ROG Xbox Ally X review – an impressive handheld PC wearing an Xbox mask

Do I like the ROG Xbox Ally X? Yes. Does it give me those sweet techdorphins you get from using a lovely bit of new kit? Will it replace my Steam Deck? Almost certainly. Is it an Xbox? Hmmm. While writing this I actually paused here to figure out the sound I made after asking myself the question. While I wrote “hmmm”, it was more sort of a “tsk” but a questioning one. The kind of sound you’d make if asked the universe’s most impossible question. “Is this new handheld an Xbox or a PC?” I ask myself again, hoping my abrasive tone will knock some sense out of my brain.

Microsoft would have you believe everything they say is an Xbox is an Xbox – be it an actual Xbox, a PC, a phone, or a VR headset – simply because they say it is. I get the argument and the sales pitch, but the reality is that this is a powerful handheld PC that is made to appear like an Xbox console; a disguise of sorts that works decently well for 80 percent of the time. The tricky part for Asus and Xbox here is that while there is direct support for the Xbox (PC) store and Game Pass, they also have support for other stores, including Steam, Epic, EA, Ubisoft, GOG, and Battle.net – plus everything else you want to do – If you really wanted, you can even hook up a keyboard, mouse, and monitor and use it as a proper PC. If you found the Steam Deck to be not console-like enough, then you might want to reset your expectations for the ROG Xbox Ally X.

I am, for my sins, pretty much all-in with Xbox, and have been more or less from the beginning apart from that disappointing first half of the Xbox One era that only really got turned around once the Xbox One X was released. The Series X is the main console hooked up in our living room, it’s the console my son uses, it’s our Game Pass machine, and it generally offers a better user experience than the PS5. In short, I’ve used a proper Xbox a lot and have loads of games tied up to that ecosystem.

Key to how the ROG Xbox Ally X (and the cheaper, less powerful non-X version) feel to use is the new Xbox fullscreen experience. This essentially gives the impression of a focused handheld console, hiding away Windows behind a more streamlined console-like experience. Imagine Steam’s Big Screen mode and implementation on Steam Deck, but not quite as slick. While this fullscreen mode does well to keep Windows and its multitude of apps out of sight, it does pop up, sometimes quite visibly.