Asus ROG Ally X vs. Steam Deck OLED: Has the champion been dethroned?

Computex

This story is part of our coverage of Computex, the world's biggest computing conference.

It’s not much of an overstatement to say that when Valve released the original Steam Deck, it started a real handheld PC revolution. Launching the Steam Deck OLED only emphasized that while there may be other, more powerful consoles on the market now, Valve’s offering still stands strong against the competition. But can it hold its ground against the Asus ROG Ally X?

The two handhelds have more in common than it might seem at first glance. While both are refreshes, neither is a full-blown version 2.0. How do they stack up against each other, though? We’ve reviewed both ourselves, so we now know the answer to that question. Read our comparison to find out which device wins in a battle between the Asus ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED.

Specs

Comparing the specs of the two handhelds immediately puts the Asus ROG Ally X at an advantage — but that’s not much different from comparing the base Steam Deck to the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme. Chiefly thanks to the improved APU, the ROG Ally X is bound to have an edge here.

The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip ended up in more than one portable mini PC, while the Steam Deck has its own custom AMD APU. However, the former is significantly better. Built on a more advanced 4nm process, it sports twice the cores and threads, as well as a higher maximum clock speed. The differences don’t end there.

The new ROG Ally X received a RAM upgrade compared to its predecessor, putting it further ahead of the Steam Deck OLED. Not only does it have 8GB more memory, but the RAM is also faster, and as this is o-board memory, it can be split between the system and the GPU as needed. Moreover, Asus gave the ROG Ally X a more upgradeable M.2 2280 NVMe SSD. Asus also ditched the XG Mobile connector and has now decked out the ROG Ally X with a USB 4 port that also supports plugging in an external GPU. Needless to say, that gives the handheld a lot more juice than it possesses on its own with the built-in AMD APU.

In terms of hardware, the ROG Ally X largely wins the battle — but the Steam Deck OLED does a good job in other categories.

Pricing and availability

Both the Steam Deck OLED and the Asus ROG Ally X were released as improved versions of their base models. Valve launched the Steam Deck OLED on November 16, 2023, and it adjusted the pricing of the LCD model instead of raising the price. As a result, the 512GB model costs $550, and the 1TB model is priced at $650. The console is readily available for purchase.

Meanwhile, the ROG Ally X was announced during Computex 2024 and officially hit the shelves on July 22, 2024. It comes with a price increase compared to its predecessor, though, and is currently sold starting at $800 with a standard 1TB of SSD storage.

Design and battery

The two handhelds vary greatly in terms of design. We won’t go over the basic differences between a Steam Deck and an Asus ROG Ally — you can read about those in our comparison of those models. Instead, we’ll discuss the changes that apply only to these newer, updated versions.

For starters, they actually look a little bit more similar now, all thanks to the fact that the ROG Ally X changed its color palette from white to black. Asus also redesigned the joysticks on the ROG Ally X, improved the D-pad, and moved the macro buttons at the back of the console to make them more difficult to hit on accident.

Meanwhile, the Steam Deck served up a massive screen upgrade, going from a slightly dull LCD to a vibrant OLED, and it makes for a stark difference between the two. How will it compare to the ROG Ally X? It’s not too shabby, either — it has an IPS panel. However, the Steam Deck OLED is superior here, because not only does it have an OLED display but it’s also ever-so-slightly bigger. On the other hand, the Asus gaming device pushes the refresh rates up to 120Hz, while the Steam Deck OLED maxes out at 90Hz. Although the Steam Deck OLED wins here, the Asus ROG Ally X has a perfectly good screen, too.

While Valve was able to shave off a little weight in the OLED model, Asus ended up adding a little bit when it built the ROG Ally X. However, at 0.09 pounds apart, the two feel practically identical.

The biggest upgrade for the ROG Ally X stems from the fact that Asus doubled the battery capacity, going up from 40Wh to 80Wh. This has a pretty massive impact on battery life, which we’ve seen time and time again during our tests. The ROG Ally X now possesses the biggest battery out of all of its rivals, be it the Steam Deck or the Lenovo Legion Go. While Valve’s battery upgrade is not as significant, the APU was made to be more efficient, which results in a tangible difference in battery life. In our tests, the OLED model consumed about 5% of the battery during a 30-minute gameplay session of Dead Cells. Meanwhile, the non-OLED model would lose at least 10% or less during that same time window.

The ROG Ally X did a great job of showing off its new battery in our testing. We were able to complete our full benchmark suite on a single charge — that has never happened before on any other handheld. The console was also able to play Halo 2 Anniversary on Performance mode for an hour while only losing 30% of the battery. Meanwhile, the System Shock remake at 1080p without a frame rate cap only ate up about 35% of the battery.

The difference between the two in this regard boils down to what matters more to you. Steam Deck’s visuals will most likely remain unmatched, but the 80Wh battery on the ROG Ally X takes the crown in that category, too, and there’s no denying that.

Performance

The ROG Ally X is an interesting handheld. With similar hardware to its predecessor, its biggest spec upgrade stems from more memory. That, in itself, is enough to make a huge impact in some games, all the while not mattering at all in some titles. We’ve tested the ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED, so we have a good idea of how they stack up.

First, let’s look at a comparison at 720p, which is the native resolution for the Steam Deck. Although the Asus console houses a significantly better chip, the difference is not as great as you’d expect at 720p. There are some improvements in memory-hungry games like Horizon Zero Dawn, but other titles, like Cyberpunk 2077, play almost exactly the same. In fact, the difference between the two in Cyberpunk in particular amounts to a single frame rate.

At 1080p, the Asus mini PC fares better, but we can’t compare it to the Steam Deck at that resolution. However, comparing it to its predecessor sheds some light on how much the extra memory matters in some titles and not in others. Take Horizon Zero Dawn as an example. Despite the APU being exactly the same in both models, the ROG Ally X hits 50 frames per second (fps) at 1080p, while the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme trails behind at a measly 35 fps. Meanwhile, games like Returnal and Dying Light 2 barely see any difference.

The ROG Ally X outclasses its predecessor, and therefore, also the Steam Deck OLED, in terms of performance at various power modes. Asus tweaked them slightly, now allowing for 17 watts at the Performance profile and 13 watts on Silent. This brings the 17-watt Performance mode on a much more level playing field with Turbo, which starts at 25W when you’re not plugged in and goes up to 30W if you are.

Valve’s upgrade from the Steam Deck to the OLED version came with some performance improvements, too. Although we’re only talking about a difference of a few frames at most, it can mean a great deal when you’re not already running games at 120 fps. At the Steam Deck’s native 800p resolution, the handheld was able to squeeze out 60 fps instead of 56 fps in Horizon Zero Dawn and 84 fps instead of 79 fps in Strange Brigade.

Be that as it may, the OLED Steam Deck would still be beaten by the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme. Now, with more RAM — not to mention faster RAM — we predict that the numbers will only tilt further in Asus’ favor. We’ll have to test the ROG Ally X ourselves to compare the two, though.

A matter of choice

Choosing between the ROG Ally and the Steam Deck was never straightforward, and these two new versions don’t make the decision any easier.

The Asus ROG Ally X might be a worthwhile purchase when you compare it to its predecessors. For an extra $100, you’re getting a much better battery, more memory, and some design improvements that should improve gameplay. But that extra $100 is no longer true, as you can often score the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme for $550 to $600. That means you’re paying $200 more for something that might be a subtle upgrade in certain titles while being a huge boost in others.

On the other hand, the Steam Deck OLED has a gorgeous display and is $200 cheaper. The ROG Ally X is certainly faster and performs better, but it’s not as simple as that. There’s a lot to consider here, including the fact that Valve has its own operating system and the ROG Ally X comes with Windows as well as Asus’ Armoury Crate added on top of it. The personalized user interface in the Steam Deck is also nothing to turn your nose up at.

Ultimately, it all comes down to how much you value price versus performance. The ROG Ally X will give you higher frame rates, but is it worth an extra $200? Not necessarily, but it depends entirely on how much you’re comfortable spending on a gaming handheld.