The ROG Ally X won't have an OLED screen.

So far, we know that the Asus ROG Ally X will be formally revealed on June 2, 2024. Beyond this confirmation, during a ROG Global live stream, it was confirmed that the Ally X would not have an OLED screen. Still, it would increase battery life substantially, have improved repairability, and allow for 2280 form factor M.2 SSDs to be used.

Most importantly, its been confirmed that the new design will reposition the microSD card slot that has caused the existing Z1 and Z1 Extreme models a ton of grief in recent weeks, with warranty extensions and damage refunds being issued.

Im struggling to understand Asus motives for releasing the ROG Ally X, though, because this will be the third handheld device in under a year, with the previous release, the underpowered Z1, doing very little to get the market excited.

Its also slightly ironic that, during the live stream, the hosts used language like officially set the record straight, following the slightly awkward reveal that this stream wasnt actually where the new device would be revealed. They would then further complicate matters by dancing around some of the info Asus is willing to share about the Ally X at this time.

If anything, I was left more confused after yesterdays livestream. It followed reports of both a ROG Ally 2 and a model refresh, but I then heard firsthand that neither of these rumors was true. Instead, the hosts explicitly stated that this was more than just a model refresh with one spec change but also not a total redesign or totally new generation.

I want to know why Asus didnt hold off on the Ally X and push all its resources into a true second generation handheld for next year. The ROG Ally X may very well be a big improvement over the Z1 Extreme model, but no one was necessarily clamoring for this in the way they were for an OLED model, meaning the ROG Ally X still sits behind the Steam Deck in one key area.

Maybe this will prod valve to hurry up with the Steam Deck 2