Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

It ’s not much of an exaggeration to say that when Valve released the original Steam Deck , it started a realhandheld PCrevolution . launch theSteam Deck OLEDonly underline that while there may be other , more brawny console on the market now , Valve ’s offering still stomach firm against the challenger . But can it hold its earth against theAsus ROG Ally X ?

The two handhelds have more in common than it might seem at first glimpse . While both are refreshes , neither is a full - blown adaptation 2.0 . How do they stack up against each other , though ? We ’ve reviewed both ourselves , so we now know the solvent to that question . Read our comparison to find out which gimmick succeed in a battle between the Asus ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED .

Specs

Comparing the spectacles of the two handhelds immediately puts the Asus ROG Ally X at an vantage — but that ’s not much different fromcomparing the base Steam Deck to the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme . Chiefly thanks to the improved APU , the ROG Ally X is bound to have an edge here .

The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme fleck end up in more than one portable mini PC , while the Steam Deck has its own impost AMD APU . However , the former is importantly good . Built on a more advanced 4 nm process , it lark twice the core and threads , as well as a higher maximum clock speed . The deviation do n’t terminate there .

The raw ROG Ally X received a RAM upgrade equate to its predecessor , put it further forwards of the Steam Deck OLED . Not only does it have 8 GB more memory , but the RAM is also quicker , and as this is oxygen - board storage , it can be split between the system and the GPU as necessitate . Moreover , Asus pay the ROG Ally X a more upgradeable M.2 2280 NVMe SSD . Asus also ditch the XG Mobile connector and has now decked out the ROG Ally X with a USB 4 porthole that also plump for plugging in an external GPU . Needless to say , that gives the handheld a heap more juice than it have on its own with the built - in AMD APU .

In term of hardware , the ROG Ally X for the most part wins the struggle — but the Steam Deck OLED does a unspoilt job in other category .

Pricing and availability

Both the Steam Deck OLED and the Asus ROG Ally X were released as amend versions of their base models . Valve launched the Steam Deck OLED on November 16 , 2023 , and it adjusted the pricing of the LCD fashion model alternatively of raising the price . As a result , the 512 GB model costs $ 550 , and the 1 TB framework is priced at $ 650 . The console is readily uncommitted for purchase .

Meanwhile , the ROG Ally X was announced duringComputex 2024and officially hit the shelves on July 22 , 2024 . It comes with a price increase compared to its predecessor , though , and is currently sell starting at $ 800 with a standard 1 TB of SSD storage .

Design and battery

The two handhelds vary greatly in damage of pattern . We wo n’t go over the introductory difference between a Steam Deck and an Asus ROG Ally — you canread about those in our comparability of those models . Instead , we ’ll discourse the changes that apply only to these unexampled , update versions .

For appetiser , they really look a little bit more similar now , all thanks to the fact that the ROG Ally X changed its colour palette from white to total darkness . Asus also redesigned the joysticks on the ROG Ally X , ameliorate the D - pad , and moved the macro buttons at the back of the console table to make them more unmanageable to hit on accident .

Meanwhile , the Steam Deck serve up a monolithic screen upgrade , go from a slenderly dull LCD to a vivacious organic light-emitting diode , and it makes for a stark difference between the two . How will it compare to the ROG Ally X ? It ’s not too shabby , either — it has an IPS panel . However , the Steam Deck OLED is higher-ranking here , because not only does it have an OLED presentation but it ’s also ever - so - slightly grown . On the other hired hand , the Asus gambling gadget pushes the refresh rates up to 120Hz , while the Steam Deck OLED maxes out at 90Hz . Although the Steam Deck OLED wins here , the Asus ROG Ally X has a perfectly good concealment , too .

While Valve was able to shave off a little weight in the OLED exemplar , Asus ended up add up a little fleck when it make the ROG Ally X. However , at 0.09 pounds apart , the two feel much identical .

The biggest upgrade for the ROG Ally X stems from the fact that Asus doubled the barrage fire capability , go up from 40Wh to 80Wh . This has a pretty monumental impact on bombardment life , which we ’ve see time and clip again during our mental test . The ROG Ally X now possesses the biggest battery out of all of its rivals , be it the Steam Deck or the Lenovo Legion Go . While Valve ’s battery acclivity is not as significant , the APU was made to be more efficient , which results in a touchable difference in battery life story . Inour run , the OLED model consumed about 5 % of the bombardment during a 30 - minute of arc gameplay session ofDead Cells . Meanwhile , the non - OLED model would lose at least 10 % or less during that same time window .

The ROG Ally X did a great business of showing off its new stamp battery in our testing . We were able to nail our full benchmark suite on a individual care — that has never happened before on any other handheld . The cabinet was also able to playHalo 2 Anniversaryon Performance mode for an time of day while only losing 30 % of the battery . Meanwhile , theSystem Shockremake at 1080p without a human body charge per unit crown only ate up about 35 % of the battery .

The divergence between the two in this regard boil down to what count more to you . Steam Deck ’s visuals will most likely stay nonpareil , but the 80Wh battery on the ROG Ally X takes the crown in that category , too , and there ’s no denying that .

Performance

The ROG Ally X is an interesting handheld . With interchangeable ironware to its harbinger , its magnanimous specification acclivity stem from more storage . That , in itself , is enough to make a huge impact in some games , all the while not mattering at all in some title of respect . We ’ve test the ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED , so we have a good estimate of how they heap up .

First , let ’s look at a comparison at 720p , which is the native solvent for the Steam Deck . Although the Asus console houses a significantly better chip , the deviation is not as swell as you ’d wait at 720p . There are some improvements in memory - athirst games likeHorizon Zero Dawn , but other title , likeCyberpunk 2077 , play almost exactly the same . In fact , the dispute between the two inCyberpunkin particular amounts to a undivided shape rate .

At 1080p , the Asus mini personal computer fares well , but we ca n’t equate it to the Steam Deck at that resolution . However , comparing it to its herald sheds some light on how much the surplus memory matters in some titles and not in others . TakeHorizon Zero Dawnas an representative . Despite the APU being exactly the same in both model , the ROG Ally X hits 50 frames per second ( fps ) at 1080p , while the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme trails behind at a measly 35 Federal Protective Service . Meanwhile , games likeReturnalandDying Light 2barely see any difference .

The ROG Ally X outclasses its predecessor , and therefore , also the Steam Deck OLED , in terms of performance at various power modes . Asus tweaked them slightly , now allowing for 17 watts at the Performance profile and 13 watts on Silent . This brings the 17 - W Performance modality on a much more level playing field with Turbo , which take off at 25W when you ’re not plugged in and break up to 30W if you are .

Valve ’s rise from the Steam Deck to the OLED version came with some public presentation improvements , too . Although we ’re only spill about a difference of a few frames at most , it can mean a great trade when you ’re not already lean games at 120 Federal Protective Service . At the Steam Deck ’s native 800p result , the handheld was able to squeeze out 60 fps instead of 56 Federal Protective Service inHorizon Zero Dawnand 84 fps instead of 79 fps inStrange Brigade .

Be that as it may , the OLED Steam Deck would still be beaten by the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme . Now , with more RAM — not to mentionfasterRAM —   we predict that the numbers will only tilt further in Asus ’ favor . We ’ll have to essay the ROG Ally X ourselves to compare the two , though .

A matter of choice

Choosing between the ROG Ally and the Steam Deck was never straight , and these two new version do n’t make the decision any easier .

The Asus ROG Ally X might be a worthwhile leverage when you compare it to its predecessors . For an additional $ 100 , you ’re getting a much better barrage fire , more memory , and some pattern improvement that should improve gameplay . But that extra $ 100 is no longer true , as you could often mark the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme for $ 550 to $ 600 . That means you ’re paying $ 200 more for something that might be a subtle upgrade in certain title of respect while being a vast boost in others .

On the other mitt , the Steam Deck organic light-emitting diode has a gorgeous presentation and is $ 200 trashy . The ROG Ally X is sure as shooting faster and performs better , but it ’s not as childlike as that . There ’s a lot to consider here , include the fact that Valve has its own operating system and the ROG Ally X total with Windows as well as Asus ’ Armoury Crate tally on top of it . The individualised user interface in the Steam Deck is also nothing to turn your nose up at .

at long last , it all comes down to how much you respect price versus execution . The ROG Ally X will give you higher frame rates , but is it deserving an additional $ 200 ? Not of necessity , but it depends wholly on how much you ’re well-to-do disbursal on a gaming handheld .