Physical Dimensions & Thickness: The ASUS ROG Ally X has a horizontal bar chassis measuring 280.2 × 114 × 36.9 mm, while the Retroid Pocket Nova uses a horizontal bar chassis measuring 169.9 × 84.1 × 15.6 mm. In width, the ASUS ROG Ally X is 110.3 mm (64.9%) wider than the Retroid Pocket Nova. In height, the ASUS ROG Ally X is 29.9 mm (35.6%) taller than the Retroid Pocket Nova. In chassis thickness (depth), the ASUS ROG Ally X is 21.3 mm (136.5%) thicker than the Retroid Pocket Nova (36.9 mm vs 15.6 mm).
Footprint Area & Weight: Calculating surface footprint (width × height), the ASUS ROG Ally X occupies 31,943 mm² (319.4 cm²), compared to 14,289 mm² (142.9 cm²) for the Retroid Pocket Nova—a footprint difference of 17,654 mm² (123.5%). On the scale, the ASUS ROG Ally X weighs 678g versus 255g for the Retroid Pocket Nova, representing a 423g (165.9%) weight difference (Retroid Pocket Nova is lighter).
4:3 vs 16:9 Effective Viewable Screen Size: For classic 4:3 retro games (PS1, SNES, N64, Dreamcast), the ASUS ROG Ally X's 7" (16:9) panel yields a 5.72" effective diagonal (75% active screen area with vertical pillarbox bars on the sides (native 16:9)), while the Retroid Pocket Nova's 4.5" (4:3) panel yields a 4.5" effective diagonal (100% full screen without black bars (native 4:3)). This gives the ASUS ROG Ally X a 1.22" larger active 4:3 diagonal (61.6% more active display area). For 16:9 widescreen content (PSP, Switch, streaming), the ASUS ROG Ally X delivers a 7" effective diagonal (100% screen usage) versus 4.13" (75% screen usage) on the Retroid Pocket Nova, making the ASUS ROG Ally X larger by 2.87" (+187.2% active 16:9 area).
