The ASUS Xbox ROG Ally X20 has just been officially released. Best Buy currently has it in stock and shipping immediately for $1,299.99. The X20 first went up for preorder in August in the United States and you could only get it from two places: Best Buy and ASUS eShop. We were able to get our hands on one early and IGN's Jackie Thomas gave it a positive review.
The ASUS Xbox ROG Ally X20 Is Now Shipping
The Xbox Ally X20 upgrades over its predecessor the Xbox Ally X are many:
- New transparent black shell with gold menu buttons
- 7.4" OLED display with 1,400nits brightness
- MicroSD Express card storage expansion
- DisplayPort 2.1 support on the second USB-C port
- TMR drift-resistant joysticks (better than Hall Effect) and domed ABXY buttons
- Pull-out rotating D-pad that swaps between 4-way or 8-way modes
- Redesigned impulse triggers with haptic feedback
- Rubberized anti-slip textured grips
The Xbox Ally X20 is still one of the most powerful handheld gaming PCs
Internally, the Xbox Ally X20 is nearly identical to the Xbox Ally X. Like its predecessor, the X20 is equipped with the latest gen AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It's the most powerful Ryzen-based handheld and is significantly better performing than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, Z2 A, Z2 Go, and any other variant. It runs off the Windows operating system but with the Xbox user interface. If you really wanted to, you could install Steam OS yourself and turn it into a souped up Steam Deck, but the Xbox integration is arguably just as good if not better. In fact, IGN's Jackie Thomas recommends getting the Xbox Ally (and Ally X) over a Steam Deck.
You can get the Xbox Ally X for over $400 less
Best Buy is offering a bigger discount than usual on open box Asus ROG Xbox Ally X handheld gaming PCs. Instead of paying $1,000 retail, you can pay as little as $789.99 for a "Fair Condition" model. Personally, I'd recommend getting one in "Excellent Condition" for $849.99. These are Geek Squad verified preowned units that include a 15-day return policy. The better graded "excellent condition" units are in like-new condition both functionally and cosmetically with very low usage time. They may also include most or all of their original warranty.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.