Where to pre

PREORDER: The just-announced Asus ROG Ally X ($799.99) is available for preorder exclusively at Best Buy ahead of its release on Monday, July 22.

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Opens in a new windowCredit: AsusAsus ROG Ally X$799.99 at Best Buy

A sort-of-new Steam Deck challenger has entered the fray: Asus officially unveiled the ROG Ally X over the weekend, a revamped version of its handheld gaming PC featuring spec and design upgrades as per user feedback. It starts at $799.99, or $100 more than the original ROG Ally from 2023, and preorders are now open at Best Buy ahead of its July 22 release. (I also spotted a listing in the Asus eShop, but it was out of stock at the time of writing.)

As Mashable's Alex Perry reports, the ROG Ally X is technically a second iteration of the ROG Ally, not a full-on sequel. Its seven-inch 1080p display, AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, AMD Radeon GPU, and Windows 11 operating system have all carried over. But it's now configurable with up to 24GB of RAM (up from 16GB) and 1TB of SSD storage (up from 512GB), and it's got a redesigned motherboard with a M.2 2280 SSD slot that makes it easier to add more space yourself.

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SEE ALSO:Asus ROG Ally X hands-on: My brief experience with a possible Steam Deck killer

Its battery capacity has also been doubled to 80Wh, yet it's only 0.15 pounds heavier than the first ROG Ally (at 1.49 pounds total).

Elsewhere in the design department, Asus has rounded off the ROG Ally X's corners, swapped its XG Mobile port for two USB-C ports, and rearranged its inputs to make everything a bit more comfortable to handle. That includes some durable new joysticks, a more accurate D-pad, and smaller back buttons that aren't as easy to mispress. Peep the new black colorway, too.

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The original Asus ROG Ally came in white; this one's black.Credit: Asus

Again, while it's not technically a ROG Ally 2, Perry said these upgrades "give [the ROG Ally X] real potential, especially in a suddenly crowded handheld gaming PC market." Read his full hands-on review.

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