ASUS has tonight confirmed the ROG Ally X, its new portable gaming PC. The new model will not be completely different from the ROG Ally released a year ago, but it will not be a simple “hardware refresh” say the company’s representatives. The “console” will receive hardware and software improvements, but will not be significantly more powerful, keeping last year’s AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. While not a lot of details have been given, we have enough information to get an idea, as well as when we will know more.
ROG Ally X will be a refinement upgrade, in the style of Steam Deck OLED
According to ASUS, the ROG Ally X will be officially unveiled on June 2. Then we will see exactly what the new console looks like, what exactly it will offer and, very importantly, how much it will cost. All these details are kept secret at the moment. The Taiwanese company felt compelled to go public and provide some details due to recent leaks, thus trying to better control the expectations of fans so as not to raise their expectations unduly based on unofficial information.
During the special edition of the ROG Pulse podcast, ASUS confirmed the name ROG Ally X, but also the fact that the new “console” will receive improvements in terms of RAM memory, storage and connectivity ports. The new console is likely to come with more memory and faster, multiple storage options over the standard 512GB on the ROG Ally 2023, but other physical changes have also been promised. Most likely, the Ally X will ship in a new color. The company’s teasing suggests that the new console will be black.
The biggest upgrade promised so far is the level of autonomy. Incidentally, that’s the biggest problem with the original Ally, and company representatives say this upgrade won’t be a minor one, but a really major one. The Z1 Extreme processor and the 120 Hz screen with variable refresh rate also remain on this new model. The truth is that no better performing components have yet appeared to replace them.
The company also says that all promised improvements are made based on community feedback.
Although there was no word on price, given the improvements, the ROG Ally X is likely to come at a slightly higher price. We’re talking about a similar upgrade to what we saw last year on the Steam Deck OLED, which added a much better screen, more storage and much improved battery life. Those who are happy with the current Ally probably won’t have much reason to upgrade, but those who want the extra bonuses will be able to justify the price.
Armory Crate SE 1.5 will significantly improve the user experience on Ally
Also within the ROG Pulse, the new Armory Crate SE 1.5, the new software interface on the ROG Ally, was briefly presented. This update is expected in July, so it is likely that the ROG Ally X will not be shipped with it from the factory, but will come in the form of an update. Incidentally, ROG Ally 2023 will also receive this update simultaneously in July.
Armory Crate SE 1.5 will bring changes to the interface and functionality. This update seems to be inspired by the Steam Deck/Steam Big Picture interface, with the ability to display games in a carousel of large icons horizontally, and the interface elements are customizable. There is also the possibility to display games in a matrix, or in a list, and now there are separate pages for games and gaming platforms such as Steam, EA App, Xbox App or Ubisoft Connect.
Another feature that hasn’t existed before is the ability to save and export custom control profiles for each game. Basically, the ROG Ally community will be able to share these files to experiment with other players’ control schemes. Only screenshots of Armory Crate 1.5 were shown, but a demo was promised in the near future.
Now we just have to wait until June 2nd to find out the details about the ROG Ally X. Most likely, however, we will know more about the new handheld gaming PC before that date, as such products cannot be kept secret for long once they know of their existence. And the original Ally was the subject of some leaks last year, and we expect to see similar leaks this year as well.
