RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The big upgrade on this model is a larger 7.4-inch OLED display.
ASUS Last year's ROG Xbox Ally X was one of the best PC gaming handhelds on the market. However, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Republic of Gamers (ROG) family of products, ASUS is updating its flagship portable with a fresh look and an important display upgrade.
While its basic design is staying the same, the new ROG XBOX Ally X20 sports a revamped chassis featuring a translucent black shell with gold accents scattered across both the inside and outside of the device. Granted, this is a somewhat subtle change from the basic black body that came on the original, but it's a nice look nonetheless. Meanwhile, for anyone familiar with the previous model, ASUS has added one important new component in the form of a 7.4-inch Nebula HDR display. Not only is that a touch larger than the 7-inch panel we got on the previous model, by switching from an IPS screen to OLED, it should offer significantly better contrast and color saturation. Brightness has also increased a touch to 600 nits with peaks of up to 1,400 nits compared to a nominal brightness of 500 nits for its predecessor.
Elsewhere, the ROG XBOX Ally X20's specs are largely unchanged, as it features the same AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, 24GB of shared RAM, 1TB SSD and 80Whr battery we've seen before. The X20 also features a familiar button layout with customizable paddles in back and upgraded magnetic joysticks. Aside from its display and improved analog sticks, the lack of other new components isn't a bad thing as the original model was one of the more performant handhelds on sale. That said, it should be mentioned that more recent rivals like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ offer an even higher tier of gaming prowess in exchange for a much steeper $1,800 price tag. Unfortunately, while the ROG XBOX Ally X20 is cheaper, it has gotten its own price hike to $1,300 compared to $1,000 for the original.
Alternatively, for anyone looking for a kit that comes with everything you might need to play PC games on the go in style, the ROG XBOX Ally X20 will also be available as part of a bundle that includes the ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses, a Dbrand Killswitch shell, a 68-watt power adapter and a custom Pelican Protector Case for $2,499.
Now there's no way to cover up that spending well over two grand is a lot of money for any gaming handheld, but the inclusion of AR glasses in the bundle could be a welcome addition to people who want the option to play games on a bigger screen without lugging a portable monitor around. Furthermore, the ROG XREAL R1 specs have been designed to support other gadgets like smartphones, laptops and even the Switch 2, so it's not restricted to being paired only with ASUS' handheld.
Pre-orders for the ROG XBOX Ally X20 are live today directly from ASUS or via Best Buy (as both a standalone handheld or as a bundle) with official sales slated to begin on October 15.
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