My Xbox ROG Ally X has conked out — and ASUS has acknowledged that they are facing a "high volume of repairs."
It’s a sad day for my Xbox ROG Ally X (you can check out the review here: https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/asus/asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-review). While it may sound like I’m joking, I assure you there’s a layer of truth to it; if I don’t find humor in this situation, I might just break down in frustration.
I shelled out a hefty £800 (equivalent to about $1,095 USD) back in September 2025 for this device, only for it to unexpectedly stop functioning. I feel compelled to share my experience because, frankly, my interactions with customer service so far haven’t inspired much faith — especially considering ASUS's past reputation for subpar service. The big question now is: how will I fare this time around?
So, what happened? My Xbox ROG Ally X simply refused to turn on.
This isn’t my first experience with malfunctioning tech; I’ve encountered device failures before and have spent countless hours trying to revive them. However, this particular unit was brand new, and I took exceptional care of it, treating it like a precious newborn. I even transported it in a robust JSAUX hard case (take a look at the accessories here: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/jsaux-unveils-new-xbox-ally-and-ally-x-accessories-with-fresh-carrying-cases-and-tempting-charger-deals). During my gaming sessions, I didn’t even push its capabilities to the limit, mostly sticking to lighter titles like Stardew Valley (you can read about it here: https://www.windowscentral.com/stardew-valley-xbox-one-review-product-love).
After a gaming session, I powered down the console and put it away, only to discover the following day that it wouldn’t wake up from its slumber.
"No worries," I thought initially, "it must just be a dead battery." I plugged it into the official charger, but my heart sank when I noticed there was no LED indicator showing it was charging.
To rule out the charger as the issue, I tried it with my phone, and thankfully, it worked perfectly. So, the problem was clearly with the Xbox Ally X itself.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I had faced issues with the Ally. There were two prior instances where it froze, but I managed to revive it by holding down the power button for 30 seconds. On those occasions, at least I had a charging light; this time, however, I was met with complete darkness. I meticulously followed every troubleshooting guide I could find online — holding down various buttons, cycling the charger, you name it. But nothing worked. It’s officially dead; it’s gone, an ex-ROG Xbox Ally.
Next stop? I had to deal with Currys, my personal nemesis when it comes to electronics retail.
I purchased my ROG Ally X through Currys, which I’ve found to be one of the more vexing electronics retailers in the UK. This is purely my view, and others may have different experiences.
Given my history of negative encounters with Currys' customer service, one might say it was foolish of me to give them another chance. However, they were the only store in the UK with stock at the moment, and I deeply regret choosing them.
Reaching out to them was not straightforward; I couldn’t simply send an email or make a phone call. Instead, I had to wait in line using their “live chat” feature. After going through a lot of hoops on the second day, I was informed that because my item was over 30 days old, I couldn’t use live chat at all. Instead, I was directed to a specific phone number that, of course, wasn’t listed on their website.
Once I finally got through, I spoke with someone who seemed considerably less knowledgeable about the device than I was. They actually suggested I try turning the device off and on three times — as if it would do any good when it won’t turn on at all!
After spending half an hour with Currys Customer Service and their so-called "troubleshooting," I was ultimately directed to ASUS to request a repair. Sadly, ASUS wasn’t answering or accepting inquiries over the weekend. Fantastic, just what I needed — more waiting. Which brings me to today.
Submitting my RMA request with ASUS has been quite the journey.
Now, four days after discovering the issue, I have initiated the process with ASUS to get my RMA sorted. While there’s a chance that the rest of the experience may go smoothly, my confidence is not particularly high when I see the following message on the ASUS website:
"ASUS is currently experiencing a high volume of repairs."
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"As a temporary measure, some UK Mainland RMA repair requests will be redirected to our Overseas Repair Facility."
Oh dear. Although this doesn’t explicitly indicate that a lot of ROG Ally units are failing, it certainly gives me the uneasy feeling of being part of a larger issue, knowing ASUS is overwhelmed with repairs across their product lineup. Could the Xbox Ally be among the faulty ones? While there doesn't seem to be a widespread report of failures on the main subreddit, I might just be incredibly unfortunate. If you’re an Xbox Ally owner reading this, I sincerely hope my situation is an isolated incident.
When I first bought the ROG Ally X, I proudly declared that I would set aside my Steam Deck and hoped I would never regret that decision (check it out here: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/i-bought-xbox-rog-ally-x-sunsetting-my-steam-deck). At this moment, having invested £800 in a device that barely lasted five months before causing me significant stress, I am already questioning whether I made the right choice.
Stay tuned for updates!
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Jen is a News Writer for Windows Central, specializing in gaming and Microsoft-related content. Anything involving slaying monsters with magical weapons gets her excited, whether it's Dark Souls, Dragon Age, Diablo, or Monster Hunter. When she’s not gaming, you might find her indulging in horror movies or reality TV — she’s still deciding where the Kardashians fit in. Follow Jen on Twitter @Jenbox360 (http://www.twitter.com/jenbox360) for more Diablo enthusiasm and her musings about the unpredictable British weather.
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