ROG Ally X Alternatives
Not sold on the ROG Ally X? These are the alternatives we would consider instead, with the specific reason to prefer each.
Last revised
If the ROG Ally X is not quite right, these are the Gaming we would look at instead, and the specific reason you might prefer each one.
Why you might look elsewhere
The most common reason people move on from the ROG Ally X is straightforward: windows on a handheld is still a poor fit. If that is a problem for how you work, one of the alternatives below will suit you better.
The alternatives
| Model | Price | Score | Why choose it instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Deck OLED | £479 | 5 / 5 | SteamOS is the only handheld software that does not feel like a desktop in disguise |
| Switch OLED | £309 | 4 / 5 | The lightest console here by a clear margin |
| PlayStation 5 Slim | £479 | 4 / 5 | The DualSense haptics are still the best controller feedback in gaming |
| Xbox Series X | £479 | 4 / 5 | Game Pass is the best value in gaming and nothing is close |
| Xbox Series S | £249 | 4 / 5 | The cheapest route into current-generation gaming by a wide margin |
If you want to spend less
The Steam Deck OLED at £479 saves you £320. You give up some capability, but it delivers steamOS is the only handheld software that does not feel like a desktop in disguise.
On the numbers that actually differ
Two devices in the same bracket usually share most of their specification sheet. These are the entries where they genuinely diverge, which is the only part of the comparison worth your time.
| Specification | ROG Ally X | Steam Deck OLED |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £799 | £479 |
| Our score | 4 / 5 | 5 / 5 |
| Released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Display | 7in IPS, 120Hz, 500 nits | 7.4in OLED, 90Hz, 1000 nits HDR |
| Chip | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme | Custom AMD Zen 2 / RDNA 2 |
| RAM | 24GB LPDDR5X | 16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 1TB NVMe | 512GB NVMe |
| Weight | 678g | 640g |
| Battery | 80Wh | 50Wh |
| Play time | 3h 10m in demanding titles | 3h 40m in demanding titles |
The cost of switching
Changing manufacturer is rarely just the price difference. Budget for the accessories that will not carry over, an afternoon of migration, and a fortnight of not knowing where anything is. On Asus hardware specifically, the things that transfer least well are the settings you configured once and forgot about — they are invisible until they are missing. None of that is a reason to stay put, but it is a reason not to switch over a specification you would struggle to explain to someone else.
When to stay with the ROG Ally X
It remains the right choice if you are players who need Game Pass or a launcher Steam does not cover. Nothing in this list beats it on that specific point.
Behind this page
This reference page is written from the same testing notes as the reviews it supports, and it is revised whenever the hardware or the software underneath it changes. Where a figure appears here it has been measured rather than quoted from a specification sheet.
If something on this page no longer matches what you are seeing, it is out of date rather than disputed — tell us and it gets checked again.
Related reading
The reviews this page supports go into the measurements behind these figures, and the knowledge base collects every reference page we keep.
Elsewhere in alternatives: Razer Blade 16 Alternatives, Roborock S9 MaxV Alternatives and Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 Alternatives.