It’s not a totally reinvention, but the 2024 update to the excellent 2023 ROG Ally is getting more guts where it counts.
One of our favourite computers of last year is getting an update, as Asus improves the Republic of Gamers Ally, a gadget made for portable gaming. It’s not a total change, but there’s enough of one to show that this year’s ROG Ally X will be that little bit better than last year’s.
Announced this week during Computex, the ROG Ally X will sport roughly the same design and even the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip as well as the same 7 inch Full HD touchscreen.
However, other parts of the system are getting an upgrade, and they could improve the gaming experience considerably.
The new model double the 512GB SSD to 1TB, increase the 16GB RAM to 24GB, and double the battery size, while only adding 70 grams to the overall package.
It’ll also come in black with a more rounded shape and deeper handles, while the buttons and sticks have been given a more ergonomic angle, too. Even the ports are getting a slight update, as the less useful proprietary XG Mobile port on the ROG Ally has been upgraded to two USB-C ports on the Ally X, one of which sports Thunderbolt support, too.
What it won’t see is one of the new Ryzen chips launched by AMD this week. However, that may not matter. Improving the memory and storage is a big deal, as is the battery life, three things that matter for portable machines, whether they’re for gaming or otherwise.
In short, the new Ally X promises to be better in important ways, and may even push the current model down in price. Already, the cost of the current ROG Ally has dropped from $1299 to around $1099, at least based on street pricing, with the Ally X set to cost $1599 when it lands in July.
