{"id":1624227,"date":"2026-07-04T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/Ek5vSRrGNngp7p5RMfumTY"},"modified":"2026-07-04T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T13:00:00","slug":"somehow-the-1000-asus-rog-ally-xbox-x-is-the-best-value-gaming-handheld-i-can-think-of-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/somehow-the-1000-asus-rog-ally-xbox-x-is-the-best-value-gaming-handheld-i-can-think-of-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Somehow, the $1,000 Asus ROG Ally Xbox X is the best value gaming handheld I can think of right now"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Andy Edser, hardware writer<\/div>\n
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(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This month I’ve been:<\/strong> Testing the Steam Machine<\/a>, and trying to get my head around its price tag. Also, I’ve suddenly found myself surrounded by refreshed gaming laptops. A nice problem to have, ey?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I like handheld gaming PCs. Note that I’ve carefully used the word “like,” rather than love. In all honesty, I wish they were faster. Or more portable. Concessions need to be made if you want to play demanding games on the go, it’s true. But, in recent months, it’s the price that’s really put the tin lid on the whole handheld gaming affair for me.<\/p>\n

The Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS<\/a>, a handheld we fell in love with last year at its $830 MSRP, is now listed for $1,332<\/a>. Or how about the MSI Claw 8 AI+<\/a>, a mega handheld I personally gave a 90% score to (while admitting it was rather expensive) at $900? Now you’ll be lucky to find one for under $1,200. Its recently-announced, Panther Lake-powered successor? That’ll rack you up $1,799<\/a> at pre-order prices.<\/p>\n

I know, I know. It’s another article from me complaining about pricing, and I realise I probably sound like a stuck record. But I cannot think of a PC gaming hardware category more screwed by the memory crisis<\/a> than the handheld market right now. I update our handheld gaming PC deals<\/a> every week, and recently I had to make an admission:<\/p>\n

The Asus ROG Ally Xbox X<\/a>, a machine we rightly criticised for having a “super-high price tag” on its release just eight months ago, is now what I’d call the best value proposition on the market. For one thousand smackeroonies. A cool grand. Serious cash.<\/p>\n

That’s the price of a budget, yet soul-affirming, weeklong beachside holiday for two. And yet, if I were to recommend you buy any gaming handheld under today’s ridiculous pricing conditions, it’d be this one.<\/p>\n

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It’s properly fast, for a start. With an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU furnished with RDNA 3.5 graphics tech and 24 GB of LPDDR5x-8000, it’s got a specs sheet that allows it to monster pretty much every other handheld we’ve ever tested. <\/p>\n

You get a 1 TB SSD as well, which should allow room for plenty of modern games. There’s also the ROG Xbox Ally (non-X) to consider at $600<\/a>, but the Ryzen Z2 A chip at its core feels a little underpowered\u2014although it’s still worth some thought at that price.<\/p>\n

Compare and contrast either with the Steam Deck OLED<\/a>, which now runs you $949 for the 1 TB model. Sure, it’s got a nicer screen. But the now-aging internals simply don’t make any sense for this sort of money. A bit like the Steam Machine<\/a>, now I come to think of it\u2014although I digress.<\/p>\n