Review of ASUS' new portable gaming PC, the ROG Ally X! Performance that can comfortably play large titles such as "The Elden Rings."

This model is a new release from ASUS, a manufacturer that has produced a variety of portable gaming PCs in the past. There is one model available, and the details are as follows.

ROG Ally X: Release model (black)

Memory: 24GB/Storage: 1TB (SSD)......139,800 yen (tax included)

In this report, we had an opportunity to touch this model early, and will describe its strengths, features, and performance after playing major titles.

High-performance body with a large-capacity battery and memory

The ROG Ally X is based on ASUS' previous ROG Ally, and while the OS is Windows 11 and the processor is the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, the memory is 24GB, the storage is 1TB on an SSD, and the battery capacity has increased to The battery capacity has been increased to 80Wh.

Given that the ROG Ally has 16GB of memory, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 40Wh battery, this machine has significantly more processing power than the ROG Ally, and its battery and storage capacity have nearly doubled. This means that the user can now play more comfortably for longer and install more titles. The battery is nominally rated for "approximately 3 hours of heavy gaming, and up to 11.7 hours of watching Netflix & Youtube". Heavy games are probably large titles that require high specs. As a portable gaming PC that can take advantage of its high performance to play high-load games, a longer runtime is an important point.

With the included stand attached

The 7-inch wide display has a resolution of 1980 x 1080 dpi and touch functionality. The refresh rate can be output at up to 120Hz, which is ideal for games where frame rate is important, such as FPS and fighting games.

Next, let's look at the button layout. On the right side, in addition to the four buttons (A, B, X, and Y), there is a right stick, a button to call up the "Armory Crate" function that can aggregate games installed on the device, a menu button, and RB and RT buttons. On the left side, the cross keys, left stick, and "Command Center" call up button have a built-in display button, LB button and LT button respectively. On the back are the Macro 1 and Macro 2 buttons on the left and right sides, respectively.

Rear

On the top of the unit, there is a power button that supports fingerprint recognition, a microSD card reader, and one port each for USB 3.2 and USB 4. There is also a volume control button and jacks for a microphone and headphones.

The weight of this device is about 678g, which is about 70g heavier than the 608g of the "ROG Ally". However, it does not feel that heavy when held with both hands, and the gentle curves on the left and right sides of the body provide a strong grip. It also feels stable when held with both hands.

Use the Command Center to adjust performance and Armory Crate to call up games

Pressing the Command Center button on the left side of the unit calls up the Command Center on the screen. This allows the user to switch between a keyboard-based mode and two modes of operation using the various buttons on the left and right sides of the unit, display the unit's performance, including CPU and GPU utilization, and customize performance by changing power consumption.

Of particular importance is the "operating mode," which allows the user to change the power consumption: "Silent" (13W), "Performance" (17W), and "Turbo" (25W), with the higher the W indicating power consumption, the better the performance of the device. Basically, medium performance is sufficient, but when playing open world or high-load games with high graphics, you may want to consider Turbo depending on the condition of the device. It is advisable to use the Command Center function to monitor the performance of the main unit and make a decision while watching the frame rate figures.

Along with the Command Center, another useful feature is Armory Crate, software installed in ASUS products that allows the user to customize various items, such as settings and updates for the main unit and adjustments to the buttons that appear when the Command Center button is pressed.

In addition, all games installed on the device are displayed together in the software's library, which supports multiple platforms such as Epic Games and Xbox Game Pass, not to mention Steam, so there is no need to navigate to the respective library screen each time. The game is compatible with Steam, Epic Games, Xbox Game Pass, and other platforms.

For this review, we installed "Elden Ring" and "Final Fantasy VII Intergrade" on Steam and "Zenless Zone Zero" on Epic Games, all of which were displayed in the Armory Crate library. Each item can also be launched directly after selecting it. It was nice to be able to install games freely without worrying about the platform.

From here, we will present our play impressions after playing "Elden Ring," "Final Fantasy VII Intergrade," and "Zenless Zone Zero" on "ROG Ally X." The performance mode was set to maximum turbo. Note that the performance mode was set to Turbo, the maximum setting.

Performance check of three major titles

The first title we played was "Eldenring," an action RPG released in 2022, in which players embark on a journey to become the King of Elde in a world called the Land of Narrows. This title is also remembered for the DLC SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE, which was released on June 24, 2024.

The resolution was set to 1280 x 720 (only this quality was supported) and various other graphics and other items were played at "best". Combat and exploration were conducted in the land between the two. The frame rate was between 40 and 50, and although it did not reach 60, the game itself was smooth, and combat and exploration could be performed without any problems. If you are concerned about the frame rate, it may be a good idea to gradually lower the frame rate from a setting with a high load, such as for reflections on water surfaces and shadows, and adjust the frame rate accordingly.

The next game we played was "Final Fantasy VII Intergrade," a power-up version of the "Final Fantasy VII Remake" released on PS4, featuring the main story centered on Cloud Strife, a former Soldier Class 1st, as well as an alternate perspective featuring Yuffie Kisaragi, a ninja from Wutai. as the main character, a new story with a different point of view has been added.

Play with the resolution set to 1980 x 1080 and the texture and shadow settings set to "high". I tried the game from the beginning of the main story in New Game, and the frame rate hovered between 40 and 60. It was surprising that the frame rate could reach 60 in full HD quality, but it dropped to 40-50 during combat with heavy effects. However, there was no processing drop, so there should be no problem for normal enjoyment.

The last game used for the test was "Xenless Zone Zero. This is the latest title by HoYoverse, creators of such hit titles as "Genshin Impact" and "Collapse: Star Rail," and is an action game in which three players fight enemies in pairs. As a "proxy," an expert in the realm of "hollows," which create supernatural phenomena, the main character is involved with various forces in a city called New Erie Metropolis.

The verification started with a resolution of 1980 x 1080, a picture quality of "High" and a frame rate of "Unlimited". When we focused on the most demanding battles, the frame rate remained between 50 and 60. This title is characterized by fighting while switching control characters, and the game speed is fast. Although fighting alone should be a considerable workload, at least in this verification, there were no problems with the game.

Based on the previous generation "ROG Ally," this model has improved various performance features such as memory, storage, and battery, and is capable of comfortably playing more demanding games. For those interested in portable gaming PCs, the ROG Ally X is highly recommended.

ROG Ally X Specifications

OS: Windows 11 Home 64bit

Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme

Memory: 24GB

Storage: 1TB SSD

Display: 7.0-inch wide TFT color LCD

Body dimensions: 280.6 mm (W) x 111.3 mm (D) x 24.7~36.9 mm (H) (45.05 mm from the tip of the stick)

Body weight: approx. 678g

Price: 139,800 yen (including tax)

Natsumu Uchiyoshi

Freelance writer with about 10 years of experience. After graduating from a technical college, he worked on articles for major game magazines and strategy books for an editorial production company. After working for a weekly magazine for a long time and rewriting press releases, he recently started writing for Akiba Research Institute and other web-based magazines. Basically an omnivore, he plays everything from RPGs to action, simulations, and FPS.