ROG Xbox Ally review: I don’t really know who this is for

by

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

I got to test the ROG Xbox Ally at Gamescom in August, and I was really impressed with the 10 minutes I spent playing Forza Horizon 5.

After having the console for two months – including a few weeks of using it at home – I have to admit I was disappointed.

Just to be clear, this review is about the standard, white ROG Xbox Ally model, not the more powerful black ROG Xbox Ally X.

The Ally costs £499.99 in the UK (or $599.99 in the US). That’s £300 ($400) less than the Ally X, but the Ally X has a less powerful processor and graphics card, 16GB of RAM (compared to the Ally’s 24GB), and half the storage at 512GB instead of 1TB.

These devices are the result of a partnership between Xbox and ASUS, essentially giving ASUS’s ROG Ally models an official Xbox makeover.

A prime example of this change is that Armoury Crate, previously used to both adjust device settings and launch games, now only handles settings – the Xbox App takes care of launching games instead.

Fortunately, you no longer need the often-complicated Armoury Crate to launch games. Now, the Xbox App can find and start games from Steam, Epic Games, Battle.net, or any other game platform you use.

Honestly, this thing is a lifesaver! It mostly works perfectly, though I did have a couple of weird moments where it accidentally opened Steam’s Big Picture Mode instead of starting the game I wanted. But other than that, it’s been fantastic.

The Xbox Ally also includes a dedicated Xbox button that quickly opens the Xbox app and the Game Bar for convenient access.

It might take a little practice to get comfortable using this as your primary way to control games, but once you do, it’s incredibly easy and is actually my favorite feature of the console.

That pretty much covers everything new and noteworthy about the console.

When it comes to actually playing games, I was rather underwhelmed.

I didn’t really expect the Ally to handle the latest games well, and generally, it struggles to do so.

With the graphics set to 720p and the lowest quality, Borderlands 4 averaged about 20 frames per second, while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 occasionally reached 30fps, but often ran slower.

I was hoping for good performance on older games, especially since Forza ran smoothly at 50-60 frames per second at Gamescom, even with higher graphics settings.

That being said, many other titles from a similar time struggle significantly more.

For instance, Elden Ring barely reached 40 frames per second on its lowest graphics settings when simply exploring, but the frame rate quickly dropped below 30 frames per second during combat – which isn’t great for a game that pushes your system so hard.

I had similar experiences with Alan Wake 2, Ghostrunner 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man and more.

Even though The Witcher 3 looks great, it’s an older game from 2015. When played on the Steam Deck with its recommended graphics settings, the frame rate would often drop from a smooth 50-60fps down to below 40fps.

The Ally shouldn’t have trouble running older games. While each configuration performed a bit differently, none of them were significantly better than a standard Steam Deck, especially considering the Ally costs £150 more. Plus, this was all while it was plugged in – you’ll likely struggle to play demanding games on the go.

I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with different settings in Armoury Crate, like RSR, RIS, and Radeon Boost. While removing Microsoft bloatware like Copilot might have offered a small improvement, it hasn’t really fixed the underlying issues.

Players will probably need to heavily modify these games to get them running well, just like they do with less powerful computers. We’ll likely see a lot of that happen after the games are released, but it’s important to remember this is the performance you can expect initially.

But the Ally does provide one excellent workaround, or rather, it did.

With Xbox Cloud Gaming, you can play games streamed directly from the internet, using Xbox’s powerful servers instead of your own console to run the game. Your console then just shows the gameplay.

You’ll need a strong internet connection to use this, so it’s best for playing at home. However, it’s a great way to enjoy the latest games on your Ally.

As a Cloud Gaming fan, I always say “it *did* improve” because Xbox limits the best streaming quality – 1440p – to only those with the Game Pass Ultimate subscription. If you’re on a lower-priced Game Pass tier, you’re stuck with 720p or 1080p. It’s a bit frustrating, honestly!

The Steam Deck remains a good choice, but it’s strange that Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass so close to the Ally’s launch. Cloud gaming was expected to be a major feature, and the price increase feels especially odd considering that.

I’ve been a Game Pass subscriber for a long time, but when the price increased, I started looking at options like the ROG Ally – the idea of playing Game Pass games on the go was the biggest draw for me.

So, on top of the £500 cost of the Ally device itself, you’ll also need to spend almost £300 each year for a Game Pass Ultimate subscription to get the full experience.

This reveals the real issue of the ROG Xbox Ally– its price point.

For around £150 more than the base Steam Deck, you aren’t really getting anything extra.

While the screen looks good at 1080p, I usually have to play games at 720p. Because of this, I think the pricier OLED Steam Deck is a better choice, especially since you can modify it to use Game Pass if that’s important to you.

However, if you’re interested in playing newer games, the ongoing costs of cloud gaming can quickly add up. In that case, it might be more sensible to simply buy a more powerful device like the ROG Ally X, or consider waiting for the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go 2.

The question I have been asking myself is: “Who is this for?”

My simple answer is that I don’t really know.

The Steam Deck offers better value. This device isn’t powerful enough to justify its price compared to other options, and existing owners of the older model won’t find enough new features to make an upgrade worthwhile. Ultimately, it doesn’t stand out in any area and falls behind the competition.

Think of the Steam Deck as the Xbox Series S – but geared towards more dedicated gamers. Unlike the Series S, which offers a budget-friendly entry point for casual players, the Deck is clearly for enthusiasts. Anyone spending £500 on a handheld gaming device is serious about their games – they’re not just looking for a quick game of Call of Duty!

The Ally isn’t a bad console – it’s actually pretty good, as my rating shows. If you buy one, I’m confident you’ll enjoy it. However, I don’t think it offers enough to make it a better choice than other similar devices.

After spending some time with the ROG Xbox Ally, I’m struck by how much better of a deal the Steam Deck actually is. It’s not ideal for a new device to be defined by how well another one performs, but that’s where I’m at after testing the Ally.

Read More

2025-10-15 17:37