Asus has increased the price of its latest gaming handheld, the ROG Xbox Ally X20, but enhancements like a 7.4-inch OLED screen, improved controls, and bundled AR glasses aim to justify the upgrade in a competitive market.
Asus has softened the reaction to its latest gaming handheld by pairing a higher price with visible upgrades that are easier to understand. Tom’s Guide said the ROG Xbox Ally X20 is now available to pre-order at $1,299 and is due to ship on 15 October, putting it $300 above the previous model. The review argued that, in a market where rival premium handhelds can approach far higher prices, the increase is easier to justify than it first appears.
The hardware core is still centred on AMD’s Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, 24GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 1TB solid-state drive and an 80Wh battery, according to Tom’s Guide. What changes is the experience around that silicon. The site said Asus has improved cooling to support higher sustained power delivery, helping the handheld hold performance for longer. In practical terms, that means smoother gaming at 1080p and 60 frames per second in demanding titles, at least in the demo conditions Tom’s Guide described.
The display is the clearest upgrade. Tom’s Guide and other outlets said Asus has moved to a 7.4-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and variable refresh support, replacing the older LCD approach seen in earlier models. The screen is also rated for a 1,400-nit peak brightness, which should help with outdoor visibility and glare control. PCWorld and PC Guide both noted that this is the first Ally line to adopt OLED, making the screen change one of the model’s defining features.
Asus has also revised the controls. Tom’s Guide said the X20 uses magnetic TMR joysticks, which are designed to reduce wear and lower the risk of drift. It also highlighted reshaped shoulder buttons, more pronounced ABXY keys, rubberised grips and a rotating D-pad that can switch between an eight-way layout and a simpler four-way cross. PCWorld described the device as largely the same handheld underneath, but with meaningful refinements in feel and input quality.
The more contentious part of the launch is the bundle strategy. TechSpot, Business Standard and Thurrott reported that Asus is tying the device to a package that includes ROG Xreal R1 Edition 20 AR glasses, while Tom’s Guide also referred to a $2,499 anniversary bundle that adds a case and accessories. That is a difficult pitch for buyers who simply want a handheld console, but Asus appears to be leaning on the argument that the screen, the controls and the bundled extras move the product closer to premium all-in-one gaming hardware than a routine revision.
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