For the closing couple of years, PC gaming has sought to flee the inflexible confines of its electric-outlet certain, RGB-coated monolithic towers with speedy framerates at huge resolutions for one thing a little bit extra modest and transportable. The Most sensible 10 Maximum-Performed Video games On Steam Deck: June 2023 EditionIn 2023, PC maker Asus shipped its moveable gaming PC, the ROG Best friend, to compete with Valve’s in style Steam Deck. Not like the Steam Deck which runs Linux, Asus went with same old Home windows for its running machine, which in idea lets in for extra video games to run natively in addition to the solution to extra simply run quite a lot of PC gaming storefronts. Now, in 2024, the Best friend X supplies a much-needed {hardware} refresh that improves the shape issue and capability of the instrument. And this time, Asus assures us the Best friend X gained’t be frying SD playing cards (extra on that later).The Best friend X, particularly, isn’t a complete blown “sequel” to 2023’s Best friend. At $799, it doesn’t improve the processor from the primary, upper tier style. The AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive, then again, is greater than in a position to powering a overwhelming majority of recent video games, from tiny indie titles that gained’t ever bother it, to extra really extensive graphical powerhouses like Cyberpunk 2077. The Best friend X, then again, did upload extra (and quicker) reminiscence, with 24GB of ram and it has an excessively, very beneficiant 80Wh battery that made me virtually by no means take into consideration battery existence throughout my time with it. And it does have the similar 7-inch, 1080p, 16:9 LCD display screen that, whilst clearly now not as flashy as an OLED panel, by no means fails to seem best (this is, when my fingerprints weren’t in every single place its shiny floor).Whilst I’ve problems with Home windows as an running machine for hand-held gaming, the Best friend X has made it onerous for me to return to my Steam Deck. That stated, I nonetheless to find Valve’s moveable PC to be a greater gaming revel in general. However oof, it’s gettin’ shut ya’ll. My revel in with the Best friend XI’ll spit numbers and stats at you in a second, and I’ll extra totally deal with my lawsuits the place they exist. However there’s no mistaking it: The Best friend X supplied me with a stupendous moveable gaming revel in, and it’s prone to proceed doing so. This is a really extensive growth to the revel in of the unique Best friend and is compact sufficient to make it value placing up with Home windows.As a New Yorker, I determined to actually lean into the Best friend X’s moveable attainable up to conceivable. Whilst that motivation was once a little bit reduce quick by way of the truth that the Best friend X doesn’t come with a case (forcing me to make use of the interior shell of my Steam Deck OLED case during which it…most commonly are compatible), its smaller dimension in comparison to the Steam Deck was once welcome as I traveled on trains and buses day by day. When I were given previous some frustrations with Home windows 11, I hardly considered {hardware} and instrument, I simply gamed. My time was once in large part spent with Flintlock, Elden Ring, Future 2 (which I needed to be house for because of a required web connection), and No Guy’s Sky. All ran with nearly 0 flaws at a tight 40-60 frames according to 2nd relying on how I fiddled with the graphics settings. The display screen has a 120HZ refresh charge too, so you’ll push to even upper framerates with the correct sport.
Home windows would repeatedly do its bizarre Home windows issues. And since I used to be enjoying video games on my Steam account, I may come house and select up proper the place I left off on my a lot more robust house pc. Just like the Steam Deck, the Best friend X flattens the boundary between PC gaming at house and at the cross, however with glorious battery existence and a sort issue this is extra like pulling my Transfer out of my bag than it’s the mini fight tanks different moveable gaming PCs have a tendency to be.The Best friend X supplies an incredible PC gaming revel in at the opt for a value that’s a slightly steep, however truthful in the event you’re up for making an investment in an ideal moveable revel in. That stated, the number of running machine right here, which technically isn’t Asus’ fault, could make for some tough setup and various irritating quirks.Home windows %@*&ing sucks for this type of gaming experienceMy first hour or so with the Best friend X was once spent, neatly, putting in place Home windows. I needed to signal into my Microsoft account, flip down the entire provides for a unfastened trial of OneDrive, Microsoft 365, and different stuff that isn’t a priority to me in any way on a gaming gadget. Then, for some reason why, it wouldn’t acknowledge my pin to signal into the instrument. So I needed to reset that various occasions. 
Photograph: Asus / Claire Jackson / KotakuGiven that you simply shouldn’t depart a conveyable Home windows gadget simply open for someone to pick out up and signal into your individual account, having a pin to free up the instrument is essential. And since Home windows doesn’t acknowledge controller enter on its lock display screen, I had to make use of the contact display screen as I tried and reset my pin two or 3 times. By way of the tip of going via Home windows setup and repeatedly coming into my pin, I used to be exhausted and left with a tool with fingerprint smudges on it as a result of I will be able to’t use the controller buttons to check in. And it didn’t finish there. Home windows would repeatedly do its bizarre Home windows issues. Whilst enjoying Elden Ring, I’d get spontaneously taken again to the desktop and not using a solution to get the sport again at the display screen simply. Be mindful, there’s no keyboard, so I will be able to’t Alt + Tab to it. I’d swipe up repeatedly to make the Home windows taskbar seem to stay urgent the sport’s icon to no success. That, in fact, left extra fingerprint smudges at the instrument. 
Simply navigating Home windows will lead to extra smudges than someone preferably needs.
Photograph: Asus / Claire Jackson / KotakuSuspending the instrument to toss it again in my bag whilst shifting between trains was once additionally unpredictable. I’d hit the facility button to peer it cross black after which all at once pop to existence once more at the Home windows lock display screen. Why? I don’t know. Certain, there are methods to tailor Home windows to play nicer with this type of shape issue, however the running machine is an unideal answer for moveable gaming. It pales compared to SteamOS at the Steam Deck and doesn’t even come with regards to the seamless revel in of the usage of one thing like a Nintendo Transfer. I might gladly take a gaming-specific running machine that would possibly technically run fewer video games (despite the fact that the Proton compatibility layer for Linux OS is making Home windows much less and not more crucial at the moment) over an running machine this is simply foundationally now not supposed for this type of shape issue.
I spent maximum of a morning’s teach trip looking to troubleshoot this nonsense.Screenshot: Asus / Claire Jackson / KotakuSomething’s gotta give as a result of this isn’t an ideal answer. However when I were given gaming, and Home windows left me on my own, rattling, the Best friend X rocks. The Best friend X simply feels rightUpon first maintaining the instrument, the Best friend X is right away extra at ease than its predecessor and the entirety simply feels extra top class this time round. The shell has been tweaked slightly so it’s a slightly higher than the unique Best friend, however its grips are much less angular so it simply rests on your arms extra naturally. To be truthful, I nonetheless to find the Steam Deck to be extra at ease despite the fact that this can be a higher instrument in comparison to the Best friend X.
Photograph: Asus / Claire Jackson / KotakuThe triggers and bumpers were reshaped and really feel higher. The similar is correct of the 4 face buttons, which, despite the fact that nonetheless flat and not more colourful as I’d like them to be, really feel higher to press than the unique instrument. The thumbsticks, specifically, are superb, with extra resistance than the former ones. The d-pad additionally were given some love and feels extra dependable and not more slippy than the shiny one at the unique. The twin rear buttons also are much less distinguished than the unique Best friend, which on that instrument I had discovered to be too at risk of unintended presses.
Photograph: Asus / Bungie / Claire Jackson / KotakuFinally, the selection to head with a slick matte black isn’t simply aesthetically enjoyable, it helped me focal point slightly extra at the sport. Whilst I really like a colourful object up to someone else, the black case makes it more straightforward in your eyes to concentrate on the display screen extra so than the intense white of the unique Best friend’s case. 
Photograph: Asus / Claire Jackson / KotakuThe Best friend X is a wonderful, premium-feeling moveable PC gaming revel in with implausible battery existence, an excessively lovely, color-rich display screen, and greater application with its further USB C port. Essentially the most minor of {hardware} complaintsI love the Best friend X, as you may’ve spotted. However there have been a couple of issues I feel may’ve been higher (excluding Home windows sucking the joys out of the room).Whilst the display screen appears nice, this can be a fingerprint magnet. Given how a lot you wish to have to make use of the contact display screen to function Home windows to make use of the gadget, that implies a unmarried consultation of gaming will see this factor smudged up lovely temporarily. I discovered that I needed to lift round a microfiber fabric to constantly wipe away the marks. The Best friend X additionally repositioned its proper thumbstick to be nearer to the display screen. This could continuously lead me to by accident contact the display screen with my proper thumb. Now not handiest would that depart extra fingerprints, it could once in a while cause one thing in-game as many video games acknowledge a slightly display screen as a mouse click on.I additionally would’ve appreciated to have observed a 16:10 1920×1200 display screen as an alternative of the cinematic, extra desktop same old 16:9 1920×1080 dimension. With 16:10, you get a taller symbol which pairs well with a smaller instrument. This sort of ratio is same old at the Steam Deck and Transfer for a reason why. The 16:9 letterbox form simply feels a little bit too tight for me. That stated, some older video games don’t enhance that answer, so the additional actual property isn’t at all times being used. Nonetheless, it could’ve been a pleasant inclusion. Additionally, for 800 greenbacks, the Best friend X must send with a case. Asus’ previous Best friend troublesAn spectacular gadget in its personal proper, the primary Best friend unquestionably inspired with an attractive LCD display screen, a slender shape issue, and a few satisfyingly robust compute energy to run video games at 1080p, continuously at nice framerates. However with nice energy comes nice warmth, and that warmth became out to be an issue for the 2023 Best friend style as it could be recognized to fry SD playing cards. To make issues worse, Asus wasn’t precisely swift to come clean with this drawback. Sooner or later, the corporate would factor an extra 12 months guaranty at the Best friend to make up for any long run issues customers can have with the SD card reader. GammersNexus
That wasn’t the tip of it. As Players Nexus documented in its video at the Best friend’s restore services and products, Asus reputedly wasn’t essentially the most truthful and clear when it got here to servicing a faulty instrument. It was once an revel in many different Best friend house owners had as neatly, which might lead Asus to vow to redesign its customer support revel in to steer clear of additional problems.For some, the wear and tear can have already been finished. And, to be truthful, that’s one thing to think about once we’re speaking about throwing down $800 at the new Best friend X. Chatting with Kotaku, an Asus consultant mentioned that the SD card factor has “lengthy been known” and that the workforce “took all precautions conceivable to steer clear of customers encountering identical problems with the Best friend X.” Time will inform how true this is. Asus additionally stated that it is going to offer a normal, one-year guaranty with the Best friend X, because it doesn’t wait for the brand new instrument working into the similar factor that brought about them to increase the guaranty at the unique Best friend to 2 years.The ROG Best friend X is an incredible {hardware} refreshThe Best friend X is definitely the most efficient model of the Best friend. It feels nice to play. Has beyond-excellent battery existence and is available in a sort issue that’s absolute best for on-the-go gaming, regardless of a irritating running machine.All of that stated, Asus goes to must earn its agree with again after earlier issues. I hesitate to mention it’s value an improve when you’ve got already invested within the Best friend Z1 Excessive from closing 12 months, however in the event you’ve been excited by moveable PC gaming and want Home windows, the Best friend X is greater than as much as the task..
