The Xbox Ally X may be a fantastic handheld, but its improvements weren't enough to convince me to upgrade from the ASUS ROG Ally X, my PC gaming handheld of choice for over two years.What about an Xbox Ally X , though, delivering a handful of fresh upgrades on top of everything that makes the original great? In a nutshell, that's the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20, a special edition handheld that does a lot more than celebrate 20 years of Republic of Gamers and 25 years of Xbox.Add How-To Geek on Google Add as Preferred Source Follow on Google Discover After spending a ton of time with the new Xbox Ally X20, I'm convinced that this is the best all-around PC gaming handheld you can buy right now, with fantastic hardware, reliable gaming performance, and the smoothest software experience you'll get with Windows 11.
Unlike other special edition products that charge more just for the flashy design, the Xbox Ally X20 is a demonstrable, meaningful upgrade over even the standard Xbox Ally X, and is the culmination of all ASUS' handheld experience in one premium device.It's a shame, then, that you probably can't buy it for a reasonable price.Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 9 Dimensions 300 x 121 x 27.5-51.3mm Weight 756g Chipset AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme (8-core) RAM 24GB LPDDR5X @ 8,000MHz The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 is a special edition version of the premium Xbox Ally X handheld gaming console to celebrate 20 years of Republic of Gamers and 25 years of Xbox.
It boasts a 7.4-inch OLED display, AMD Ryzen AI silicon, and Windows 11 optimized for handhelds with Xbox Mode.It's available standalone or as part of a bundle.Pros & Cons Premium, translucent design with improved ergonomics More responsive and durable controls Excellent OLED display with great color accuracy and performance Consistent performance and battery life Windows 11 is still rough on handhelds Retail availability is poor $1300 at ASUS $2500 at ASUS (Bundle) $1300 at Best Buy $2500 at Best Buy (Bundle) Expand Collapse See our process How we test and review products at How-To Geek We go hands-on with every product to ensure it's worth your time and money.
Posts By Justin Duino Price and availability The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 comes in two flavors: the standalone handheld (and USB-C charger) for $1,300, or the $2,500 bundle that adds a Dbrand Killswitch case and travel cover, a custom Pelican hard case, and the $850 ASUS ROG XREAL R1 augmented reality glasses with a matching limited-edition design.The bundle is understandably overkill for most people (especially if you don't particularly care about the AR glasses or Pelican case), so it's good that ASUS does sell the handheld by itself.The Xbox Ally X20 certainly isn't cheap with a $300 premium over the standard Xbox Ally X, but there are enough upgrades and differences here to justify that pricing, especially when you compare the Xbox Ally X20 to other handhelds like the $2,000 Lenovo Legion Go 2.
Availability is the real issue, as the Xbox Ally X20 is widely out of stock and there's no sign when (or even if) it'll be available to purchase at retail price.Scalpers have taken this opportunity to relist the Xbox Ally X20 and its bundle for wildly inflated prices—do not give those scalpers your money.Hopefully, ASUS is planning to continue producing the Xbox Ally X20 long-term, as this handheld is too good to only get a single run.
Specifications Dimensions 300 x 121 x 27.5-51.3mm Weight 756g Chipset AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme (8-core) RAM 24GB LPDDR5X @ 8,000MHz Storage 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 Wireless Connectivity Yes, Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.4 Headset Compatibility 3.5mm audio jack Display 7.4-inch Nebula HDR OLED, 16:9, 1920x1080, touch Graphics AMD Radeon Graphics (16-core) Ports USB-C 4.0 (40GBps, DP 2.1, PD 3.0), USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10GBps, DP 1.4, PD 3.0), 3.5mm audio jack, microSD Express Battery 80WHrs Speakers 2x, Dolby Atmos Expand Collapse This isn't just a translucent Xbox Ally X Several key upgrades make this the better handheld by far The Xbox Ally X20 may not resolve any of my general critiques of PC gaming handhelds, but I have to stress that this is just an Xbox Ally X with a limited-edition design and a $300 price increase.There are a lot of improvements here, some greater than others, that make the Xbox Ally X20 a significant upgrade.Those improvements fall into five categories, so let's quickly go over each.
The headlining upgrade is absolutely the brand-new display, which is larger (7.4 versus 7-inches), OLED (instead of IPS LCD), and brighter (600 nits versus 500 nits, and up to 1,400 nits for HDR content), and boasts superior color accuracy, contrast levels, and response times.You also get Dolby Vision HDR support, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro (compared to regular FreeSync Premium), Pantone color validation, and an upgraded anti-reflective surface.This display is the real deal.
I love the smoky translucent chassis and tasteful gold accents of this limited-edition design, but there's a practical upgrade here, too: a new rubberized texture on the grips that improves ergonomics.Additionally, while it's not an upgrade, I should mention the Xbox Ally X20 is heavier (756g versus 715g), mostly thanks to the larger OLED display.The Xbox Ally X20's controls enjoy numerous improvements, including the change from analog thumbsticks to TMR magnetic thumbsticks, which are smoother, more precise, and essentially immune to the dreaded stick drift.
You also get a new magnetic D-Pad that can change between 4-way and 8-way modes with a lift-and-turn, and new face buttons that feel more ergonomic and responsive.I/O has improved, too, with the USB-C 4 port now supporting DisplayPort 2.1 (compared to DP 1.4) for better external display support.The microSD card now supports the latest Express standard for the best possible SD card speeds, massively improving gaming performance.
Finally, the Xbox Ally X20 comes with a 68W USB-C charger, a modest 3W upgrade compared to the Xbox Ally X.Finally, ASUS redesigned the internal cooling system to improve airflow and heat dissipation through the system.This upgrade is centered around accommodating the larger OLED display, but also helps with sustained performance during long, intense gaming sessions.
Performance and battery life are what you'd expect Internally, this really is the well-known Xbox Ally X Close Aside from the redesigned cooling system, the Xbox Ally X20 is internally identical to the standard Xbox Ally, including the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chipset, 24GB of dual-channel memory, 1TB of user-upgradeable SSD storage, and an 80Wh battery powering it all.On paper, general and gaming performance is also effectively unchanged.Just to lay out some numbers, my Xbox Ally X20 scored 2,537 (Single), 13,665 (Multi), and 34,268 (GPU) in Geekbench 7, and 458 (Single) and 3,270 (Multi) in Cinebench 2026.
The same applies to gaming, with the Xbox Ally X20 still delivering a competitive handheld gaming experience.Even the most demanding games can normally achieve a stable 30-60 FPS both on and off the charger, as long as you take advantage of built-in technologies like resolution scaling and frame generation (when it makes sense).Forza Horizon 6 is playable at 60 FPS with Medium settings in 35W mode, and still enjoys a steady 45 FPS in the 17W, unplugged mode.
Even Gears of War E-Day, a very visually and technically impressive game, is enjoyable at a stable 30 FPS on Low settings in 35W and 17W modes, though that game definitely pushes the Xbox Ally X20 hard.Play Cyberpunk 2077 using the Steam Deck profile that targets 30 FPS on Valve's handheld, and the Xbox Ally X20 hits 60FPS at a higher resolution in 35W mode, and a much stabler 30-40 FPS in 17W mode.This matches what we've come to expect of the Xbox Ally X, but games look and feel considerably better on the Xbox Ally X20 because of the gorgeous, vibrant, and more responsive OLED display and the upgraded TMR joysticks.
If I didn't know better, it'd honestly be easy to convince myself ASUS did give the Xbox Ally X20 various upgrades under the hood.When it comes to battery life, though, the OLED display may (slightly) have the opposite effect.The Xbox Ally X20's 80Wh battery more-or-less matches the Xbox Ally X's endurance, with a consistent 2-3 hours of intense AAA gaming, and lower power profiles, toned down settings, and less demanding games potentially stacking an extra 2-4 hours of life on top of that.
That being said, OLED displays are power-hungry, and you can absolutely kill the Xbox Ally X20 quicker than the standard model if you take advantage of the upgraded brightness.Related Lenovo's flagship All-in-One PC is so good, I may never go back to my gaming desktop The Lenovo Yoga AIO i 32 Gen 11 is much more than its ridiculously wordy name.Posts 1 By Zachary Boddy Plagued by familiar PC handheld problems It's getting better, but the Steam Deck still has the edge in places No matter how many hardware upgrades the Xbox Ally X20 enjoys, it can't avoid the same critical weakness as every other Ally handheld: Windows 11.
Simply put, setting up and navigating Windows 11 on the Xbox Ally X20 can be awkward at best, and downright frustrating at worst.Microsoft's slow and steady improvements across Windows 11 and the much-needed Xbox fullscreen experience have made an impact, but I can't overstate how far behind this software experience still is compared to dedicated consoles or the Steam Deck and its tailored SteamOS.Being able to install any game launcher or app you want, or being able to dock and use the Xbox Ally X20 exactly like a mini Windows PC, comes with a constant stream of apps, menus, and interfaces not properly optimized for controller or touch input.
The Xbox fullscreen experience is a step-up in that regard, but it's still outrageously annoying to navigate at times, and heavily lacks in game management, community, and system features you'll find in SteamOS.Windows 11 has a long way to go on handhelds, and the Xbox Ally X20 does suffer for it in day-to-day use, even if it's more powerful and capable than more focused consoles.I will say, though, that the Xbox Ally experience is stabler and more responsive than other Windows 11 handhelds I've used, including the ASUS ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go S.
Yes, all Windows 11 handhelds can access the same Xbox fullscreen experience, but the Xbox Ally X20 quickly reminds you why it has "Xbox" in its name, because it simply works better...specifically compared to other Windows 11 handhelds, at least.Should you buy the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20? You should buy the Xbox Ally X20 if: You're upgrading from a Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, or other older handheld.
You want the most polished, overall best Windows 11 gaming handheld.You want a limited-edition handheld console worth showing off.You should not buy the Xbox Ally X20 if: You can't find it in stock for the retail price (don't give scalpers your money).
You want a true console-like software experience.Coming from the ASUS ROG Ally X, the Xbox Ally X20 feels like a true next-generation upgrade, taking the improved ergonomics, superior haptics, and upgraded performance of the Xbox Ally X and stacking a ton of new features and improvements on top.It's not farfetched to call this the ultimate PC gaming handheld, and I'm absolutely going to enjoy hundreds of hours of gaming on this phenomenal OLED display.
Being a limited-edition release, though, there's a good chance most people won't even have the opportunity to buy the Xbox Ally X20, and that's a shame when it's genuinely a worthwhile step above the standard Xbox Ally X.That's not to say the Xbox Ally X isn't worth considering at $1,000, as it's still a fantastic overall handheld.I just hope we see the Xbox Ally X20 get restocked for months to come, because ASUS truly nailed the hardware.
Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 9 Dimensions 300 x 121 x 27.5-51.3mm Weight 756g Chipset AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme (8-core) RAM 24GB LPDDR5X @ 8,000MHz The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 is a special edition version of the premium Xbox Ally X handheld gaming console to celebrate 20 years of Republic of Gamers and 25 years of Xbox.It boasts a 7.4-inch OLED display, AMD Ryzen AI silicon, and Windows 11 optimized for handhelds with Xbox Mode.It's available standalone or as part of a bundle.
$1300 at ASUS $2500 at ASUS (Bundle) $1300 at Best Buy $2500 at Best Buy (Bundle) Expand Collapse
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