The Asus Xbox Ally X20 looked like it could be one of the best handheld gaming PCs yet made — but originally, Asus wanted you to buy a bundle pairing it with pricy AR glasses. In July, we told you that bundle would no longer be necessary, and today it’s official: you can pre-order a standalone handheld at Best Buy or Asus’s online store for $1,300, shipping October 15th.
The OLED Xbox Ally X20 officially starts at $1,300
Is the best handheld screen worth an extra $300 to you?
Is the best handheld screen worth an extra $300 to you?
Photo: Sean Hollister / The Verge
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
Asus spokesperson Don Nguyen tells us it’s the same basic ROG 20th Anniversary handheld I tried at its US offices, so you should be getting a translucent gadget with gold trim.
Bling isn’t the reason to buy it, though. If I were buying, it’d be because of the larger new 7.4-inch 1080p OLED screen, the clearest, fastest, and brightest on a handheld yet. I’d be buying for the extra-comfy grips, the trick D-pad that rotates between 4-way and 8-way, and the lack of an Xbox “Library” button to yank me out of my game.
You can read my full preview here, though I always recommend waiting for the reviews — my review of the rival MSI Claw EX found issues that were invisible in my preview, after all.
Personally, I think $1,300 is an awful lot to spend on a handheld, but I’m pleased that it “only” costs $300 more than the original $1,000 Xbox Ally X, especially since that $1,000 model and the $600 Xbox Ally will continue to stick around, Asus rep Anthony Spence confirms.
But if you have $2,500 to spend, Asus is making the bundled version a bit more attractive. Not only will it include the $1,300 Xbox Ally X20 and a matching pair of 240Hz ROG XREAL X1 glasses (normally $849), it’ll also come with a matching Dbrand Killswitch protective case for the handheld (with the hardshell screen cover, stick toppers and built-in kickstand), plus a branded Pelican case to carry everything in. Here’s the bundle:
Image: Asus
And here’s another photo of the Dbrand Killswitch around the handheld:
Image: Asus
The Xbox Ally X20 won’t be the most powerful handheld (that’ll currently be a Strix Halo device like the upcoming $1,750 GPD Win Max 3) or even the most powerful handheld that feels properly portable (that’ll be the Claw EX), and it certainly won’t be the most affordable. But it might be the most refined and comfortable to use among Windows handhelds. We’ll find out this fall.
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