As someone who primarily plays Xbox games, I was cautiously optimistic about Xbox games. ROG Xbox Ally X. Being able to take my Xbox library with me on the go was very appealing, but more than that, it would be a convenient way for me and my wife to play online co-op and multiplayer games in the same room without having to bring another Xbox console or turn off the other TV. I was shocked by the outrageous $1,000 price tag of the ROG Xbox Ally That may still be the case, but the current ROG Xbox Ally X has caused some serious buyer's remorse.
The ROG Xbox Ally X is presented as an Xbox handheld device, but that's certainly not the case. The ROG Xbox Ally It looks like it's aimed at Xbox fans, but it's really not. Anyone who's built a large game library on an Xbox console, assuming you can actually access that library on your handheld without relying on cloud streaming, don't make the same mistake I did and pick up the ROG Xbox Ally X.
The ROG Xbox Ally X isn't a truly portable Xbox experience.
Despite owning games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Borderlands 4 Downloading to ROG Xbox Ally X is not possible on Xbox. Instead, you'll need to stream it via the cloud. since Borderlands 4 The split-screen experience is not ideal. I wanted to use a portable device to play on my own screen while my wife continued to use the TV. Cloud streaming works well in most cases, but the experience is more stable and better If I could download Xbox games I own to an Xbox branded portable device. This also means you won't be able to play as many Xbox games on the go, which is one of the main reasons you buy a handheld device in the first place.
Other games you might want to play on your ROG Xbox Ally X include: Mass Effect: Legendary EditionAn improved collection of the original mass effect A trilogy that brings classic games to modern platforms with clean graphics and other improvements. i own Mass Effect: Legendary Edition It's possible on Xbox, but the game is also available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so I figured there wouldn't be any hitches here. The problem is that since the ROG Xbox Ally X is effectively a portable PC running Windows, you can only download the PC version. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. This requires an additional download of the EA app, which means you won't be able to access your console save files. The console version is now available to stream. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition But again, that kind of defeats the purpose of a handheld.
From a technical standpoint, the ROG Xbox Ally I had an old Steam game I was trying to load and strangely it crashed the system, but other than that it's been smooth sailing so far. It's a well-built machine with impressive performance, but the problem is that it doesn't quite serve the purpose you'd expect from an Xbox-branded handheld, and that's incredibly disappointing.
In the future, I'd like to get more use out of ROG Xbox Ally X, mainly thanks to Game Pass. The Xbox Game Pass November 2025 lineup features games that ROG Xbox Ally X will be useful for co-op play. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Introducing a 4-player co-op campaign and an upcoming co-op survival game. void trainI think it would be really fun. You'll get your money's worth in the end, but if you're a big Xbox gamer and are looking for the ROG Xbox Ally X as a proper portable version of that experience, you'll be sorely disappointed.
- brand
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Xbox / ROG
- operating system
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Windows 11 Home
- processor
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AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor
- mark
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7-inch IPS, 500 nits, 16:9, 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC anti-reflection
- solve
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FHD 1080p
- original release date
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2025
