At one point I seriously thought about buying a Steam Deck. He has already tested my friends and monitored how things are going with the games. The console feels great in your hands, games are displayed quickly, and the large screen immediately immerses you in the process. Almost ready to order. But then I thought: is this really the best option?
And then I remembered about ASUS ROG Ally. On paper, everything is good: Windows 11 instead of Linux, a display with a 120 Hz refresh range and an external AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. Yes, I know that there is also a newer version of ROG Ally X, but with the prices our resellers decided that the game was not worth the candle: the performance was not much higher, and the autonomy was more secondary (I will explain why below).
Doubts, of course, help. At some point I decided I wanted to give it a try and chose Ellie. I’ll tell you why this console is so cool even at the end of 2024.
not Steam Deck selected
Photo from our Steam Deck review
When I started looking for a portable gaming console, the Steam Deck caught my attention. Huge community, great Steam library, easy to use – sounds great, right? But the more options there are, the more they differ that this device is not quite what you need. For starters, Steam Deck runs on SteamOS, and although you can install Windows, it’s already expensive (and why did you need to take SD if you’re not ready to use what you offer?).
I needed a console to immediately play my favorite games, many of which are available through Steam. For example, everything, I often play games from Game Pass, and with Windows on board the ASUS ROG Ally this is immediately available.
Another important point is performance and screen. The Steam Deck is certainly good, but its 800p display at 60Hz (90Hz on the OLED version) is underwhelming in 2024. But the ROG Ally screen is 1080p, 120 Hz – this is a more advanced level. Games look incredibly sharp despite the IPS screen. And the processor in ROG Ally is more powerful, which allows you to run some games at high speeds without compromise. For me this was the deciding factor.
And the last thing is design. The Steam Deck is heavy and quite bulky, while the ROG Ally is lighter and sleeker. This also played a role. It seems like a device that would be pleasant to hold and not tiresome during long sessions. That’s how it happened that the choice fell on ROG Ally.
What’s included
In the European versions and for the EAEU there is a normal “fork”
The set turned out to be quite minimalistic. The box contains only the console, a 65W USB-C charger and some documentation. Yes, everything you need is in place, but no case, stands or even a protective film on the screen.
However, this was a little disappointing given that the Steam Deck is included in the protective case. It seems like a small thing, but when you buy something premium, you expect that the manufacturer will take care of the details. Of course, I bought an additional case, but ideally I would like to get at least a basic set included.
But the charger turned out to be quite compact, albeit powerful. The console charges quickly, which slightly compensates for its poor battery life. Overall, the Asus ROG Ally package is okay, but I think a little more could have been done to please customers.
Design and ergonomics. It’s very easy for me to use
There is no stick drift, this problem was fixed very quickly
This is the very device that you really want to hold in your hands. The white body with RGB lighting around the joysticks looks stylish, but not flashy. Everything is done with feeling and care.
Compared to the Steam Deck, which seems more utilitarian, the ROG Ally looks like a gadget from the future. The plastic is high quality, the body is monolithic, nothing fidgets or plays anywhere, like on the Steam Deck.
The console is light, only 608 grams, and it really cools down. Your hands don’t get tired even during long gaming sessions. The sticks and buttons are conveniently located, everything is at hand. I was quickly pleasantly surprised that I finally got used to the controls. Like taking a PlayStation gamepad, but in a more modest case (not, of course, as if you were playing PS Portal, but still the same).
Of course, there are some minor drawbacks. For example, the handles on the Steam Deck are more pronounced, so it can be customized for people with larger hands. But personally, the ergonomics of ROG Ally suited me perfectly.
And Armory Crate SE, proprietary software from ASUS, makes it easy to manage performance settings and launch games. You can even overclock your console using it.
Performance is up to par. Runs the most demanding games
Many people complained about problems with the microSD card overheating. I haven’t encountered them in all this time, ASUS didn’t say whether it solved it (but promised to fix it in the middle of the year)
When I turned on ROG Ally and launched the first game, my expectations were completely met. The device simply “pulls” everything. Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur’s Gate 3 – the cunning of these games runs with amazing smoothness and at medium-high performance, albeit with FSR enabled. This is not just a portable console – it’s a full-fledged gaming PC in miniature.
Unless Indiana Jones and the Big Circle is already straining the console more. If in “stalker” I can comfortably play at a high stream with frame generation up to 60 FPS, then Indiana already produces 30 FPS (albeit stable) at low ones. For comparison, the Steam Deck runs the same game at only 20 FPS.
It is best, of course, to play in Turbo mode. When you connect the charger, the console reaches maximum power (30 W), and you really feel the difference. Visuals become even clearer and FPS more stable. The screen’s 120Hz refresh range does the trick, making games feel alive and responsive.
As a result, with Steam Deck, which also does a good job, Ally wins in terms of performance and image quality (800p vs. 1080p). Yes, the device gets a little warm during long sessions, but the cooling system works decently – the heating does not interfere with the game, because you hardly feel it.
Autonomy is terrible, but for me it’s not a big minus
You can also purchase an XG Mobile dock with an external RTX 3080 or 4090 video card for top-end gaming. There is a special port on top for connecting
Let’s say right away: the Asus ROG Ally’s battery is its weak point. In games, it lasts at most 1.5 hours, and sometimes less if the Turbo mode is turned on at 25 W. This is not the kind of console you can take with you on a long flight and not think about charging. But for me personally this is not such a critical problem.
Why? Because I rarely play for more than an hour or two at a time without access to an outlet. And at home or in a cafe where you can charge, the battery does not cause any inconvenience. The charger is quite compact and charges the console quickly, so it smooths things out a bit.
Yes, the Steam Deck definitely wins in this regard, but it’s a trade-off I’m willing to accept for the sake of performance and the ROG Ally’s screen. And if necessary, I take a portable battery with me, which will give me a couple more hours of play.
As for charging, the console charges up to 50% in 35 minutes. It will take about 2 hours to fully replenish energy.
If desired, you can play in a reduced power mode of 15 W. Then the autonomy will almost double. However, games will perform 1.5-2 times worse.
Overall, an improved version of the Ally X is now available with a larger dual battery. There are no problems with autonomy – it is approximately on the same level as a “steam deck”. But, again, the price in Russia became the decisive factor.
Was it worth taking ASUS ROG Ally
If desired, you can easily replace the sticks in the console and build in an SSD with a more capacious one. For example, 512 GB -> 2 TB
Definitely yes. Despite its shortcomings, Asus ROG Ally met all my expectations. This is a powerful, stylish and convenient device that can cope with any games and pleases with its quality. Yes, the battery could be better, but for me personally this does not guarantee all the benefits.
Even taking into account the fact that the tablet has a full-fledged Windows 11 with all the advantages and considerations. There are bugs, as usual, but I haven’t encountered anything critical.
If autonomy is more important to you than me, then you should pay attention to the ASUS ROG Ally X. And there is a little more RAM – 24 GB versus 16 GB.
Otherwise these are the same consoles. And personally, I didn’t find any reason for myself to overpay almost 2 times.
PS Presumably, ASUS solved the problem with memory cards in hardware, not software. There are no official revisions on the console, but it is better to pay attention to the device with a serial number that starts with R8. Judging by the feedback from participants, it was from this generation that the problem was eliminated.
📸 All photos in the article:
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
