Xbox Ally X. The idea of being able to take my Xbox library on the go was very appealing, but it would also be a convenient way to play online co-op and multiplayer games with my wife in the same room without having to get another Xbox console and pull out another TV. I was shocked at the absurd $1,000 price tag for the ROG Xbox Ally X, but figured I'd get enough use out of it in the long run to eventually justify the cost. That may still be the case, but as of now, the ROG Xbox Ally X has given me serious pangs of guilt.
The ROG Xbox Ally X was presented as a handheld Xbox, although it clearly isn't. The ROG Xbox Ally X is a ROG Ally with embossed Xbox branding and an integrated Xbox “full screen experience”. It seems like it's aimed at Xbox fans, but it really isn't. If you're someone who's built up a large library of Xbox games, don't make the same mistake I did and get the ROG Xbox Ally X, assuming you can actually access that library on your handheld without resorting to cloud streaming.
The ROG Xbox Ally X is not a true handheld Xbox experience
Despite owning games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Borderlands 4 on Xbox I can't download them to my ROG Xbox Ally X. I have to stream them through the cloud instead. Given that Borderlands 4 the split screen experience is not ideal, I was hoping to use the handheld to play on my own screen while my wife can stay in front of the TV. Cloud streaming works well enough most of the time, but there's no denying that the experience could be more stable and better if i could download an xbox game i own onto an xbox brand handheld. It also means I can't play many Xbox games on the go, which is one of the main reasons for getting a handheld.
Another game I wanted to play on my ROG Xbox Ally X is Mass Effect: Legendary Editionextended collection of the original Mass Effect trilogy that brought classic games to modern platforms with elaborate graphics and other improvements. i own Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on Xbox, but other than that, the game is available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so I figured there would surely be no obstacle. The catch is that since the ROG Xbox Ally X is actually a Windows handheld, you can only download the PC version Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. This requires an additional download of the EA app and also means I can't access the console save files. Now I can stream the console version Mass Effect: Legendary Edition via the cloud, but again, it kind of defeats the purpose of the handheld.
From a technical standpoint, the ROG Xbox Ally X is a powerful machine that performed brilliantly with almost every game I tested it on. I tried to load an older game on Steam which was strangely causing the system to crash, but otherwise it's been smooth sailing. It's a well-built machine with impressive performance, but the problem is that it doesn't serve the purpose expected of an Xbox-branded handheld, and that's a huge disappointment.
I hope to get more use out of the ROG Xbox Ally X in the future, mainly thanks to Game Pass. The November 2025 Xbox Game Pass lineup includes games where the ROG Xbox Ally X will come in handy when it comes to co-op play, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and its 4-player co-op campaign and upcoming co-op survival game Voidtrainwhich looks like a lot of fun. I'll get my money's worth in the end, but if you're a big Xbox gamer looking for the ROG Xbox Ally X as a proper handheld version of the experience, you're going to be sorely disappointed.
- Mark
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Xbox / ROG
- Operating system
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Windows 11 Home
- Processor
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AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor
- Display
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7” IPS, 500 nits, 16:9, refresh rate 120 Hz, FreeSync Premium, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection
- Resolution
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FHD 1080p
- Original release date
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2025
