judgment : This week , Asus confirmed that it will be launching the ROG Ally X , a new PC handheld system that will coexist with the original model as a more high - end option .
Asus is penetrative to point out that the ROG Ally X wo n’t do as the sequel , asThe Vergereports that the new manikin will still boast the sameAMD Z1 Extremeand 7 - inch 120Hz LCD filmdom .
It ’s admittedly disappointing that Asus is n’t upgrading to anOLEDdisplay , as it ’s been a question mark over theROG Allyever since the insertion of theSteam Deck OLED . But on the other manus , I ’m pleased to see that Asus will be address the majuscule flaw of the ROG Ally , and handheld microcomputer systems in world-wide : stamp battery life .
I ’m a big fan of the original Asus ROG Ally . It ’s sinewy enough to play all of my preferred microcomputer secret plan , and is signally swooning considering the specs it ’s compact . However , all of that portable power arguably goes to waste material when you consider how poor the battery is .
When testing the handheld with modern AAA games , the ROG Ally was only open of lasting around 90 minutes when place to Performance mode . That ’s hapless stamina , and sadly not long enough to last long long trips on a plane or wagon train .
This is n’t a job sole to the ROG Ally though . I found that theAyaneo 2Sonly lasted 100 minutes in the same test , while theLenovo Legion Gowas only capable to hit two hours . The Steam Deck OLED is the salutary of the bunch in this attentiveness , but even then you need to make compromises to performance setting to last more than three hours .
Asus is opting to repair this problem with the forthcoming ROG Ally X. With the official launching still a couple of month away , the company has been demure on exact figures , but when address toThe Verge , Asus claimed there will be a significant improvement for battery life .
“ We ’re not looking at 30 to 40 percent more mental ability , ” Asus SVP Shawn Yen told The Verge . “ We ’re looking at means more than that . ” When pushed further , Asus even hint that we can expect a battery life longer than three hours , which would double the stamina of the original .
Since Asus is n’t change the flake , it seems that this stamina hike will come from a large electric battery pack . This will likely have significant event for the relief of the gadget , especially in terms of weight .
I do n’t mean that will be an government issue though . The vanilla Asus ROG Ally only weigh 608 gee , which is even light than theSteam Deck . This leaves plenty of squirm room for more heft , while still see to it it ’s portable enough to well carry around . That ’s a great via media in my center , considering how of import the battery sprightliness is for a gaming scheme design to be used on the go .
My biggest worry is that the ROG Ally X will come with an inflated cost . The gaming handheld is already rather expensive at £ 599/$699 , yet Asus has confirm that the X model will have a higher terms . For those who already own a ROG Ally , I ’m not convinced that a longer battery life , advance RAM and a M.2 SSD slot will vindicate an upgrade .
Nevertheless , the founding of the Asus ROG Ally X shows that handheld PC makers are going in the right charge . Battery life should be one of the most important considerations when designing these gadget , even if that results in compromises to performance and design .
And with both Asus and Valve focusing specifically on this area with their latest revised model , I ’m growing more confident that we ’ll see even greater battery life improvements for future machine . If I can play my personal computer games for over five hours straight on the go , then my purchase will be guaranteed .
