The more affordable Xbox Ally is a modest handheld that works as expected — but the Steam Deck casts a long shadow over it

The Xbox Ally held up in its stand and playing Celeste.

A couple of years ago, ASUS ROG released the Ally, the first Windows handheld gaming PC from a mainstream OEM (original equipment manufacturer), and despite strong competition from the established Steam Deck, this device managed to make a place for itself among PC gamers.

What I said about the original ROG Ally

(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

In my ROG Ally review, I noted that it offered strong handheld performance (for the time), but had a short battery life. I later updated the review after several updates released, improving performance even further.