Xbox’s portable console combines the openness of PC gaming and Microsoft’s desire for you to play its titles anywhere – but it doesn’t come cheap or without hitches
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he ROG Xbox Ally X, the handheld console collaboration from Asus and Microsoft, is an impressive, yet expensive, piece of gaming tech. The pricier of the two portable gaming devices dropping on 16 October, the all-black ROG Xbox Ally X will cost you a cool £799 (€899/$999/A$1599) to sample its splendour. (The less powerful ROG Xbox Ally, which comes in white, will run you £499/€599/$599/A$999.) Thankfully, the pricier option has said splendour in spades.
I’ve put the ROG Xbox Ally X through its paces for the last few weeks, playing indie darlings and massive role-playing games throughout my apartment. Though the price tag is certainly a shocker (the Steam Deck OLED, a direct competitor, costs £479/€569/$549/A$899 for its cheaper model), the power packed into this comparatively smaller frame (291 x 122 x 51mm) is like nothing the portable gaming market has seen before.
That power, coupled with its ability to play Xbox games through cloud gaming or its Play Anywhere initiative (where purchases and process carry between Xbox and PC platforms), and PC games across various storefronts, makes it incredibly appealing to both Xbox loyalists and portable gaming fans alike. Though the ROG Xbox Ally X had a few hiccups during my time with it, and some user interface issues that interfered with performance, most of them were easily rectified and quickly forgotten once I was deep into playing a game.
