Gadgets Review | Asus ROG Xbox Ally: A Handsome Handheld That Handles Everything… Except High Settings
Asus ROG Xbox Ally is a beautifully built handheld PC with great controls and a sharp display, but its low graphics performance and slow Game Pass experience make the Rs 69,990 price hard to justify.
Asus ROG Xbox Ally Review: In a gaming world that has gone full multiverse: Switch 2 for nostalgia nerds, Steam Deck for Linux loyalists, and PlayStation Portal for… well, streaming Kojima cutscenes. Asus and Microsoft have teamed up for the “official Xbox handheld PC”.
Yes, this thing is technically a Windows laptop that shrunk in the wash. And yes, my excitable sidekick GennieGPT, ABP Live's in-house AI review bot who gets perked up by specs, is already vibrating with joy over the spec sheet.
Let the tug-of-war begin.
Asus ROG Xbox Ally Review: Quick Pointers
What Works:
- Crisp, bright 7-inch FHD display
- Once a game finally loads, gameplay is smooth
- Comfortable ergonomics and responsive controls
- Solid for lightweight and indie titles
What Doesn’t:
- Xbox Game Pass downloads crawl
- Setup demands updates, logins, more updates
- Doesn’t justify its Rs 69,990 pricing
- Speakers lack punch
- Offline play is severely limited due to Xbox app dependence
Built Like a Dream, Powered Like a Daydream
✨ GennieGPT: Ryzen Z2 A processor! Radeon graphics! Turbo mode! 120Hz display! This is basically a handheld supercomputer. NASA-level power, almost.
Shayak: NASA? Perhaps my AI friend is missing an H in there somewhere.
Yes, the chip is newer than the one in the first ROG Ally. No, that doesn’t mean you’re getting ultra settings.
It’s great for older titles, indies, emulation, and games that don’t need your GPU to climb Mount Doom. But heavy hitters? They hit back.
Case in point:
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II: low settings
- Doom: The Dark Ages: low settings
- Little Kitty, Big City: flawless, adorable, purr-fect
So yes, it works, if you’re fine spending some 70k to play games that also run on a mid-range phone.
✨ GennieGPT: Xbox Game Pass built in! Cloud gaming! So many titles! You boot it up and BOOM — instant fun!
Shayak: Instant fun? Gennie, I had to survive three rounds of updates, two reboots, a Microsoft login, and one identity check asking if I’m a robot. Irony, eh?
And the Xbox Game Pass app? Wonderful for playing, terrible for downloading. Watching a 100GB game trickle in at 5Mbps feels like punishment for sins I don’t remember committing.
Add to that:
- Many titles require online verification
- Offline modes are hit-or-miss
- Cloud gaming depends on Wi-Fi behaving like a saint
The Ally can play great games. The question is: how many hoops are you willing to jump through?
Ergonomics & Display: The Real Ws
✨ GennieGPT: PERFECT buttons! PERFECT triggers! PERFECT in your hands! It’s like holding a cloud that can run Windows!
Shayak: Clouds don’t get this warm, my friend. But credit where it’s due, Asus absolutely nailed the ergonomics. The curves fit your palms, the triggers feel premium, the face buttons are crisp, and the grip buttons don’t randomly activate like the original Ally’s did.
I have always been a fan of ROG's design elements, and the Ally does not disappoint. Especially, that eye logo on the back, so darned cool!
At 670g, it’s lighter than most handheld PCs and feels built for long sessions.
✨ GennieGPT: 7-inch 1080p, 120Hz! Bright! Smooth! Gorgeous colours! Dolby Atmos! Crystal clear audio!
Shayak: The display? Beautiful. Sharp. Fast. This is the part where the Ally genuinely feels premium.
The speakers, however, whisper like they’re afraid to wake the neighbours. Dolby Atmos is technically there, but for full enjoyment, you’ll want headphones.
Performance Reality Check
✨ GennieGPT: It runs everything! AAA, indie, cloud, retro, emulation — POWER UNLIMITED!
Shayak: Let’s bring this down from orbit. You will NOT be playing modern AAA games in high settings. You will NOT get the performance implied by the price tag.
But, you WILL enjoy indie darlings and older AAA games, which isn't a bad deal.
As I was reviewing the Ally, I broke out my years-old Amkette EvoFox Deck smartphone gamepad, connected my OLED phone, and booted the PS Connect app. Within seconds, I was playing Death Stranding 2 in full buttery smooth glory.
And the Deck only costs Rs 3,299. Food for thought.
✨ GennieGPT: TWO Type-C ports! MicroSD! Wi-Fi 6E! Bluetooth 5.2! This is basically a networking monster!
Shayak: It’s well-connected, yes. Multiplayer works smoothly. Accessories connect without drama.
But if the Game Pass app is crawling at 2MB/s on a 300Mbps line, even Wi-Fi 6E can’t save you.
Asus ROG Xbox Ally Review: Final Verdict
The ROG Xbox Ally is a beautifully built handheld PC with console dreams and PC-level complications. It has heart, ambition, a great display, and top-tier ergonomics. But its power ceiling is too low for Rs 69,990, its setup is tedious, and its offline limitations make it far less flexible than it looks.
If you’re okay playing on low settings, living inside Game Pass, and treating this as a premium indie machine, wonderful. It’ll serve you well. But if you expect ultra graphics or plug-and-play comfort like Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck? This Ally might not be your friend, after all.
If you want to run games in High or even Ultra presets, you can always go for the high-end Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, which is priced at Rs 1,14,990.
Should You Buy the ROG Xbox Ally?
- Yes, if you’re fine with low-to-medium graphics and want a comfortable, well-built handheld PC for indies and older titles.
- Maybe, if you like the idea of portable PC gaming but don’t want to wrestle with updates, downloads, and Game Pass quirks.
- No, if you expect high-preset AAA performance or think a Rs 70,000 device should feel like a true console powerhouse.
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