ROG Xbox Ally X: Is It an Xbox, a PC, or Just a Wizard's Sleight of Hand?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
The ROG Xbox Ally X is a powerful handheld PC trying its best to wear an Xbox mask, offering impressive performance and versatility but occasionally revealing its Windows PC roots through quirks like patchy 'Play Anywhere' support and separate settings menus. While not a true console-like experience, its ability to play demanding new games makes it a compelling, albeit pricey, option for curious gamers.
Right, so I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well, but not quite in the way you intended? That’s what’s bubbling under the surface with the new ROG Xbox Ally X.
Now, full disclosure, the wizards at Eurogamer got their hands on this bit of kit, and their Editorial Director, Tom Orry, seems pretty chuffed with it overall. He reckons it might even replace his beloved Steam Deck. High praise, mate! But here's where the curious digital wizard in me starts asking the real questions: Is this new handheld a true Xbox, or is it just a powerful PC wearing a rather convincing Xbox mask?
Microsoft, bless their cotton socks, would have you believe that anything they deem an 'Xbox' – be it your actual console, your phone, your VR headset, or even your toaster (probably) – is, indeed, an Xbox. Their sales pitch is slick, I'll give 'em that. But when you peel back the layers on the ROG Xbox Ally X, it’s undeniably a beefy handheld PC. It just happens to have this rather fetching Xbox-inspired skin, a disguise that works reasonably well about 80% of the time. Like a chameleon trying to blend in with a neon sign – almost there, but not quite.
The real trick for Asus and Xbox here is that while the device offers direct support for the Xbox (PC) store and Game Pass (which is brilliant, let's be fair), it’s also a promiscuous little beast, playing nice with Steam, Epic, EA, Ubisoft, GOG, and Battle.net. You can even hook up a keyboard, mouse, and monitor and use it like a proper desktop PC. If you found the Steam Deck a bit too 'PC' for your console-loving heart, well, prepare for a gentle reset of expectations. This Ally X is less of a console and more of a pocket-sized gaming rig that’s been told to 'act like an Xbox' for company.
Now, for those of us (like Tom) who’ve been riding the Xbox wave pretty much since the beginning – weathering the slightly awkward Xbox One era until the One X came along and patched things up – this concept of 'everything is Xbox' is appealing. We've got our Game Pass subscriptions, our libraries tied to the ecosystem. So, the promise of the Ally X is seductive: all your games, everywhere. Key to this illusion is the new Xbox fullscreen experience, which tries its darndest to present a streamlined, console-like UI, tucking Windows away like a messy sock drawer. It’s like Steam's Big Picture mode, but (and this is the cheeky bit) not quite as polished. Windows, bless its heart, still peeks through occasionally, like a digital specter haunting your console dream.
But here’s where the Xbox mask starts to really slip: the infamous 'Play Anywhere' initiative. In theory, buy a game once, play it on all Xbox devices. Sounds like magic, doesn't it? In practice, it's a bit like trying to summon a specific demon but accidentally getting a slightly less useful goblin. You *really* need to do your research, mate, or you're in for a shock. Take The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077 – absolute bangers, right? You own 'em on Xbox Series X. Surely you can play 'em on your shiny new ROG Xbox Ally X? Nope. Not unless you're willing to stream 'em, which isn't always ideal. It's a dangerous game to market something as 'Xbox' and then provide only partial compatibility for games bought *within that very ecosystem*. That’s when you’re forced to wander off to Steam or Epic, and the whole 'console experience' dissolves faster than a sugar cube in a dragon's breath.
And those moments when you're downloading an app, and suddenly you’re asked to select a language and confirm an installation folder? For us PC veterans, it's just Tuesday. For a console player expecting plug-and-play simplicity? That’s a jolt back to reality. The ROG's own Command Center, operating outside the Xbox app, further shatters the illusion. Separate updates, separate settings – it’s a PC, alright, and it’s not afraid to show it every now and then.
On the flip side, being a PC means customization is king. Xbox is trying to bridge this with 'Handheld Compatibility,' where 'green-badged' games are supposedly 'Optimised' and ready to go. Gears of War: Reloaded? Ran like a dream. Indiana Jones and The Great Circle? Defaulted to low settings, but looked good and ran steadily above 30 FPS. South of Midnight? Felt right at home. This is promising, a nod towards serving players who just want to play, not tinker. But, and it's a significant 'but,' a heck of a lot of Xbox's *own published games* (Halo Infinite, Starfield, Avowed, Hellblade 2, Doom: The Dark Ages, the list goes on) fall into the 'blue-badged Mostly Compatible' category. Meaning? Get ready to roll up your sleeves and tweak settings. For an 'official Xbox product,' you’d honestly expect these flagship titles to be optimized out of the gate. What gives, eh?
In terms of raw grunt, the Ally X is a beast compared to a basic Steam Deck. Games that were previously borderline unplayable or required 'potato settings' on a Deck can now run nicely without much fuss. If you’re upgrading from a Deck, you’ll definitely feel the horsepower. For £800, it's not exactly pocket change, but you are getting a seriously capable machine – a VRR 120Hz screen, decent battery life (if you’re not pushing it too hard, mind you; about 90 minutes maxing out performance, but six hours plus on less demanding titles). The lack of an OLED screen might sting some, but for others, it's a fair trade-off to keep the price from going full 'gold-plated unicorn horn.'
Yet, it's the little things that raise an eyebrow: no case included (seriously, for £800?), and a cheap cardboard stand in the box feels a bit cheeky, like getting a five-star meal served on a paper plate. You *can* deck it out with an external GPU for truly monstrous performance, but that’s another £1400 on top! Xbox is also promising 'Automatic Super Resolution' in early 2026, which sounds like more magic for bigger screens. We'll have to see if that spell works as intended.
So, back to the big question: Is the ROG Xbox Ally X actually an Xbox, and does it even matter? The answer, I reckon, depends entirely on what you're expecting. For some, the console-like veneer will be enough, a convenient gateway to Game Pass on the go. For others, the constant reminders that it's a PC will be either a blessing (hello, all game stores!) or a curse (bloody Windows installers!). Ultimately, it’s not a true Xbox handheld console, not in the seamless, 'it just works' sense. But for a lot of curious gamers and tech tinkers out there, it’s probably a better, far more versatile device. It’s a powerful, portable gaming PC that’s doing its best impression of an Xbox, and honestly, that’s pretty darn cool – even if the mask slips a bit.
Source: Eurogamer
Tags: HandheldGaming, ROGAllyX, Xbox, PCConsoles, GamingHardware
Original article: Eurogamer