When I first told you about the “OLED Xbox Ally X of my dreams,” I had to curb my excitement a bit. That’s because I haven’t tried it hands-on, and because Asus only plans to sell it. combined with a pair of expensive AR glasses! I am happy to say that both of these things are no longer true.
Asus will sell a standalone version of the OLED Ally as well, spokesman Anthony Spence confirms The Verge. “We are continuously discussing a release plan for a standalone version of the new Ally. Please stay tuned for future announcements.”
And after spending two hours with OLED Ally at the company’s California offices, I think it might give the new MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus a run for its money.
Today, the $1,000 Asus Xbox Ally X is suddenly the best deal in town thanks to RAMageddon, while the MSI Claw 8 EX offers a huge leap in performance for those with an incredible $1,800 to spend.
But the OLED Ally may offer a third choice for deep-pocketed gamers: a more comfortable and refined handheld.
I already like Asus’s 7.4-inch OLED screen over the 8.8-inch one Lenovo chose for the Legion Go 2 — yes, the one I called “the best handheld screen money can buy.” And I like it more than the MSI Claw 8 EX’s 8-inch IPS panel.
Even though the Ally’s screen is smaller, shorter, and the resolution is slightly lower – 1080p than 1200p – it is. very clear personally because of its tempered glass cover and reflective panel underneath.
I brought along the Legion Go 2 and Claw 8 EX for direct comparison with the OLED Xbox Ally X20. With the bright indoor lighting, I had to look at the glare of my face from the glass screens of competitors, but the OLED Ally’s was crystal clear. And while it’s slightly brighter than the Legion Go 2, with 1,400-nit peaks instead of 1,000-nit peaks, a lot brighter than the Claw EX’s 500-nit screen. I recently took a road trip with the Claw EX and had to squint even in high light because of all the glitter.
The 7.4-inch screen may not feel much bigger than the 7-inch on previous Allys, but it makes a difference. Those fronts felt a little claustrophobic to me after testing the 8-inch handlebars, but I didn’t feel that at all in my few hours with the Ally X20.
Last year’s Xbox Ally X showed me that handhelds are better with prongs, and I have to give it to the MSI Claw EX for adding manta ray wings for even beefier grip. But Asus now has cushy rubberized handles, too, rather than just a textured plastic shell, for added comfort.
The new ABXY face buttons are the most satisfying I’ve felt on the hand yet, they’re quiet, and they hit the palm of your hand when you press them down. The bumpers feel a little better, and the screen doesn’t get as hot in use thanks to the redesigned fans and airflow. I’m not sure about the triggers yet; I don’t like the sound of my Xbox Ally X unit for tuning upgraded rivals, and these feel very similar.
But me so I’m happy to say that my old nemesis, the Xbox Ally X “Library” button, is well and truly dead. When I accidentally pressed the new “Action” button it replaces (it’s the gold button in the top right with a single horizontal bar icon), it just took a screenshot instead of logging me out of my game. I still think the start button should be the top button, though.
The D-pad trick really works
A changeable ID-pad that rotates from eight-way to four-way by lowering its four corners? I was ready to write it off as a gimmick – until I shot Hollow Knight: Silksong. It was then the difference between nailing every Hornet’s diagonal attack, letting it loose and stinging over and over again, or sometimes missing a diagonal input and watching my hero fall to the ground.
You change it by pulling up on the horizontal edge of the D-pad with your fingernails and rotating it a quarter-turn. I hope it is not an additional point of mechanical failure; it feels solid and premium to me. The push dome switches on the bottom won’t satisfy those who prefer membrane D-pads, but I like them.
Asus wasn’t ready to let me run real benchmarks, but I fired up two games on the Xbox Ally X20 and the MSI Claw 8 EX for a direct comparison, setting both processors to 25 watts and loading the same savings.
In Cyberpunk 2077the Claw EX offered 61 frames per second in the same area that the Ally X20 offered at 44fps. In Returningthe Claw EX offered 62fps where the Ally X20 offered 41. Both handhelds drew their battery at about the same amount of 36 watts, meaning their 80-watt-hour batteries should last about two hours on a charge.
That means the Claw might have 40 or 50 percent more without battery penalty — but that’s not the whole story. First, the OLED Ally has a 30–120Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) screen, which means it should look smoother even at lower frame rates than the 48–120Hz panels on the Claw EX and the original Ally. It seemed really smooth in my short demo.
Second, as I will eventually discuss in my full Claw EX review, is that the Intel chip has growing pains with drivers. You may even be able to see it in my life Returning a comparison picture in this story: There is less fog with volume and less ground cover than what you see with the AMD chip in Ally.
I also experience stuttering or uneven framerates in some games with Intel Claw, such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 again Star Wars Jedi: Survivorwhere I’ll get more than 50fps but they still don’t feel smooth all the time, either Indiana Jones and the Great Circle it keeps getting completely cold on me. Intel tells me it’s working on issues like this, though, and its latest drivers have fixed most of the issues. Expedition 33 graphical glitches we have seen from Intel.
Third, Ally’s followers were noticeably quieter than Claw’s during the two trials.
Thanks to RAMageddon, all mobile games are expensive these days, and the OLED Ally is sure to be the same. It will probably cost more than today’s $1,000 Xbox Ally X, so I wouldn’t wait for this new one if that’s how much you’re willing to spend. But if you’re looking for the best handheld at any price, the OLED Ally might be worth the wait.
Photos by Sean Hollister / The Verge
