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Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

• Lead the comparison and blog writing teams at Tech4Gamers.
• Oversee teams with a keen eye for detail and precision.
• Ensure hands-on writing, with benchmarks and testing as guiding principles.
• Guarantee the delivery of the best possible results in concise yet impactful tech tales.

See full bio

It has been the first time since Xbox extended to handhelds with the recently announced Xbox Ally. With this handheld, not only would Xbox expand to one more platform, but it could also dominate the handheld sphere altogether.

Xbox Listened

Right off the bat, you can see that this handheld isn’t like the others. Xbox introduced two variants: the Xbox Ally and the Xbox Ally X. You can tell that Xbox has paid attention to the most common issues that were previously faced by Windows handhelds and fixed them with their new handheld. 

Firstly, their handheld gets rid of Windows startup and instead integrates an Xbox One. This is where you launch right into your game library, as you do on your Xbox console.

Better UI & Memory Saving Feature

Additionally, in the new gaming UI, non-essential processes, even the Windows desktop, are simply not loaded. This feature claims to save around 2GB of RAM that would otherwise be used by background tasks. 

Now, the delay and optimization efforts Xbox had with this handheld make sense. This is like a breath of fresh air for Windows users because of how much memory Windows used to hog in gaming handhelds. 

When you put it into sleep mode and resume back in, you’re back in the gaming library, and the process is seamless. It also doesn’t consume more battery like it did in other Windows handhelds.

These were the reasons why SteamOS handhelds were loved by the masses, and they could’ve potentially replaced Windows handhelds if Xbox hadn’t intervened with their Xbox Ally handheld. 

Desktop Mode + Xbox Mode

And you could still go on use the windows desktop feature if you wanted to by using your joystick as the cursor. It also has a game bar that sits on the side of the screen and can easily be operated by the right and left button of your handheld. 

How Different Is Its Design From Other Handhelds

Gaming handhelds are usually designed to enhance their portability. Xbox Ally’s design, on the other hand, is based on the Xbox controller. It does feel like you’re holding a controller, although it mostly resembles the curves of the PS5 controller. Moreover, it has the same triggers as the Xbox controller. 

Function Over Slimmer Design

With its design, you can tell that Xbox didn’t prioritize portability. It also didn’t compete with handhelds’ slimness, opting for a wider design. Compared to the Nintendo Switch, it is extremely thick and bulky.

Heaviest Of Them All

Speaking of bulkiness, the Ally weighs 670g while the Ally X weighs 715g. To put into perspective, the Steam Deck weighs 640g while the standard ROG Ally X weighs 678g. 

So, the Ally X is the heaviest of them all, but it is surprising that it doesn’t feel that heavy when you hold all the handhelds one by one. This is because of how smartly it has been designed.

What About Performance?

It is heavy because the Ally X boasts a Ryzen Z2 Extreme CPU with 24GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB NVMe M2 storage, and an 80Wh battery. In contrast, the base Xbox Ally uses a Ryzen Zen Z2A, the same SoC as a 3-year-old Steam Deck.

Ally X Might Dominate All Of Them

While the base variant seems like a let-down, it would be cheaper than the Ally X, so that less performance would come with less price. However, with the specs of the Ally X, you can expect monstrous performance. 

With its specs, the Ally X is estimated to reach 9700 points in the Fire Strike graphics test, whereas the ROG Ally that uses Ryzen Z1 would be a close second with 8800 points, and the base Xbox Ally would touch 5500 points, which would still be more than the Steam Deck.   

We believe the price of Xbox Ally could be somewhat similar to Steam Deck’s, but the price of Xbox Ally X could be extraordinarily high compared to other handhelds. But let’s see what it turns out to be.

Future Of Handhelds Is In Xbox’s Favor?

This means that the Xbox Ally X will be making moves, and could potentially turn the handheld industry towards it. While this is the estimated performance, the real result will likely be more or less similar.  

With the success of this handheld, Xbox could also be working on their separate gaming handhelds without partnering up with other brands to produce even better ones in the futures, but only time will tell whether that is for sure. 

See full bio

Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

• Lead the comparison and blog writing teams at Tech4Gamers.
• Oversee teams with a keen eye for detail and precision.
• Ensure hands-on writing, with benchmarks and testing as guiding principles.
• Guarantee the delivery of the best possible results in concise yet impactful tech tales.

See full bio

In-Ear Monitors, or IEMs, are no longer a niche audiophile tool. Instead, the masses are using them widely for gaming and casual use because of the features they bring to the table. Let’s see what those are and whether you should make the switch. 

Why Go For The IEMs

If we look at how much gaming headsets, especially gaming ones, have evolved, we’d be shocked to see their growth. Some come with a Virtual 7.1 surround system, some boast high bass, while others tend to prioritize comfort for the user. So why should you choose IEMs? Let’s find out.

Comfort

While all of these headsets are great, they tend to be heavier and cause headaches for many users who use them for prolonged hours. Moreover, they put pressure on your head and ears, build up sweat, or cause fatigue over time.

IEMs, on the other hand, sit directly in your ear canal, providing sound directly in your ear. They’re also so much lighter that they feel almost weightless compared to the standard headsets.    

Detailed Audio – Best For Gaming

They can also be one of the best gaming tools, with immersive surround sound. Many IEMs are designed for the highly analytical, where they provide pinpoint accuracy so you can better detect the sound of your enemies’ footsteps.

Smart Design For Noise Isolation

In addition, they’re great when it comes to noise isolation. Even though they don’t have active noise cancellation features like some of the premium headsets do, their design becomes the main medium for noise isolation.

To elaborate, these IEMs have silicon tips that seal your ear canals, meaning there is better isolation and less need to ramp up the volume. This way, you feel immersed in the game because the tips practically block your ears from external noise. 

Wires Aren’t Going All Over

They are also ergonomically shaped so they snug right in your ear and their wire snug behind your ear, with some even having an adjustable cable that ties the two wires together to ensure the wires are going everywhere.

Custom Shaped For Your Ears

Some extremely expensive IEMs offer custom designs that are moulded and designed for your ear only. This ensures that they fit your ear precisely, so there is no room for discomfort. TenZ uses them to get the best audio quality while also having the utmost comfort.

Portability

Apart from comfort, it also gives you portability, which is missing in headsets. You can also detach the IEM head from its wires, which means that after you’re done, you can pocket them and go along with them, then assemble them again when you need to use them. 

Of course, a debate for wireless vs wired also applies to IEMs, but most IEMs ditch the wireless features because of the trade-offs they come with. Since they’re mainly designed for gaming, wired provides the lowest latency and fastest response, so they come with cables.   

Customization

You can replace these cables entirely with better ones or other colour schemes. With some of the better IEMs, you can easily swap out the filters if they’ve acquired dirt or debris and replace the tips if you want better ones.  

This customisation allows you to build the perfect IEMs according to your taste and also gives you the flexibility to repair your earphones in a way that standard headsets can not. 

Appealing Designs

You can also opt for the resin-shelled ones, which look extremely appealing because of the vivid colours and the gloss of the resins. Or you can go with the rugged metallic-bodied universals if that’s your thing. 

Now, if you compare that with your standard gaming headsets, where, more or less, they all look the same, they might have different designs and colours, but don’t stand out. 

Price

The cost is another major reason why you should switch to IEMs. Even the $100 headsets that sound great can’t match the detailed sound quality and channel separation that the finely tuned IEMs provide. 

You can even find some of the IEMs for less than $30 on the internet. However, it is important to note that these budget IEMs could compromise the audio quality features.  

Verdict

While IEMs provide great audio quality without causing discomfort, they still sit in your ear, so it is important that you don’t turn the extremely high volumes up to avoid any hearing loss.