Gaming PC handhelds have been gaining popularity for the past couple of years, kicked off by the introduction of the Steam Deck. Last year we saw the ASUS ROG Ally enter the market, followed by alternatives such as the Lenovo Legion Go and MSI Claw. Well, now another firm is taking a shot at it as ADVAN introduces the X-Play ‘professional gaming device’. It certainly looks the part with many similarities to be drawn against the ROG Ally, but it has AI tech up its sleeve.
ADVAN announces their X-Play handheld
Indonesian company ADVAN has just launched the X-Play gaming handheld in the region, with pre orders going live on the device for Rp 10,999,000, which translates to just under $690. At first glance, it looks very similar to the ASUS ROG Ally, and we do expect it to be a good alternative. It is first expected to ship within 30 days, which could line up around the time the new ASUS ROG Ally X release date and further details are announced (on June 2nd).
You’ll notice a number of similar specs for the X-Play, though it also boasts 32 NPU TOPS as part of the Ryzen AI implementation. So, even though it’s marketed as a gaming handheld, it could be a little more than that given the Windows 11 operating system.
How does ADVAN X-Play compare to the ROG Ally?
| Specification | ADVAN X-Play | ASUS ROG Ally |
|---|---|---|
| APU | AMD Ryzen 7 7840 / AMD Radeon 780M | AMD Ryzen Z1 / Z1 Extreme |
| Integrated graphics | AMD Radeon 780M | AMD Radeon 780M |
| Screen size | 7 inch | 7 inch |
| Panel type | IPS | IPS-level |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Memory | 16GB / 32GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 |
| Storage | 512GB / 1TB / 2TB | 512GB SSD |
| Battery | 50Wh | 40Wh |
It’s clear than the visual design of the two gaming PC handhelds is similar, and this is also reflected under the hood. Both offer the same 7 inch screen size with a 120Hz refresh rate, but the X-Play has some advantages as a newer device. It boasts an improved battery – something that ASUS’ upcoming ROG Ally X is also going to improve.
Furthermore, instead of using the Z1 Extreme system-on-a-chip common in recent gaming handhelds, ADVAN has opted for the AMD Ryzen 7 7840 APU, which uses the same AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics. However, they boast that it also offers Ryzen AI – something the Z1 series fails to do. With 8 cores, 16 threads, and Ryzen AI, it could also perform well for productivity.
In terms of gaming benchmarks, the two devices should perform very similarly, though the X-Play will offer a 32GB RAM model – even more than the rumored 24GB memory on the upcoming Ally X refresh. On top of that, it has faster LPDDR5X memory than the existing ROG Ally.
