ASUS ROG Ally X

Grips reviewers call the most comfortable in the class

Ergonomics are the strongest and most consistent theme across the coverage. Digitally Downloaded's Matt describes the prongs on either side as sitting in the hand nicely and suiting longer play sessions, and Ultrabook Review's Derek Sullivan goes further, calling the side grips close to a game changer for extended use. Weight distribution is the reason: the mass sits where the palms are, so sessions run long without the hand fatigue that flatter handhelds cause. It is a device designed around holding rather than around carrying.

The D-pad is the control that draws complaints

ZTGD's Ken McKown is unconvinced by the D-pad, and he is not alone; the pivot action is the one control on the unit that reviewers describe as unclear under the thumb. Against that, the button count has grown usefully: alongside view and menu there is now a dedicated library button and a second that opens Armoury Crate, which McKown rates as a genuine improvement. For anything that leans on precise directional input the D-pad stays the weak point.

Boots to Xbox, but Windows is still underneath

Digitally Downloaded's Matt notes the handheld boots directly into the Xbox interface and lists games from every platform together, so a Steam library opens without leaving the app. Pete Matheson makes the same point and adds the caveat that matters: it feels cleaner than previous Windows handhelds, but it is still Windows. That means Windows Update, Armoury Crate updates, Microsoft Store updates, preinstalled software nobody asked for, occasional UI scaling problems and inconsistent controller mapping.

ZTGD's Ken McKown hit the sharper end of this, reporting drivers that would not install and an update process that took far longer than it should have. Armoury Crate itself works, but it still trails the equivalent software on competing handhelds. None of this is fatal, and most owners settle in after the first week, but it is the difference between a console and a small PC that boots like one.

Endurance is still the ceiling on long sessions

Battery life improved over the previous generation and is still the thing that ends a session. Pete Matheson rates it the best he has seen in a handheld at this power level, which is praise and a limitation in the same sentence: at this performance tier, best available still means planning around a charger. Ultrabook Review reaches the same conclusion from the other direction, warning that endurance may not be enough for buyers paying near the top of the market. Thermals are the bright spot, with quiet fans and stable temperatures under sustained load.

Steam, Epic and Xbox libraries without a compatibility layer

The strongest argument for this machine over a SteamOS handheld is that it simply runs Windows software. Pete Matheson puts it plainly: if it runs on Windows, it will probably run here, and that removed the compatibility gaps that had put him off the Steam Deck. Digitally Downloaded frames the same appeal as not having to abandon existing libraries. For anyone with a decade of purchases spread across storefronts, that flexibility is worth more than a tidier operating system.

Not a device that fits in a pocket

Ultrabook Review is blunt that this is no Nintendo Switch and will not slide into a pocket the way one does. The grips that make it comfortable also make it bulky, so it travels in a bag or not at all. Buyers weighing it against a smaller handheld are choosing comfort and library breadth over portability, and that is the right way to frame the decision rather than treating size as an oversight.