Not all handhelds are created equal.
If that were the case, there would be little purpose in our identification of the best portable gaming PCs.
Thanks to Microsoft, we have two more portable gaming PCs coming later this year. And these two highly anticipated Xbox handhelds are, in fact, Asus ROG Ally handhelds with a twist.
We’ve already looked at whether you should go for the ROG Xbox Ally X or the Asus ROG Ally X, so now it’s time to look at the more affordable versions: the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Ally.
So, which one should you save for? The new ROG Xbox Ally or our old ROG Ally? Or should you just go for Valve’s Steam Deck OLED?
Asus ROG Xbox Ally vs Asus ROG Ally: Details
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
ROG Xbox Ally |
ROG Ally |
Steam Deck OLED |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CPU: |
AMD Ryzen Z2 A (20W) |
AMD Ryzen Z1 (30W) | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (30W) |
Custom AMD Zen 2 CPU (15W) |
|
RAM: |
16GB |
16GB |
16GB |
|
Storage: |
512GB |
512GB |
512GB – 1TB |
|
Display: |
7-inch, 1920 x 1080, 120Hz, IPS panel |
7-inch, 1920 x 1080, 120Hz, IPS panel |
7-inch, 1280 x 800, 90Hz OLED |
|
Battery: |
60 Whr |
40 Whr |
50 Whr |
Asus ROG Xbox Ally vs Asus ROG Ally: Prices and configurations
Microsoft has not yet released prices for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X. But there will be only one configuration of the Xbox Ally, which includes an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, 7-inch, 1920 x 1080, IP60 display battery, 120HH and IP60Hz.
The Asus ROG Ally is available in two price variations, featuring AMD’s Ryzen Z1 or Ryzen Z1 Extreme chipset. Both variants come with 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, 7-inch, 1920 x 1080, 120Hz IPS display, and a 40 watt hour battery. The Ryzen Z1 version is just $499, while the Z1 Extreme edition is $649.
If you’re wondering which ROG Ally is the best choice, we’ve compiled a list of the strengths and weaknesses of the two models, and found that the Z1 Ally is often the better deal.
For context, the Steam Deck OLED starts at $549 and comes with a custom 6nm Zen 2 AMD APU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 7-inch, 1280 x 800, 90Hz OLED display, and a 50-hour battery. You can upgrade your Steam Deck OLED storage to 1TB for an additional $100.
Asus ROG Xbox Ally vs Asus ROG Ally: Design and comfort
Look, the Asus ROG Ally looks incredibly cool. It features a white glossy aluminum chassis with RGB lighting on the joysticks. If you think of the ROG Zephyrus laptop in handheld form, you’ll find the original ROG Ally design.
Unfortunately, that also means its sharp angles and flat profile can make it difficult to hold onto for long periods of time. Users have reported pain and numbness in their hands or fingers after long gaming sessions with the Ally, due to its unusual design.
Asus took that into account when redesigning the chassis of the Ally X, with a rounded design and a tight grip. In the ROG Xbox Ally, Asus has gone the extra mile and seems to have connected the standard Xbox controller cables to the bottom of the Xbox Ally.
This looks a little lame compared to the old Ally, but it also looks very comfortable. The Xbox Ally retains the RGB ring around the joystick and features the same angled, forward-facing vents. Mainly the grip changed between the two hand grips according to the design. And while I don’t like the aesthetics of Xbox Ally, I have to say that comfort is more important when playing than pure looks.
Asus ROG Xbox Ally vs Asus ROG Ally: Performance and battery life
The ROG Ally with Ryzen Z1 Extreme is the most powerful portable Ally, with an 8-core Zen 4 CPU. The ROG Ally Z1 model was slightly more powerful with its 6-core Zen 4 CPU. Both ROG Ally handhelds operate at the same power limit of 30-watt max.
The ROG Xbox Ally may not perform well either, as its Ryzen Z2 A CPU includes 4-cores of AMD’s Zen 2 architecture, and operates at a TDP of 20 watts. It’s a slightly more powerful version of Steam Deck’s Zen 2 Van Goh APU.
Steam Deck exceeds its hardware limitations by only offering a maximum resolution of 800p, while Xbox Ally has a full 1080p display. So an extra 5-watts of power might be needed to keep Xbox Ally around 30fps in most games.
As for battery life, well. None of the AMD-enabled handsets were very efficient. Our recommendation for a gaming handheld with the best battery life is the MSI Claw 8 AI+ for good reason.
One of the biggest flaws of the ROG Ally was its battery life. Especially with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme model, but nothing handheld took long when gaming. The ROG Ally Z1 achieved a total of 1 hour and 46 minutes in the PCMark 10 Gaming battery test, while the Z1 Extreme managed 1 hour and 43 minutes.
This is due to Ally’s 30W TDP power profile compared to its smaller 40 hour battery.
The ROG Xbox Ally runs on a low power profile of 20W and features a larger 60-hour battery, which should result in longer battery life compared to other ROG Ally models. However, that extended battery life will come at a performance cost.
Outlook
If you’re looking for a portable player that’s comfortable and can last long periods of offline gaming, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally is probably a better choice. Especially if you’re willing to take a performance hit in favor of battery life and convenience.
If you want a very powerful handheld Ally, the OG Ally is the way to go. And it’s been around long enough now that there are some tips and tricks to keep your hands from going completely numb to you after a few hours of playing.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the price of the ROG Xbox Ally, so we can’t say which is the better deal. We should know more about Xbox handheld pricing as we get closer to the expected October launch date.
However, if you have money to spare and want a more powerful handheld, you might be better off opting for the Asus Xbox Ally X or the ROG Ally X.