The new ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 handheld PC arrives with a 7.4-inch OLED screen and updated controls, but its $1,300 price is $300 higher than the standard model. The upgraded display therefore carries a serious premium while the foundations of the system’s performance remain virtually unchanged.

The handheld gaming PC market has expanded dramatically in just a few years, and ASUS has become one of its leading players with the ROG Ally family. Its Xbox-branded model, created in partnership with Microsoft, is now receiving a new version focused primarily on display quality.

The ROG Xbox Ally X20 features a 7.4-inch OLED panel that should deliver richer colors, deeper blacks, and stronger contrast than the LCD-equipped standard device. ASUS has also added TMR joysticks and a transforming D-pad to the updated model.

Most of the important internal hardware is almost identical to the regular ROG Xbox Ally X. AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme remains at the heart of the device, making the OLED screen the clearest justification for the $300 price increase.

The $1,300 standalone price is already steep, but ASUS is also offering a $2,500 bundle. It combines the handheld with ROG Xteal R1 XR glasses, although that total price approaches the territory of a powerful gaming laptop.

An OLED panel can be a meaningful improvement for a portable system, as the success of the Steam Deck OLED has demonstrated. Buyers must now decide whether the better image quality and redesigned controls are worth an extra $300 when the performance-defining hardware has not changed.

Source: Tech4Gamers