Steam Deck vs Asus ROG Ally X: which is the best PC gaming handheld?

Valve's Steam Deck has completely transformed the gaming handheld market, resulting in other manufacturers releasing their own versions of a PC portable machine to compete. Devices such as the Asus ROG Ally, MSI Claw, and Lenovo Legion Go have all been aiming to unseat the Steam Deck.

Now Asus is biting back again with a revamped version of its original handheld dubbed the Asus ROG Ally X and it sets out to improve on the base model in nearly every way. But how does this PC handheld hold up against the current champ of PC handhelds? We'll compare both to see which is superior in performance and which is the overall better purchase.

Steam Deck vs Asus ROG Ally X: price

Valve’s Steam Deck costs $399 / £349 for its entry-level 64GB model. There are also OLED models, which are $549 / £479 for the 512GB model and $649 / £569 for the 1TB model.

The Asus ROG Ally X retails at $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,599 and launched in 2024. There's only one model and it comes with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

In terms of pricing, Steam Deck is the winner. Even the OLED models are cheaper than the most expensive ROG Ally X model and both have 1TB of storage.

Steam Deck vs Asus ROG Ally X: design & features

The original Asus ROG Ally was much smaller and lighter than the Steam Deck and other PC gaming handhelds, with a unique honeycomb white chassis that made it stand out. But the ROG Ally X is much closer to the Steam Deck now due to the enhanced specs. 

They both sport dual analog sticks, a black chassis, a 7-inch screen, and buttons in the front and back of the system. Both also have ventilation exhausts on the top of the system to compensate for the massive amounts of heat generated by their components. 

Their button layout and grips are also quite similar, though the ROG Ally X has better analog sticks that you can customize the grip on. The Steam Deck is now slightly lighter and smaller, with an OLED model that upgrades the display even more.

In terms of design, both systems are tied as they're extremely similar in specs with slight differences between them - what appeals to you is based more on preference than superiority.

Steam Deck vs Asus ROG Ally X: specs

Here’s a full breakdown of the Steam Deck’s vital statistics: 

• Size: 298mm x 177mm x 49mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: Approx 669 grams
• CPU: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
• GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 Tflops FP32)
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
• Storage: 64GB eMMC / 256GB NVMe SSD / 512GB NVMe SSD (all models include high-speed microSD card slot)
• Display resolution: 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio)
• Display size: 7-inch diagonal
• Brightness: 400 nits typical
• Refresh rate: 60Hz
• Touch enable: Yes
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• Audio: Stereo speakers, dual microphone array, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
• Power: 45W USB Type-C
• Battery life: 2 to 8 hours of gameplay
• Operating system: SteamOS 3.0

Here’s a full breakdown of the Asus ROG Ally X’s vital statistics:

• Size: 11.02 x 4.37 x 0.97 ~ 1.45 inches (28.0 x 11.1 x 2.47 ~ 3.69 cm; W x D x H)
• Weight: 1.49 lbs (678 g)
• Resolution: FHD (1920 x 1080)
• CPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
• GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics
• RAM: 24GB LPDDR5X-7500
• Storage: 1TB M.2 2280 SSD
• Brightness: 500 nits
• Refresh rate: 120Hz
• Touch enable: Yes
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) 2*2 + Bluetooth® 5.2
• Audio: Stereo speakers, 2W x2, built-in array microphone
• Power: 65 Wh USB Type-C
• Operating system: Windows 11
• Video output: 1080p
• USB connector: USB Type-C for charging
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Battery life: approximately 3 to 5 hours of gameplay
• Charging time: approximately 3 hours

Steam Deck vs Asus ROG Ally X: performance

In terms of performance, when using Turbo Mode the Asus ROG Ally X is more powerful thanks to its superior processor and specs, all while matching the Steam Deck in terms of framerate. So even though both portables have the same screen size and resolution, games look much cleaner on the ROG Ally X.

I tested two titles on both portables, Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, to see how each fared. With Forza Horizon 5, the ROG Ally X had ray tracing enabled and even on High settings was able to match the Steam Deck with above 50fps. The downside is that Turbo Mode depletes the battery life extremely quickly, meaning that you need to keep it on AC power for the most mileage.

When it came to an even more demanding game like Cyberpunk 2077, the Steam Deck on Medium and Low averaged around 26fps. On the ROG Ally X, however, it was unplayable at less than 10fps unless you turned down the graphical settings.

The Steam Deck has a better OS, bar none. Armory Crate is much smoother and more streamlined on the ROG Ally X but Windows 11 still runs very poorly on it - worse than the Lenovo Legion Go's version. Meanwhile, Steam's OS is built specifically for the system, so it's faster to start up and more intuitive to use.

While it's close, the Steam Deck eeks out a win here too. Though the ROG Ally X can sometimes handily beat out the Steam Deck in performance, the latter is also far more consistent from game to game. The Steam Deck has a far superior OS as well.

Steam Deck vs Asus ROG Ally X: verdict

So which is the better PC gaming handheld? The Steam Deck holds on to its crown.

The Steam Deck is still king for a reason, as it offers the best balance between portability, price, and performance. It's well-rounded, allowing you to play the best PC games with an intuitive UI and decent battery power for its specs. If you're just starting out with this kind of handheld, the Steam Deck is the easy and best choice.

And while the Asus ROG Ally X is objectively a much better portable than its predecessor, it still loses out in key areas. It no longer has the style and portability of the base model, the performance has the potential for greatness but also has trouble with other demanding games, and the price is much more expensive when comparing similar models.

Recently purchased a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally X? Consider checking out our list of the best Steam games and best PC games to get your collection going on either device.