After months of waiting, two up-to-date ones ROG Xbox Ally PDAs are finally here, and the general consensus is to shrug. Despite Steam Deck’s competitive position and the moment Windows 11 becomes a viable operating system for portable PC gaming devices, there is still a lot of work to be done. But what already surprises some users is the way Nintendo Switch2 it outperforms the ROG Xbox Ally X in several respects. Thanks to some early benchmarks, Nintendo’s latest offering may be a better choice for now if you want to play high-quality games on the go.
YouTuber ElAnalistaDeBits made various comparisons between the Nintendo Switch 2 and the ROG Xbox Ally X, which you can see later on this page. The clip showcases the graphical quality of some of the best Switch games also available on ROG Ally X, such as Star Wars: Outlaws and Hitman: World of Assassination, as well as both devices’ boot speeds, battery life, and more.
The results were surprising, considering Microsoft is pushing the narrative that the ROG Xbox Ally is highly optimized compared to other handheld PC devices. In the video, the handheld took seconds longer to boot, and texture scaling, especially in Star Wars: Outlaws, looks worse compared to what was shown on the Switch 2.
Granted, this is just the beginning, considering Microsoft’s handheld has only been available for a few days, but it shows that the company still has a lot of work to do to improve the handheld if it’s considering a next-gen model. In our ROG Xbox Ally review, we noted that its high $999 price tag will put off many potential users, and the “full-screen Xbox experience” doesn’t hide the fact that the handheld still runs Windows 11, which remains frustrating to apply on mobile devices.
Still, Xbox Ally is a great alternative to Steam Deck, but if you want something more focused on mobile gaming, especially when it comes to the operating system, the Switch 2 may be a better option for now. Plus, thanks to how developers make sure their games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars: Outlaws run as best as possible on your device, you’ll be able to jump right into these games without having to tweak some settings to get the best frame rates. It seems that until Microsoft improves its software for ROG Xbox Ally, the Switch 2 will win the initial battle here.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for something completely different, check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets. Or, if you’re looking for something up-to-date to play on the go, check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch 2 games and the best mobile games.
