Physical Dimensions & Thickness: The ASUS ROG Ally X has a horizontal bar chassis measuring 280.2 × 114 × 36.9 mm, while the Valve Steam Deck uses a horizontal bar chassis measuring 298 × 117 × 49 mm. In width, the ASUS ROG Ally X is 17.8 mm (6%) narrower than the Valve Steam Deck. In height, the ASUS ROG Ally X is 3 mm (2.6%) shorter than the Valve Steam Deck. In chassis thickness (depth), the ASUS ROG Ally X is 12.1 mm (24.7%) slimmer than the Valve Steam Deck (36.9 mm vs 49 mm).
Footprint Area & Weight: Calculating surface footprint (width × height), the ASUS ROG Ally X occupies 31,943 mm² (319.4 cm²), compared to 34,866 mm² (348.7 cm²) for the Valve Steam Deck—a footprint difference of 2,923 mm² (8.4%). On the scale, the ASUS ROG Ally X weighs 678g versus 674g for the Valve Steam Deck, representing a 4g (0.6%) weight difference (Valve Steam Deck 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 Valve Steam Deck's 7" (16:10) panel yields a 6.18" effective diagonal (83% active screen area with vertical pillarbox bars on the sides (native 16:10)). This gives the Valve Steam Deck a 0.46" larger active 4:3 diagonal (16.9% 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 6.81" (90% screen usage) on the Valve Steam Deck, making the ASUS ROG Ally X larger by 0.19" (+5.6% active 16:9 area).