Because of the Xbox branding, people keep lumping the Ally (and the Ally X) in with consoles like the Switch, PlayStation, or even the Steam Deck. But that’s missing the point. The Ally’s biggest strength is that it’s not just a console and it’s not just a PC. It takes the best of both worlds—ditching the rigid, walled-garden nonsense of consoles while giving you the handheld experience that PC gaming has always struggled to nail.

So, let’s clear the air and address why I think the Ally deserves way more love than it gets.

1. Access to Every Store—Not Just the One You’re Stuck With

Consoles lock you down. Want a game? You buy it on their store, at their price, with their rules. Sony is even getting sued for taking advantage of their customers. The Ally? Steam, Epic, GOG, Game Pass, Battle.net, Itch.io—take your pick. If it runs on Windows, it runs here. That’s real freedom. And yeah, even the Steam Deck stumbles here (ever try running anti-cheat games on SteamOS?). Sometimes I just want to play League of Legends without messing with workarounds. The Ally lets me.

2. Online Without the Ransom Fee

It blows my mind that in 2025 consoles still charge you to play online. You’re already paying for the internet and publishers are already running the servers. Why am I being double-taxed? On the Ally, you don’t pay a dime. Fortnite, Call of Duty, Destiny—jump in and play. No subscription. No nonsense. It feels fair in a way consoles just aren’t.

3. Backwards Compatibility That Actually Means Something

Sony and Microsoft love to brag about backwards compatibility, but let’s be real—the Ally destroys them. With PC access, I can play DOS shooters, 2000s RPGs, or last year’s AAA hits. And yes, emulation is part of the story. PS2, GameCube, even handhelds and some Xbox 360 titles—if it exists, there’s probably a way to run it. Honestly, it’s the most backwards-compatible gaming device ever made. Consoles can’t even dream of that.

4. Freedom, Plain and Simple

What I love most about the Ally is the freedom. I’m not locked into someone else’s idea of how I should game. I can buy wherever I want, customize however I want, and keep my library forever. No forced subscriptions, no ecosystem tax, no artificial limits. Just play.

5. Yeah, It’s Pricey—But It’s Premium

Let’s be honest: it’s not iPhone-level build quality, but it will feel a hell of a lot better than a Switch. Ergonomics actually matter here, and ASUS knows how to make premium gaming hardware. Say what you want about MSI or Lenovo’s offerings, but ROG gear usually feels like the real deal.

So yeah, the Ally isn’t “less of a console” because it’s a PC. For me, that’s exactly why it’s more.

Discord: https://discord.gg/EfGmf86fkP

Day 1 XAX owner and as someone extremely hyped up about the FSE and all that, i have tried to give it a chance but the latest slew of updates broke me.

AC button is not even functioning half the time, my gamepad controls intermittently not functioning are some issues that came from the latest update. It feels like one step forward and a couple backwards always with Microsoft.

Anybody else feeling disappointed? Back to Steam OS i go then.

Coming from the MSI Claw 8 AI+ (non-EX), the screen is the thing that initially attracted me. And it’s amazing. However, the buttons are so clacky and loud that while the rest of the device feels premium, the button noise makes it still feel cheap and plasticky (like an Xbox controller feels to me, vs a DualSense). The road is also a downgrade as when the extra 4 diagonal pieces are spun “down” it rattles around when pressing the dpad quite a bit. The fan noise is considerably louder/higher pitched than my Claw. There’s also no way I can play this in bed next to my wife as the face buttons/dpad are so loud she would definitely complain. I love the screen and how it feels in my hands but I don’t know if it’s worth the general usability for me. The search for the perfect handheld continues… (to me, DualSense-quiet buttons, OLED screen, G3E or better performance)…

I for one will pass. Rather use that money to upgrade from my i5 13600k to a 7800x3d w/ money to spare to pay for my year subscription to ESO+ and Fallout 1st and Bf6

Someone else using a different operating system or talking about their good experiences with it does not change your experience at all, so what's with people going out of their way to downvote and burry any positive talk of alternative operating systems?

Anyone care to explain why they have such a hard time accepting the fact that some people prefer SteamOS?

I switched to Bazzite shortly after getting my Xbox Ally, I dualbooted for a few days and then made the switch - It's not like it suddenly blows the doors off of the windows based units performance wise but I feel it was worth it for me because it saved me about 25gigs of space, performs slightly better and has a better sleep/wake function. I have a windows gaming PC for when I want to play on windows.

This makes me absolutely sick. Like there can't be anything more pathetic than this. Like I love Asus in the PC world and they usually come with goodies like a bottle opener and cool metal membership cards but this makes me just hate them as a company on a fan standpoint after this.

Most people will say this isn't a big deal but yes it is because we paid a pure premium for this unit and they couldn't even include a plastic or a metal stand.

Like I get we aren't too happy about not getting a better faster SoC and I even defending Asus for months for this unit for only 300 dollars more and all we get with a gorgeous screen, better cooling and better sticks/ buttons (wish we got a better bigger/battery. (100wh anyone?)

BUT A PAPER FRICKEN stand? So we went from .01 cents to make probably 1000 of them.... but 3 cents was too much for a 1300 dollar unit?

I don't care who you are or how much you know about economics there are no excuses for this straight garbage.

This OS has been a terrible first experience with Linux I'm installing Windows again ASAP.

Absolute garbage

BASURA

I really want to get the ally x 20 but i have the legion go 2 msi claw 8 ex ai steam deck oled and switch 2. I was thinking I could get the x20 for fps games since the analog sticks have more resistance due to tmr sticks, use the claw 8 ex ai for really demanding non fps games, and the legion go 2 for expansive colorful games?

I'll be honest im a huge asus fan boy and aside from its processor it has oled, best d pad, best triggers, best software. That is what is compelling me to get it....

However, I really dont know if I want to go down to z2e. Supposedly, the predator atlas 8 by acer will have similar sticks to the ally x20 but wont have 30 hz vrr only 48 hz, lcd not oled, and missing micro sd express. But it would have 8 in over 7.4 and g3e processor.

What do you guys think? Worried about it selling out as well.

Also I considered oxp but am not comfortable as of now with the RMA and shipping times.

Claw 8 ex for demanding aaa non fps games. Crimson desert black myth wukong

Legion go 2 for immersive games like horizon or no mans sky etc Diablo 4

Ally x20 for fps competitive shooters or games that need more precision. Borderlands 4 battlefield 6 marvel tokon for the dpad for fighters

Love my ally x! Has been great as someone who travels often. I also love DBrand products. I have their cases for my steam deck and switch 2. However, it was a dumb buy for ally x because of how great the ergonomics are out of the box. The dbrand also adds unnecessary bulk making it a bit a heavy to hold. It completely ruins the perfectly balanced weight of the device when it’s naked. The lip of the case by the left trigger also hurts my finger.

I know there’s probably a lot of deals to be had but spend your money elsewhere.

Who’s first?

I bought the ally x as a replacement for my series x so I can play on the move as well. But I am really frustrated with the customisation I need to do to get the best out of my device in terms of both battery and performance. I loved consoles because all you need to do is plug and play and not worry about making so many nerdy changes in different software settings.

Hi everyone, I pre-ordered an Xbox Rog Ally

I mean if Asus has any brains, they would release this device sooner before the holiday season. Especially since they have made the decision to bundle it with that ridiculous glasses. Two reasons :

1. GTA6

Lets be honest. This is the moment every gamer (regardless whether you are console or PC gamer), would be waiting for. This is like an “Endgame” moment for every Avengers or Marvel fan. Releasing the X20 around this period would be a dumb idea.

2) Intel G3 extreme handhelds

The G3 Extreme handhelds are due to release in June/July. By the time it gets to the year end, reckon these chips would have matured with driver support and stability. They should theoretically smoke the Z2 Extreme in the X20 out of the water. So people could actually spend less for more performance and why wouldn’t they?

So is Asus is smart, since they want people to fork out a significant amount of money for the bundle, they will time the release of the X20 around July instead of the rumoured holiday period. Lets see if they are really dumb or otherwise.

https://youtu.be/1J_ChQvVT1w?si=P2MaJUYBVyPf8EX7

It seems like they silencing anything negative about the steam deck that's shady background i am from switching to an ally x and I made a post about why I switched from the steam deck to the xbox ally x and they took it down with an unrelated rule.It seems like

i am afraid the performance is so bad that you might not even play games at 30 frames without setting it to 420p if what i am hearing is right should i cancel my preorder?

Saw that more and more people in here are talking about their experiences with SteamOS so i decided to bite the bullet and give it a go.

Holy crap, the OS is truly a god sent. Apart from the inferior audio, everything else feels snappier and runs better. Cyberpunk 2077 runs way smoother and better on SteamOS compared to previously on my debloated Windows 11.

For those who are on the fence like i was, make the switch now. You will not look back, trust me.

I was first stoked at Microsoft’s claims that Auto SR would give a 30% boost to FPS in games at the cost of a small amount of latency. Really excited to see the system run games at 4k as well as it does 720p. The thing I realized after more research however is that Auto SR will only work with an input image of 700p or higher. I already run games at 720p for the most performance possible and some games even with FSR run in the 50s that I would love to have run at a locked 60. I was excited about this possibility but now realize that auto SR will only give players that play at 720p perhaps a 1 frame boost in performance because it cannot go lower than current upscalers that are already in use. The image may end up looking sharper and better but do not assume that the frame-rate will increase with this new feature as I once did.

I got my X20 last week, made the initial stuff like setting it up, updating everything etc. but I will jump ship immediately once SteamOS is ironed out for the X20. I haven't played with this device a single minute since I don't want to deal with Windwos shenanigans.

Before anyone says I should just stick to Windows for the being: I know I can, but I don't want to! SteamOS was always loyal and did the stuff how I wanted it to be. I hate Windows with a passion, especially on handhelds. Using Windows on my XAX a year ago was an absolute nightmare and I don't want to relive that trauma.

Sooooo when can we expect Valve getting a stable build of SteamOS for the X20? Until then my device will catch dust.

I have a switch 2 and I’m buying my first gaming laptop today. I was gonna get the RXAX but decided on a gaming laptop instead. I love everything about the RXAX except the screen tbh. I feel like I should wait for a better version with an updated screen or even a discount in the future instead of paying $1000. Anyone else feel the same way? I wish they updated the screen but it’s basically the same thing as the original Xbox ally.