Way before creating this website and becoming a fitness/fashion-themed content creator/blogger/vlogger, I gamed a lot. As a teenager, I actually wanted to create a blog, become a videogame journalist, and eventally attend E3. My love for gaming and being a nerd was huge. I grew up playing with a gameboy color, a handheld system created by Nintendo. Since I only owned one video game cartridge (Zelda: Link’s Awakening), I wold borrow cartridges from friends. I remember laying on my bed, going through AA batteries, and being fully emerged in a game. It was a great time to be alive. You turned on your handheld system and just played. Times have really changed in this handheld realm.
In 2025, the handheld gaming market has continued to explode. Handhelds are now somewhat powerful enough to play AAA titles. You can also play older games with ease and do so much more. AA batteries are practically dead too. This is sweet. The Steam Deck and the Asus ROG AllyX have been on my mind living rent free in my head for too long. I have been excited to purchase one of these systems and return to my nostalogic childhood. Playing banger games while laying on my bed, something I’ve envisioned in my head. Additionally, I can do a lot more on these things and possibly replace my laptop. But can I?
This year, the ROG XBOX ALLY X was announced and I was so excited to pick it up. I vouched I would buy this sweet piece of tech on release day. The last time I purchased something on release day was for the xbox 360. I have not done that since that banger release. My nostalogia was through the roof, especially since I would buy gears of war reloaded as my first purchase. I bought the original gears of war for the xbox 360 on launch. This release was meant for me.
To make this blog post as short as possible I’m going to put this one in an unordered list. I will list the reasons why I chose to buy it. I will then provide a list on why I returned it. I will then end this article with a conclusion on what I will be doing next.
Why I decided to buy this
- It was a “mini pc” with the performance to game with and form factor I was interested in.
- I could hook it up to my 34 inch monitors and be productive with it (with the asus dock)
- It would replace my surface book 2 since it was/is showing its limitations (my content creating/gaming work horse that i’ve had for 5 years. still love it, but it’s failing)
- I would use it for traveling, video editing, and studying on the go. Less space and weight in my backpack. I always have a backpack on me and my surface pro takes a lot of space/weight. This was my replacement plan.
- I would use this more than my phone to limit doom scrolling and become more focused on my goals. CyberDopamine talks about this and is a fantastic youtuber.
- I would re-live my old gameboy color days, laying on my bed and being immersed on a AAA title or an old game with a modernized handheld PC. Peak handheld gaming. The fantasy was real.
- The ability to use Windows and third party applications such as ZWIFT and TrainerRoad was something I’ve wanted to do without my surface Book 2. This was it.
- This was going to be my next “gaming system” to eventually play future titles I know I will want to play (death stranding 2 and the new GTA) since I have nothing powerful enough anymore.
Why I returned it
- The price is not justifiable for what you get (I tried to give it a chance but I don’t think the performance matches the price). This was $1468.00 Canadian dollars, It’s something that’s not breaking boundaries in performance and design. There are other systems just as good and much cheaper (older allyx, steam deck OLED, msi claw, GDP). I no longer see it as the best handheld system. I see it as an over priced controller with a screen with just a slight upgrade over others. Once it drops in price, it might be worth it. The price needs to be a very steep drop though.
- Although the form factor is different, I will not be surprised other manufacturers will imitate this current “competitive advantage” that every tech reviewer is praising.
- It gets heavy after using it for a while. Using old handheld systems were light and worked. This hurts the longer you game. This type of mobile gaming is still in its infancy stage.
- Being sleak and powerful makes these types of devices difficult to keep the fans quiet and the system cool (i know, i am a surface book owner). It felt hot using it while the fans could still be heard while doing minimal tasks. For example, It got very hot just restoring it back to its factory settings.
- Software updates will fix the current bugs but there were several delays when using specific built in apps. Some applications would not open up as well. This is a marginal problem but still inconvenient.
- The screen is ok. It works but I can’t praise it more than that.
- I am overall dissatisfied for this product and I freaking love Microsoft. I really wanted to keep this but I don’t think it’s there yet and I don’t think I am their target market.
What Now?
I’m going to continue using my surface book 2 and save up for a new laptop that can handle AAA titles and video editing without having to worry about performance, heat, and noise. Although this will always be an issue in the mobile market, I will at least get something that will cater to my needs and have addtional benefits that will allow me to do more. A laptop with a dedicated video card, higher quality screen, more ram, larger hard drive capacity, and larger input (sd card, usb c) capability is what I would rather have.
I have accepted the extra laptop weight will always be my insignificantly minor issue. I have accepted that I prefer a larger screen since I can be more productive over a smaller screen. I have accepted a laptop can do all of what I want and the ROG ALLY X is too specific and too niche for what I was trying to do with it. I have accepted I just want a lighter simpler handheld with a new laptop that can do everything else. For now, i’m saving and waiting. For those who purchased it, enjoy it. It’s just not for me.