OLED handsets are better. Roll your eyes back Nintendo Switch OLED and remember its improved visuals. The Steam Deck OLED fixed several problems of the original 2022 handheld. And the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 similarly fixes many of the small details of the original. Xbox Ally X. It will also cost a large amount of cash.
I’ve had my hands on the new ROG Xbox Ally X20 for a minute and I can say that it’s already the best version of what this handheld could be. First, the screen is now a fuller 7.4 inches, up from the original Xbox Ally’s 7 inches. What this actually means is that Asus cut the bezels to make the screen feel fuller. It’s a must if you want to get the most out of Asus’ Nebula OLED panel.
Even in a dim and crowded conference room, the X20’s screen looked surprisingly bright and clear. This is probably due to the claimed 1000 nit peak brightness in HDR and 600 nit peak brightness in SDR. The display supports VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000 and 120Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync for variable refresh rate.
Even among other OLEDs, the Ally X20’s screen stands out. A 2000 dollars Legion Go 2 It’s brighter with its 8.8-inch OLED display, meaning it offers beautiful visuals at the risk of glare. The Xbox Ally X20 includes an anti-reflective coating, which reduces problems even under most lights in a crowded convention hall.
Asus also replaced their old joysticks with TMR sticks. This means that the new device uses tunnel magnetoresistance technology, a type of magnetic sensor that greatly reduces the likelihood of false inputs caused by rod slippage. These rods also include metal caps and they felt smooth to turn under my thumbs. Asus also told me it added RGB effects that track the movement of the sticks.
Asus has also made a few minor changes to the shell of the device. First, the back now has rubber grips that make it feel more comfortable in the hand. Controls now include a “flipping D-pad” that lifts and rotates if you want to feel your diagonals more easily. There are more subtle tweaks like the face buttons are now lower profile than before, so the “B” button no longer overhangs the side of the grip.
All these changes to the screen and shell will not affect the performance of this device. Still using AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU from last year. Performance on the original system was solid enough for most games you played, even major AAA titles. It also still packs 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
New systems built around it Intel’s ARC G3 Extreme they’ve already shown they can outperform AMD’s latest handheld chip. Unfortunately, any device with this chip won’t be cheap. MSI told Gizmodo that it expects to launch the upcoming With Intel inside Claw 8 Ex AI+ With an MSRP of $1,500. Meanwhile, Asus only showed the X20 in a bundle with it ROG XReal R1 AR glasses. There is no price for this package, but these glasses cost $850.
Asus told Gizmodo that the company is exploring “a la carte options” to separate its handset from the glasses. Let’s hope they do, because if the ROG Xbox Ally X20 comes in under $1,500, it’s worth a look. According to the company, the handset should be released later this year.
Even saying that $1,400 is acceptable for a hand in the year of our Lord 2026 feels like being poked with a hot needle. Asus has somehow managed to resist the urge to raise the ROG Xbox Ally Xi by $1,000, at least so far. This system is the best right now Bang for your buck since Valve Steam Deck raised OLEDs the price last month. But it seems this time around, any mobile gaming device you buy can be very expensive.
