Gaming

Match Pulse: ROG Xbox Ally X

The handheld finally feels like it belongs in your hands.

Published

October 15, 2025

We’ve spent enough time with the ROG Xbox Ally X to say this: it’s no longer just a novelty, it’s a handheld that finally knows what it wants to be.

The first Ally from 2023 was exciting — a bold step toward making PC gaming portable. But after a few sessions, it felt more like a prototype for what was coming next.

This one? It feels complete.
So, in this edition of Match Pulse, let’s talk about how the Ally X grips better, plays longer, and why it finally deserves the Xbox badge printed on it.

First look

The first touch felt awkward — the kind of feeling you get when you’re not sure how to hold something new. But the longer you hold it, the more it starts to make sense.

The redesigned grips, patterned after Xbox controllers, give it a natural curve that rests well in your palms. It still doesn’t dig in as much as I’d like to – the way it does on the Legion Go S – but it’s certainly an improvement.

It’s subtly heavier than the original, but the weight works in its favor. The balance feels right. The texture, more grounded. It feels made for long sessions, not quick demos.

This is where ASUS seems to have listened. What was once a bit slippery now feels like an extension of your hands. The matte finish stays clean, the edges no longer bite. It’s a small but significant shift — and one that makes a world of difference in how it’s used.

First date

We tested it the same way we tested the original Ally: unplugged, Turbo mode, 25W TDP, NBA 2K Quick Play.

Back then, we couldn’t finish more than a single game and a few minutes of freestyle practice before the battery flatlined.

This time, it’s double that.

Two full games before reaching for the charger — and that’s without dialing down the settings. The new 80Wh battery doesn’t just promise endurance; it delivers it.

The cooling system has also been reworked, quieter yet just as efficient. It’s the kind of update that doesn’t make headlines, but you hear it – or I guess In this case, not hear it as much.

Together, these tweaks make the Ally X something the original never quite managed to be — a handheld that lets you play longer unplugged.

First impressions

The Xbox influence is everywhere, and it’s not just branding. The Ally X now boots straight into the Xbox app, with the familiar button logo acting as your home key. Press it, and you’re instantly back in the Xbox ecosystem.

It feels less like a PC pretending to be a console, and more like a handheld that understands both worlds.

You can still jump into Steam or Game Pass with ease, but the default experience is unmistakably Xbox — intuitive, familiar, and cohesive.

All these refinements add up to something simple but powerful: this finally feels like a true successor.

The ROG Xbox Ally X doesn’t reinvent the idea of handheld gaming, but it refines it where it matters — in the way it feels in your hands, in how long it lasts, and in how effortlessly it connects to what you want to play.

If the original was a promise, this one is fulfillment – still with room for improvement, sure, but I trust you get the gist.

Learn more: https://ph.rog.gg/playALLYourgames2025
Where to buy: https://ph.rog.gg/wheretobuy2025

Computex 2026

ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 debuts at COMPUTEX 2026

Powerful gaming handheld

Published

June 1, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS has announced the ROG XBOX Ally X20 bundle at COMPUTEX 2026, just in time to celebrate the gaming brand’s 20th anniversary.

Featuring a translucent black chassis with vibrant gold internal structure, the machine is both a throwback to gaming two decades ago and a vision of the future.

The translucence offers a peek under the hood to the high-performance cooling system and handheld silicon from AMD.

Premium hardware

The ROG XBOX Ally X20 brings a new Nebula HDR Display to the handheld for the first time, with a 7.4-inch OLED panel and Corning DXC glass and anti-reflective coating.

This slightly larger panel increases immersion and visibility. It has up to 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium of support, and 1,400 nits of peak brightness.

Furthermore, it has a VESA DisplayHDR 1000 rating, Dolby Vision, and 0.2ms response time.

Powering the portable device is the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor with ample gaming horsepower and the latest tools like Auto SR upscaling, as well as XBOX for seamless navigation and gaming.

It supports 24GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 storage to accommodate a large library of titles.

Better ergonomics, controls

Inspired by iconic XBOX controller designs, the ROG XBOX Ally X20 has a transforming D-Pad. It’s designed with the standard four-way movement, but can easily be converted to eight-way control for fighting games.

The improved face buttons have also been adjusted, now sitting flush against the chassis to enable smooth and uninterrupted thumb sliding. On the rear of the handgrips is a rubberized coating.

Speaking of controls, the next-gen handheld levels up with a new TMR joystick technology, delivering pinpoint precision, smoother tracking, and longer-lasting performance.

Bundled with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses

The bundle also features the ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses, making the set an absolute collector’s must-have.

The AR glasses feature a 171-inch virtual screen at four meters, 240Hz display that covers 95% of the field of view, and a 0.01ms response time, thanks to micro-OLED. These glasses plug directly into the Ally via USB-C.

Gaming

Latest BeastLink Open Beta offers optimizations, improvements

Grove Street Games’ monster-sized Kaiju mayhem

Published

May 30, 2026

GadgetMatch

Grove Street Games has kicked off another round of beta playtesting for the large-scale multiplayer destruction sandbox game BeastLink.

The latest round of open beta testing opened at 4:00 P.M. ET on May 29 and will end at June 1 at 10:00 A.M. ET.

This Open Beta weekend offers a fresh look at the massive optimization sand improvements from the past month of closed playtesting.

Players can join through the BeastLink Steam page here.

The latest Open Beta features the Horned Lizard, Mandrill, and Bull Shark as playable beasts.

The Kaiju battles come with more freedom of movement and improved fighting. All beasts have seen extensive updates and balance improvements for a more refined monster vs. monster combat.

Moreover, there is a new map available: Wharf, which urges players to utilize ziplines and cranes. New effects like dust, fog, and rubble also make the showdown feel more chaotic.

Meanwhile, selecting Battle Arena from the Deployment Menu lets players battle against friends, the CPU, or by themselves for fun. That’s on top of other modes like Tutorial, Hazard Pay, Beast Brawl, and Colony Purge.

BeastLink is built on Unreal Engine 5, and uses Grove Street Games’ proprietary SuperDestruction system to push environmental wreckage to a new level.

The system lets players reshape the map both as human or Kaiu, with over 250,000 destructible objects and millions of individual pieces.

An announcement trailer has likewise been unveiled.

Gaming

Acer unveils Predator Atlas 8 handheld with Intel Arc G-Series power

PC gaming on the go

Published

May 29, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Acer has unveiled the Predator Atlas 8, a new Windows 11 gaming handheld powered by Intel’s latest Arc G-Series platform. The device expands Acer’s growing handheld portfolio and targets gamers who want PC gaming performance in a portable form factor.

The Predator Atlas 8 pairs Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor with up to Intel Arc B390 graphics. It supports ray tracing and Intel XeSS 3 AI-powered upscaling to boost performance while maintaining image quality. Acer says the platform balances gaming performance and battery efficiency for gaming on the go.

Predator cooling comes to a handheld

Acer equips the Atlas 8 with a dual-fan cooling system inspired by its Predator gaming laptops. The setup includes what Acer describes as the first metal fan used in a gaming handheld. The company says the ultra-thin AeroBlade fan increases airflow by up to 10 percent. It works alongside a second fan and Acer’s Vortex Flow design to move heat out of the chassis more efficiently.

The handheld features an 8-inch WUXGA touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and Variable Refresh Rate support. The panel reaches up to 500 nits of brightness and uses a 16:10 aspect ratio. Acer also protects the display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and a DXC coating that helps reduce glare.

Acer complements the display with dual 2W speakers that support DTS:X Ultra audio. Dual microphones with PurifiedVoice AI noise reduction help improve voice clarity during multiplayer sessions and online chats.

Built around the Windows gaming ecosystem

The Predator Atlas 8 runs Windows 11 and supports Xbox Mode for quicker access to games and system functions. Acer also includes an Xbox Game Pass subscription, giving users access to hundreds of games from day one.

For connectivity, the handheld offers dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and UHS-II microSD expansion. The control layout includes full-size analog sticks and dual-mode triggers. Players can switch between instant-click microswitch controls for shooters and Hall-effect analog controls for racing and simulation titles.

A dedicated PredatorSense button provides quick access to performance settings, RGB lighting controls, and system monitoring tools. Acer has not yet announced pricing or local availability. The company says details will vary by market.