is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
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Here’s a hot take: gaming handhelds are better with prongs.
How do I know? I hold a lot of handhelds (and gamepads) here at The Verge, but Microsoft and Asus’s upcoming Xbox Ally X might take the cake for the most comfortable to hold. And that handheld has basically the exact same design as the existing ROG Ally X I’ve reviewed not once but twice — except for two big prongs that let you grip the device.
Definite GameCube vibes on the Xbox Ally X below. Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge Ally X on top, Xbox Ally X below. Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Same exact layout, but bigger triggers and clickier bumpers. Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Seriously, check out my comparison photos: the Xbox Ally X is an Ally X with upside-down antlers. It’s the one distinguishing design change, and that change alone instantly makes it feel comfortable, familiar, and secure.
From the front, it looks like Microsoft got Asus to ape the Nintendo GameCube (or better yet Wavebird) controller, but it’s more than that. I have a GameCube controller right here, as I type these words, and my hands delightfully melt into it too — but the Xbox Ally X doesn’t abandon the tips of my pinkies like the GameCube’s shorter kids-to-adults prongs do.
It’s way more grip. Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge Definitely less portable than the Ally X. Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
So beefy. Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
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