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The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is a brand new handheld that's said to combine the freedom of Windows with the power and user experience of an Xbox console.

It's kind of like the Xbox version of a Nintendo Switch 2 or Steam Deck, albeit with more versatility thanks to Windows integration, not to mention a lot more power under the hood.

Indeed, the ROG Xbox Ally X is rocking an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor with AMD Radeon graphics. That's on top of an 80Wh battery that provides around three hours of juice for super intensive games, and more than double that for less demanding titles. It also sports a 7-inch 1080p touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium. The lack of OLED display is a shame given the price, but whack up the brightness and you shouldn't be too disappointed.

In terms of design, the ROG Xbox Ally X won't win any awards for the way it looks, but it does boast superior functionality compared to some of its rivals. While it's far bigger and bulkier than the Nintendo Switch 2, it's much more comfortable in the hand, making it better suited for longer play sessions. It more closely resembles the Steam Deck, albeit with superior button and stick placement thanks to the lack of trackpads.

The big selling point for me personally, however, is that compared to similar Windows-based handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally X is much easier to use.

Previous Windows handhelds have clumsily mirrored the desktop PC experience rather than traditional consoles, which has made them much less user-friendly than say the Nintendo Switch 2 or even the Steam Deck.

The ROG Xbox Ally X feels closer to a more traditional console experience thanks to the new "Xbox full screen" user-interface. It's not perfect, but it's a big step forward.

The default Home menu lets you jump back into recently played and downloaded titles, all the while checking out store recommendations, new Game Pass releases and rewards. With a click of a button or two, you can switch over to the dedicated Game Pass menu, view your Game Library, change your Profile and more.

The Game Library also features an app section with other storefronts and launchers such Epic Games and Steam. Once linked, you can download your games from these storefronts to the ROG Ally X, and access them directly from your library, bringing everything together in one convenient package.

It's this kind of flexibility that makes the ROG Ally X such an appealing prospect, giving users access to far more games than other handhelds.

There's even the option to completely switch over to a traditional Windows desktop experience, which has its own set of benefits, especially when it comes to things like emulation and web browsing.

Navigation is achieved either by swiping up on the touchscreen and selecting your program, or by holding the dedicated Xbox button and navigating from there. This is more useful than you might think. For example, if you're stuck on a particularly challenging boss battle, you can pause the game and switch over to a walkthrough video on YouTube, before jumping back into the action without having to close anything down or reload. (Not that I've ever had to do this, of course. Ahem.)

Unfortunately, however, while the built-in Xbox full screen functionality is good, the clumsy Windows experience does occasionally rear its ugly head. This includes during the initial set-up process, when installing new apps, and sometimes when switching between or closing programs.

There have also been times when I've accidentally opened Windows Control Panels simply by pressing one of the rear buttons at the wrong time, and worst still, when the console has completely crashed or I've been forced to shutdown.

Other issues include games opening with mouse and keyboard controls as default, and without the option to change to a controller within the game settings. Instead, you'll need to visit the Armory Crate app, which despite containing lots of useful customisation options for your games, is another thing you'll need to learn in order to get the best out of your console.

It all gets a bit messy at times, and isn't as intuitive as it could be, especially if you're a casual console gamer without much experience using a PC.

I would also argue that it's not immediately clear what all of the buttons on the console do, something that can make those initial few hours a bit of a learning curve. I would recommend checking out this article for a more in-depth look at exactly how the console works.

And that's kind of the problem with the ROG Xbox Ally X. Every positive always comes with a caveat or two.

For example, Microsoft's Play Anywhere scheme means you'll be able to play previously purchased Xbox games on the ROG Ally X, which sounds great until you realise there are huge gaps in the Play Anywhere library.

Also, while the console is more powerful than many rival handhelds, you won't always be able to tell. Games aren't necessarily optimised for the ROG Xbox Ally X in the same way as they would be for Switch 2 or Steam Deck. The result is that games don't always look and perform as well as you would think, at least without some tweaking. While PC fans will be used to this kind of thing, console veterans might not know where to start.

Speaking of games, to really get the most out of your ROG Xbox Ally X, you'll probably want an Xbox Game Pass subscription for access to all of those Xbox and third-party titles, not to mention cloud streaming and online multiplayer. Thanks to recent and rather controversial price increases, this will set you back upwards of £275 for the entire year.

Add that to the already steep £799 price tag, and the ROG Xbox Ally X is a serious financial investment that's difficult to recommend to absolutely everybody.

As somebody with one foot already in the Xbox ecosystem, I could definitely see myself getting a lot of mileage out of the ROG Xbox Ally X, not least if the majority of big new Xbox-published games are optimised at launch.

The user-interface is good and only likely to get better, especially if the makers continue to lean into the console experience and remove those pesky Windows elements.

It's definitely the best Windows handheld I've used, and as long as you're aware of its limitations and have a bit of experience using a gaming PC, then the ROG Xbox Ally X is certainly one to consider.

If, on the other hand, you're something of a part-time gamer craving a more straightforward experience, then you might want to stick to the Switch 2.

VERDICT: 4/5