On June 2, ASUS will release the ROG Ally X, the next iteration of the substantial handheld device that turned heads almost a year ago. It emerged as a solid competitor to Valve’s Steam Deck but boasted Windows 11 as an OS, which meant it could theoretically play ‘more games’. However, the high-priced handheld failed to hit the mark with a wide audience because of a few key drawbacks – but the ROG Ally X features some new internals designed to tackle those issues.
Same – But Different – But Still The Same
According to recent leaks, the ROG Ally X will feature a battery twice as powerful as the one found in the ASUS ROG Ally, launched almost a year ago. That was one of the biggest flaws of the handheld, and playing a top-tier game on ‘Turbo’ mode would leave players with a device that died within around 40 minutes. The 40Wh battery in the original model has been replaced with an 80Wh battery in the ASUS ROG Ally X.
Further, ASUS has cast away the original 16GB of RAM and jammed in 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which should boost the device’s gaming performance dramatically. It was suggested that the original AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip would remain unchanged, and the touchscreen – which was also a sticking point for players – would be the same as the one in the original unit. Some minor changes have reportedly been made to the outer shell, such as a smoothing of rougher edges and tactile introductions being made to the buttons.
It’s expected that the ASUS ROG Ally X will retail for around $800. If ASUS has truly addressed the shortfalls present on the ASUS ROG Ally, this could be a killer handheld that dominates the ever-growing market.
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