ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X Console Lands in Gamers' Hands Early

A logistics mix-up has delivered the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X portable gaming system to its first owners almost three weeks ahead of its official street date. Several users in France received their orders from Amazon France and immediately shared their detailed first impressions on Reddit.

According to one of the lucky recipients, the device feels like an Xbox controller in the hands, making long gaming sessions comfortable. They also praised the well-distributed weight, noting it doesn't feel heavy. The built-in speakers were specifically highlighted for being both loud and high-quality.

A key improvement in the Ally X model is its battery life. With performance set to 17W, the system can last over three hours in demanding titles—a significant step forward for devices in this class. Owners also report that even under load, the device doesn't show signs of excessive heat and remains relatively quiet and cool.

In terms of performance, users are seeing an average boost of 5-10 FPS compared to other consoles based on the Z1 Extreme. Gamers can comfortably set resolutions to 900p or 1080p on medium to high settings, achieving a stable 40 FPS. As expected, frame rates see a further increase when using upscaling technologies.

The new Xbox Full Screen Experience interface is getting particular attention. So far, it runs stably with Steam games, but adding titles from other storefronts like the Epic Games Store or emulators can be problematic and requires manual tinkering. The sleep function is reported to work better than standard Windows but still doesn't quite match the seamless experience of the Steam Deck.

The early reviews aren't without criticism. Some owners expressed disappointment with ASUS's decision to use an IPS screen instead of OLED, and others found its diagonal to be insufficient by modern standards. However, the overall consensus among these early adopters remains positive.

The official launch date for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is October 16th. It will be available in two configurations: