ASUS
ROG XBOX Ally X20
- Price
- $1,300.00
- OS
- Windows 11 Home
- Released
- Oct 2026
- Up to
- Unknown
- Screen
- 7.4 inches OLED
- Weight
- 756 grams
We’re not tracking prices for this one yet.
No reviews yet
ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 vs. DIY Retro Carnival CM3
Specs, emulation, community reviews, ownership and play history, side by side.
Compare
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Shown to scale from each device’s real-world dimensions.
Quick verdict
- Best value
- Retro Carnival CM3
- Better screen
- ROG XBOX Ally X20
- More portable
- Retro Carnival CM3
- Newer model
- ROG XBOX Ally X20
Main differences
- DIY Retro Carnival CM3 is about $942 cheaper based on catalog pricing.
- DIY Retro Carnival CM3 is roughly 75% smaller and 60% lighter.
- ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 has a 120Hz OLED screen, versus 60 Hz IPS on DIY Retro Carnival CM3.
- ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 runs Windows 11 Home; DIY Retro Carnival CM3 runs Linux (RetroPie).
Details
DIY
Retro Carnival CM3
- Price
- $358.00
- OS
- Linux (RetroPie)
- Released
- Aug 2019
- Up to
- PS1
- Screen
- 3.2 inch IPS
- Weight
- 303 grams
We’re not tracking prices for this one yet.
No reviews yet
Specs
BetterWorse
| Spec | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | Retro Carnival CM3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,300.00 | $358.00 |
| OS | Windows 11 Home | Linux (RetroPie) |
| Screen | 7.4 inches | 3.2 inch |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 3:2 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 480 x 320 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 60 Hz |
| Panel | OLED | IPS |
| Chipset | AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | Broadcom BCM2837 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 890M (RDNA 3.5, 16 CUs) | Broadcom VideoCore IV |
| RAM | 24GB LPDDR5X-8000 | 1 GB DDR2 |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD | External MicroSD |
| Battery | 80Wh | 2920 mAh |
| Weight | 756 grams | 303 grams |
| Dimensions | 300 x 121 x 27.5–51.3 mm | 149 mm x 60 mm x 17.5mm |
| Video out | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No |
| Stick type | TMR | Unknown |
| Analog triggers | Yes | No |
| Touch screen | Yes | No |
Emulation
Excellent › Good › Playable › Limited › Unsupported
| System | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | Retro Carnival CM3 |
|---|---|---|
| Classic systems | ||
| Game Boy | Unknown | |
| NES | Unknown | |
| Genesis | Unknown | |
| GBA | Unknown | |
| SNES | Unknown | |
| PS1 | Unknown | |
| Mid-generation systems | ||
| DS | Unknown | |
| N64 | Unknown | |
| Dreamcast | Unknown | |
| PSP | Unknown | |
| Saturn | Unknown | |
| Sixth-generation systems | ||
| GameCube | Unknown | |
| Wii | Unknown | |
| PS2 | Unknown | |
| Modern systems | ||
| 3DS | Unknown | |
| Switch | Unknown | |
| Wii U | Unknown | |
| PS3 | Unknown | |
Emulation source notes
- Retro Carnival CM3 DS: Nintendo DS: Most games playable but mostly with frameskip, struggles with harder to emulate games This device does not have a touchscreen, so you won't be able to play DS games that rely heavily on the touchscreen
- Retro Carnival CM3 3DS: Nintendo 3DS: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Retro Carnival CM3 GBA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Retro Carnival CM3 N64: Nintendo 64: Most games playable but mostly with frameskip, struggles with harder to emulate games
- Retro Carnival CM3 NES: Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Retro Carnival CM3 PS1: Sony Playstation: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Retro Carnival CM3 PS2: Sony Playstation 2: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Retro Carnival CM3 PS3: Sony Playstation 3: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Retro Carnival CM3 PSP: Sony Playstation Portable: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable
- Retro Carnival CM3 Wii: Nintendo Wii: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Retro Carnival CM3 SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Retro Carnival CM3 Wii U: Nintendo Wii U: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Retro Carnival CM3 Saturn: Sega Saturn: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable
- Retro Carnival CM3 Switch: Nintendo Switch: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Retro Carnival CM3 Genesis: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Retro Carnival CM3 Game Boy: Game Boy / Game Boy Color: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Retro Carnival CM3 GameCube: Nintendo GameCube: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Retro Carnival CM3 Dreamcast: Sega Dreamcast: Most games playable but mostly with frameskip, struggles with harder to emulate games
Frequently asked
- What's the difference between the ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 and the DIY Retro Carnival CM3?
- DIY Retro Carnival CM3 is about $942 cheaper based on catalog pricing. DIY Retro Carnival CM3 is roughly 75% smaller and 60% lighter. ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 has a 120Hz OLED screen, versus 60 Hz IPS on DIY Retro Carnival CM3. ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 runs Windows 11 Home; DIY Retro Carnival CM3 runs Linux (RetroPie).
- Which is cheaper, the ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 or the DIY Retro Carnival CM3?
- The DIY Retro Carnival CM3 is the cheaper of the two at around $358.00, roughly $942.00 less than the ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 based on catalog pricing.
- Which is newer, the ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 or the DIY Retro Carnival CM3?
- The ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 is the newer model, released in 2026.
