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The ASUS ROG Ally X is now available to pre-order in Australia
Pricing only accurate at the time of publish.
The ASUS ROG Ally X is now available to pre-order in Australia. It costs $1,599 and is available via the ASUS website and JB HI-FI ahead of the 22 July launch.
The ASUS ROG Ally was one of the first serious Steam Deck alternatives to be released in Australia. As a first attempt for ASUS, the ROG Ally was a powerful handheld PC hamstrung by battery constraints and Windows 11 quirks. The ASUS ROG Ally X promises to double battery performance, SSD storage and RAM, updating the thermals and improving the controls and ergonomics of the chunky handheld. Here's what you need to know.
How much does ASUS ROG Ally X cost in Australia?
The ASUS ROG Ally X will cost $1,599 to pre-order in Australia. That's $300 more than the RRP of the original ASUS ROG Ally (though you can get it much cheaper these days.) The Steam Deck OLED isn't officially available in Australia but you can get the 1TB OLED model from Amazon for around $1,250.
Pre-orders are available now ahead of the ASUS ROG Ally X's 22 July release date.
Where can I pre-order the ASUS ROG Ally X in Australia?
ASUS ROG Ally X pre-orders are available exclusively through the ASUS online store or JB HI-FI.
It's entirely possible more retailers will supply the ROG Ally X once it is officially released. At the time of writing, the original ASUS ROG Ally is available through Scorptec, Officeworks, Dick Smith, Centre Com, JB HI-FI, EB Games and even Bunnings.
ASUS ROG Ally X vs. ASUS ROG Ally
The ASUS ROG Ally X isn't a monumental upgrade when compared to the ROG Ally. In console terms, it's probably best to think of the ROG Ally X as the PlayStation 4 Pro to the ROG Ally's standard PlayStation 4. With that said, an extra $300 could be worth it for the improvements that are there.
The ASUS ROG Ally X doubles the internal storage from 512GB to 1TB, doubles the RAM from 12GB to 24GB and doubles the potential battery performance from a 40-watt-hour-rated battery to an 80-watt-hour-rated battery.
In addition to that, Windows has since made some improvements to the experience with a new 'compact mode' for handhelds like the ROG Ally X. So on paper, most of our complaints have been addressed. We'll just have to see how much of a difference it makes in the real world. Here's a quick side-by-side of the ROG Ally X and ROG Ally: