The ROG Xbox Ally X: A Digital Chimera That Makes Me Long for the Good Ol' Days
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
The ROG Xbox Ally X is a powerful but clunky hybrid that highlights both the brilliance of modern handheld hardware and the fragmented, lonely state of the current Xbox ecosystem.
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 try to cast a high-level transmogrification spell and end up with something that’s half-griffin, half-toaster? That’s essentially what we’re looking at with the new collaboration between Xbox and Asus: the ROG Xbox Ally X.
Now, before we dive into the guts of this thing, credit where it's due. This deep dive into the identity crisis of modern handhelds was inspired by some brilliant boots-on-the-ground reporting by Alex Donaldson over at Eurogamer. He spent some quality time—including some miserable time in a literal sickbed—testing whether this device is the savior Xbox needs or just a very shiny PC in a green tracksuit.
### The Frankenstein’s Monster of Handhelds
Marketing departments love a good buzzword, don't they? They’ll tell you the ROG Xbox Ally X is 'an Xbox.' But let's be real for a second—it’s a PC. It’s a very capable, very portable PC with an Xbox interface grafted onto its face like a digital mask. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein’s Monster, really, but much like Mary Shelley's misunderstood giant, it’s actually quite hardy and functional once you get past the stitches.
Alex Donaldson’s experience with the device is something any gamer can relate to. He road-tested it during a family hotel stay and then, unfortunately, while battling a nasty bug that left him confined to his bed. This is where handhelds usually shine, isn't it? When the thought of walking to your desk feels like an epic quest across a volcanic wasteland, a powerful handheld becomes your best mate.
He spent time with *Ball x Pit*—which sounds like the kind of addictive, tactile nonsense that scratches the same itch as *Vampire Survivors*—and it ran like a dream. But when he moved onto the big hitters like *The Outer Worlds 2* and *Expedition 33*, the cracks in the ‘console’ illusion started to show. While *Expedition 33* is playable, switching from the raw power of a Series X to a handheld is always going to be a bit of a jarring frame-rate reality check.
### The Windows Tax: Why is Office 365 on My Gaming Rig?
Here’s where my gentle skepticism turns into a full-blown eyebrow-raise. The Ally X is a Windows 11 machine at its core. And you know what that means? Bloatware.
I reckon there’s something fundamentally hilarious—and slightly tragic—about a dedicated gaming device coming with Office 365 pre-installed. Who is this for? Are we expecting to pause a boss fight in *Elden Ring* to quickly update a spreadsheet? 'Hang on, Malenia, I just need to pivot-table this loot distribution.' It’s absurd.
As Donaldson points out, the device doesn't feel like a console the moment you turn it on. You’re greeted with standard Windows logins and setup screens. Compare that to the Steam Deck. Valve’s machine might be less powerful on paper, but its UI is miles ahead. It boots into SteamOS, and if you’re a casual user, you never have to see the 'scary' bits of the operating system. The Ally X, by contrast, constantly reminds you that it’s a computer trying to wear a hat that doesn't quite fit.
### The Ghost Town of the Xbox Ecosystem
But the real heart of the matter—the bit that makes me tilt my wizard hat in genuine curiosity—is what this device says about the state of Xbox itself.
There’s a certain sadness in the realization that the 'Xbox' app on this device only shows a fraction of a typical console library. Donaldson noted that while he owns over 400 games on his Series X, only about 100 showed up as installable on the Ally X. If you bought *Cyberpunk 2077* on your Xbox a few years ago, you can't just play it here. You’d have to buy it again on Steam or Epic, or stream it through the cloud.
Does that sound like a unified ecosystem to you? To me, it sounds like a series of walled gardens with very expensive toll booths.
This leads back to a hauntingly honest quote from Xbox boss Phil Spencer back in 2023. He admitted that Xbox 'lost the worst generation to lose'—the Xbox One era—when everyone was building their digital libraries. In the Web3 world, we talk a lot about 'digital ownership' and 'interoperability,' and while those are often just buzzwords, this is a prime example of why they actually matter to the average gamer. If I buy a sword in one game, or a license for a title on one machine, why shouldn't I own it everywhere? The current Xbox ecosystem feels like a town square on a bank holiday—a bit empty, a bit quiet, and full of shops that are inexplicably closed.
### A Valiant Effort or a Day Late?
Despite the gripes, the hardware is undeniably impressive. It’s powerful enough that it might even replace a Steam Deck for those who crave that extra grunt. Donaldson himself mentioned he was ready to drop sixty quid on a case for it, which is the ultimate sign of commitment in our world, isn't it?
But using the device makes one pine for the glory days of the Xbox 360—the era when the ecosystem felt alive, when Gamerscore actually felt like it meant something, and when all your mates were online at the same time. The ROG Xbox Ally X is a fantastic piece of tech, but it’s arriving at a time when the brand is still trying to find its feet in a post-console world.
Is it a step toward redemption? Perhaps. It’s an experiment, a curious blend of PC freedom and console ambition. It’s a bit messy, a bit confusing, but undeniably interesting. And in an industry that often feels like it's being run by accountants in grey suits, I’ll take 'interestingly messy' over 'boringly perfect' any day of the week.
What do you reckon? Is the dream of a 'PC-Xbox' handheld enough to make you reinvest in the ecosystem, or are we all just waiting for someone to finally break down those digital walls for good?
*Special thanks to Alex Donaldson at Eurogamer for the original insights that sparked this bit of digital wizardry.*
Tags: Handheld Gaming, Xbox, ROG Ally X, PC Gaming, Gaming Industry Trends
Original article: Eurogamer