What is it and how is it different from the original Ally?

Let's find out. ASUS Republic of Gamers re-upped its Ally gaming handheld and redesigned it with input from people like you.

Well, maybe not you, you, but users and reviewers.

And ASUS took that feedback and made the new Ally X. Before I dig into the upgrades for the Ally X, here's what stayed the same from the original Ally.

The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and the seven-inch full HD 120-hertz touch display.

Oh, and it's still running Windows 11.

So if you were hoping for those to be replaced, maybe next time.

But that does mean a whole bunch of everything else was updated. For starters, instead of just the 512 gigs of storage in the Ally, the Ally X will have a one terabyte option.

And if the one terabyte isn't enough, there's an M2 2280 slot for upgrading.

The amount of RAM was increased.

ASUS said on its gaming laptops, the most popular configurations have 16 gigs of RAM with eight gigs of VRAM.

So the Ally X has 24 gigs of shared memory. ASUS also doubled the Ally's 40-watt-hour battery pack to 80 for the Ally X.

So presumably you'll have double the gaming time, but surprisingly the increase barely added to the weight, which is a hair under one and a half pounds.

I got to play with one for a bit.

And while much of the weight is towards the bottom of the device, it's evenly distributed, making it more comfortable than the original design. The device's body was redesigned with slightly deeper, more rounded hand grips, smaller rear macro buttons to cut down on accidental presses, a more precise D-pad, and more durable joysticks with stiffer springs.

And it's just a better overall control layout. ASUS also swapped out the Ally's XG mobile port for two USB-C ports, and one of them is Thunderbolt.

Also, ASUS was forced to redesign the cooling to accommodate the larger battery, but it actually came up with an improved cooling solution because of it.

And that includes a smaller but more efficient fan and an additional fan vent, which combined makes the components and the touchscreen cooler. Of course, since it is improved, the price can't stay the same.

The original tops out at $700 while the Ally X is $800, but it does come in black.

So now people will know on-site that you spent more money.

So bonus there.

Anyway, I did like the original, and hopefully the extra memory and cooling will help performance, and more battery life is always welcome. What do you think?

Is your wallet out, or are you gonna hold off for a fully new model?

Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, and you'll see me when you see me.