ASUS ROG Ally In-Depth Review
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- I've spent the past week testing and prodding the ASUS ROG Ally, and so here is an in-depth review answering all the questions I had about the handheld. Let's see if it is truly a Steam Deck replacement.
More info here: rog.asus.com/gaming-handhelds...
Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
00:59 tech specs and pricing
02:42 unboxing and impressions
05:46 analog sticks and d-pad
08:45 Command Center & Armoury Crate
11:17 face buttons and triggers
12:58 ergonomics and comfort
15:48 I/O and other hardware
17:24 size and weigh comparison
19:12 software and screen
20:38 PC game testing
27:35 emulation testing
32:29 battery life testing
34:24 summary (likes and dislikes)
37:11 conclusion
This was a review unit sent to me by the manufacturer. All opinions are my own, they did not see this review ahead of time, and no money was exchanged in any way.
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This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.
#ASUS #ROGally #SteamDeck - Hry
We voted for 40 minutes. You owe us 39 more seconds of pure gold.
We clearly got robbed
@@altair3090 Absolutely!
Watch it again 😃
LOL
KERRY gold
60fps in so many games on a handheld is just insane. What a time to be alive
Ive been saying this alot lately. I started gaming in the 8bit era. The leaps in gaming visuals have gotten smaller over the past 10 yrs. Its nuts that kids are growing up in a world where 60fps handhelds is standard. Blowing dust out of cartridges and 60 sec+ loading screens were standard in my childood 🥲. What a time to be alive
@@vsnrygaming8954 the move BACK to 60fps has been encouraging to behold!
@@kylerclarke2689 i remember fantasizing about the SEGA Nomad 😅
@@vsnrygaming8954 I'm a little younger than that. Gameboy SP coming with a BACKLIGHT in the screen blew my mind 😂
@@kylerclarke2689 oooooooooooh i remember when that was innovative 😅. We sound like old geezers 😭
Honestly I love this device, not because I plan to buy, but to ensure Valve is kept on it's toes for the inevitable Steam Deck 2
Absolutely
Yes! Competition is great
Ditto! If much rather stick to the steam library than go around foraging for games on different platforms.
The only way for that to work is for people to buy the ASUS ROG ALLY Pro. They're making little to no profit from this. So go and support them.
Right now the Best Value option is the $700 Pro Model, followed by the $600 Base Model, then it's the $400 SteamDeck. Other options from GPD and competitors aren't even in the picture.
If it was my money, I'd get the Ally Pro for the Portable Windows Gaming, Retroid Pocket 3+ for the Pocketable Android Games, and maybe an iPhone for those iOS Apps. That covers the three main ecosystems. Also upto consideration is a console like PS5, and a non-gaming laptop from either Lenovo or MacBook Pro, and if I have the space perhaps a Large Desktop PC for gaming at the luxury budget.
Valve already said that Steam Deck 2 will not come out soon it will take years and the revisions will not improve on specs but more on optimization. So if they stick with what they've said, SD will lag behind just like Half Life 3 😂
The Steam Deck and ROG Ally are what the market needs. Powerful but affordable. Keep that kind of competition coming.
We need more battery tho or efficient cpus
@@DaleonM4 i think what we really need is less demanding games, these pc ports lately have been so power hungry, even the ones that really shouldnt
@@dorf7219 Jedi Survivor lol
bro really said "affordable" in the same sentence as ROG LMAO
@@user-rt6fq8wk1d Jedi Survivor on the Steam Deck is awesome for battery life. It was so broken on release that it was unplayable, ergo no game, no drain.
I audibly had a sigh of relief. I wasn't getting the info I needed from the other vids. Then, I saw your video show up on my feed.
Me too. I just pre ordered 2 of Allys and so far everyones been shitting on it 😩
I have a Steam Deck & it's nice to see other companies pushing competition.
exctly, the steam deck 2 will be exceptional
@@cvig1075 True, I might be getting an ROG Ally. Depending on how available it’ll be and when it gets to everyday users and not just CZcamsrs.
cope harder brah
@@catchwreck928 oh stop. The Ally and Deck can exist together. Competition is good.
@@catchwreck928 Cope why? I'd rather have my Steamdeck than this. It looks great and all but the Steamdeck will get way more support, community support and has the essential trackpads.
I am so glad Steam Deck came and created this market. There really weren't a lot of folks chasing handheld performance x86 before. Now there are multiple parties. I'd love to get an Ally and put SteamOS on it, or even just a nice Arch install and Steam as the default session.
Remember ally runs at a higher tdp, for lower end emulation the deck is a lot better
They didn't create this market.
Nintendo was first
@@kiniiri1205 Not really. This is handheld PC gaming device
@@stevemuzak8526 That's where I'd have to disagree with you. Making and releasing a product for sale is not the same as creating a market. Companies like AYN or GPD really only sell a few thousand units and in most markets, especially in the tech space, a few thousand sold units is basically a rounding error and essentially irrelevant. The only people who cared were the ultra enthusiasts. A few thousand nerds does not a market make.
The Steam Deck brought the Handheld PC to mainstream attention and sold hundreds of thousands potentially even over a million units. The Steam Deck literally has other companies bending over backward creating accessories for it because there's tons of money to be made.
That's what a market looks like.
This review helped me make my final decision to preorder the Ally. Thanks all of the detailed info and the extensive testing. Definitely the best review on the Ally I’ve seen so far.
Wow, that time worked out perfect! Almost 40 exactly. Glad to hear you're going to do a comparison video vs the Steam Deck. I'm very happy with mine, I just can't wait until Valve gives us the dual boot option. I don't want to wear out a good sd card with windows and I don't really want to do a work around either.
Best ROG Ally video up yet. Solid approach. Nicely done.
Nice to see you included Virtua Tennis World Tour in the video. I put in a ton of hours into that game when I had my PSP. I actually lost the game and then had to rebuy it at Circuit City lol those were the good ol' days.
Really great review Russ, just placed my preorder! The battery was my biggest concern but seeing your in-depth comparisons between the profiles really helped with my decision. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the RSR upscaling at 720p, if the picture quality is comparable to normal 1080p and if it differs from your battery numbers at 720p!
Good question.
Do you know if you are able to play while it’s plugged into the charger? also can it be charging while being transmitted to a monitor? Thanks for any help
Wooo! I didn’t want to watch any other review until yours came out!
Thank you for your detailed evaluation of the D-pad, which was overlooked by most evaluations. As a player who wants to have a dedicated simulator handheld, this is extremely important to me
It also depends on the community. Steamdeck has a great community and is backed by Steam, who's business is based on gaming.
I really hope this device is not left alone by the company or gets revised every year.
True. Constant Revisions is what killed Sega yet there's so many people asking Valve to do the same. I hope they take their time with the next Steam deck. The current one has a lot of life left in the tank.
I have a question is the steam deck windows or is it a proprietary steam platform and if it's a steam platform does that mean you can't install Windows programs thank you?
I like it. The battery life is the only issue with these handhelds. I’m so used to my Switch and its good battery life. But I might go for this ROG Ally.
@@z_MVP_Z Nothing better than that and 8'' screen 60Hz (not that stupid thing of 120Hz) with 65Wh battery (and fast charging) for $799 (32GB/512GB)
Namaste Gee..
Battery life is the exact reason these devices have not hit their potential and the most frustrating aspect to me not purchasing one. Luckily the obesity of the steam deck is fixed with this handheld without costing a fortune.
Same. I'm going to rush to buy a handheld PC as soon as they can give me a top-end gaming experience with 6 hours of battery life.
It's actually not all that different from a first revision switch when playing in silent mode
Thank you for the incredible in-depth review!
Thanks for doing the emulation stuff. Really why I want this device.
Great preview/review. Looking forward to the SD comparison video. Would love to see a bit more on performance when "docked".
Really great video! I've seen some others touting this as the best thing ever. Really happy to see you temper expectations and comment on how this is a great step forward, but not something that makes the Steam Deck look like a DMG 01. Great work!
Great review. Its good to see something like this now exists keeps Valve on its toes and that cant be bad for anyone. Im for sure going to stick with my Deck I actually am happy with the power and screen quality of it for a hand held. Ive got my PC to call on(which I find i use alot less these days) if I want a real top level experience when gaming.
Regarding the Asus Rog Ally, I'm really excited about its potential. However, I think I'm going to hold off on purchasing it for now and wait for further revisions to the hardware and software. As an early adopter, I've learned that companies often make improvements based on user feedback. Take the example of the improved (Huaying)fan in later orders of the Steam Deck. So, I believe it's wise to give Asus some time to refine their product before jumping in. Can't wait to see what they come up with in the future.
As far as I remember, some early Steam Deck Units also came with the Huaying Fan, but they had supply issues and had to switch/use Delta fans to keep the Production running.
The Delta Fans are also the "cause" of the "updated Fan Control" Setting within the Deck
I sold my deck for 50 dollars less than msrp. For $100 more ($699), I pre-ordered this. $100 dollars for 1080P/120hz and ~20 fps more is next gen category. For me, the deck was ergo; this looks ergo for me. Could care less about battery life, 2 hrs on always turbo is all I need.
Yep, never buy 1st gen gadgets, there are always some issues or something lacking in them.
Agreed. I ended up with a Steam Deck from the initial batch, and it was a wreck. The fan made headphones a necessity when playing anything moderately demanding. There were also regular crashes and freezes that I spend months trying to fix through tweaking and software updates before finding others with the same issues and realizing it was an issue with some of the initial units.
After an RMA, my second deck has been a dream aside from the garbage screen (I really wish I could've paid an extra couple hundred to get something with 100% sRGB coverage).
I really, really want to have a device that will let me play gamepass games and give me a chance to play some of those titles that SteamOS just doesn't support. It's great to see the ROG Ally making some great strides in that direction, but I'll likely reevaluate the handheld scene in a year and choose something then.
@@TerrannotOPcouldn’t care less *
This is the review I was waiting for, I watched until the last second.
Thank you Russ I love your take on these devices !!
Great review as always, Russ!
Very impressed by the ROG Ally, if I didn't already have a steam deck then I think I'd be tempted to buy this instead. But it's not a big enough jump from the Steam Deck for me to want to upgrade, I always prefer to upgrade my electronics when the upgrade makes me go "wow this is so much better" but I can't blame anyone who doesn't have a steam deck or one of those 6800u devices if they choose to get this over any of those.
Good option for all in Australia where the Steam Deck hasn't been released. Valve have shot themselves in the foot here. I can't justify another handheld but I'm sure many will go for this. Nice review as ever.
Don't think Steam lost anything over Ally.
I believe Valve is selling Deck at lost and planned to get that back by selling games.
So, having Asus selling device won't cost Valve money and they can gain from selling games anyway. It's a win win.
Really excited to see what the handheld market looks like in 1-2 years.
@@catch82 Love my Steam Deck, and this Ally looks great. But I can definitely get plenty of gaming out of my SD for the next year or two until something generationally better (than the SD) comes out.
@@catch82 Is it worth getting a Steam Deck at this point? I was thinking about getting the $649 model solely for its etched glass screen (I loathe shiny/reflective displays) but I feel like I'd be scamming myself.
Awesome work, a thorough review. Pre-ordered mine. Looks promising.
Amazing review! Very detailed, great job. Watching it, I’m now relieved and glad picking up the steam deck.
what is it about the ally that makes you glad you didn't get that instead of a steam deck?
@@nefariou5 I think it depends what Typ of games you want to play. For indies/older games/emulation I think the steam deck is the better choice. With some games you get 6-8h battery life. 4:3 rendered Games Look better, way better Dpad then ally. Trackpads. Besides ps3, you can emulate everything. So it’s kinda overkill. If you want to play all triple aaa releases go with ally. In this case i have my ps5
Than you for a REAL review. I appreciate that you also included the negatives! I ordered one. Figure if I don't really see a huge increase over the Steam Deck I can return it (advantage of being a Best Buy purchase)
Yeah this being at Best Buy is pretty huge. People can like the Ayaneos or GPD devices, but if something is wrong with it (and by Reddit posts, that is very very possible) youre going to have to ship it to Hong Kong and its super informal on how that is processed. For $1000 devices, thats inexcusable
I trust Valve much more of course, but I'm always going to prefer returning something in a store than having to send it in a box across the country and waiting weeks for a refund
Just did the same thing . Bought it , if I hate it I’ll stick with my SD .
Awesome review Russ! This confirms my worry about the Z1 Extreme. Although it is very powerful, it seems like you will have pretty bad battery life at those high TDPs, meanwhile it doesn't scale down well to low TDPs. If I'm playing GBA games on the Steam Deck. I reach 8.5hours of playtime (similar to 2D games like Sonic Mania, Huntdown etc) If I play Paper Mario on the Gamecube I get ~6 hours compared to 3hours on the ROG Ally. So for me personally I just like the balanced power profile of the Steam Deck. Better specs on paper doesn't necessarily make a good device. The ROG Ally probably has its target audience, but that audience definitely ain't me. :) I also bought the 400$ Steam Deck as a "companion device". I wouldn't want to spend more on such a device.
It's the 120hz screen probably.
@@SkaMacanan can you keep it at 60?
@@SkaMacanan It's not. It's CPU draw. At equivalent TDP the Ally actually gets better battery than the deck.
@@thegameksk sure, he does mention this in the video.
@@mechanicalmonk2020 Nope it doesn't. The deck clearly beats it at lower TDP just like every other competitors out there. It's crazy the kind of optimization Valve did with that thing.
Good review and nice to hear your thoughts on how you would use it. It looks like a great device and I hope it's a success but I'm happy with my Steam Deck. The things missing for me are at least 1 trackpad to mimic a mouse and the 4 back buttons on the Deck are great for FPS and third person shooters to replace the face buttons so you can aim 100% of the time so it's a shame to hear the 2 back buttons on this aren't as useful.
Nice review, Russ! I've been watching your channel for years and you've helped so much with all the units I've bought.
I think I'm holding off on this one. I'd love a more powerful Steam Deck but think no trackpads and worse battery life would annoy me. Great sign of things to come in the future with prices being better than expected.
Battery makes a difference
You don’t want a device dying within minutes. It’s an awful experience.
I'd understand this trackpad argument if the Steam Deck was the only device you had, but who's choosing to play these M&KB games on a Deck over a desktop with actual physical peripherals? 🤔
Yep. no track pads and no gyro is no bueno for me
@@Vault_Phil I use Keyboard and a thumb trackball vs a normal mouse... the Steam Deck is almost exactly the same... its nice to be able to play them just as good on my Steam Deck with trackpads. I do not ever play with any other controller any more on any system/console anything.. I cannot stand using joysticks for most games.
@@SCORP1ONF1RE Ally does in fact have Gyro. Mentioned in the specs at the start.
Amazing showcase, I may definitely consider this for Christmas or the steam deck 2 if it comes out soon enough
Valve said there won't be a new deck anytime soon
@@vloqy yeah i doubt valve will ever make another deck, i think they were just trying to push others into making their own. They lose money from decks, but they have nothing but gains from competitors pc sales
@@secondchildhood1142 I think they might in a year or few, and yes they lose money but make it back from steam sales
Never seen any of your videos before but I was keen on the Rog Ally.
Just want to say, this review is extremely detailed. Excellent work, I’ll visit back to check out your other stuff.
If I had not already pre-purchased an Ayn Loki I would be seriously looking at this device. Still anxiously awaiting news of the Loki. Fingers crossed you get a review unit soon!
Windows is actually a selling point for me. When docked, I find myself using the Steam Deck as a desktop PC a lot. But because it’s Linux, I’m limited to the apps I want to use.
you should mention the difficulty in buying and replacing broken parts and it should be a factor in comparing it to the deck
Idk man if we going off the press conference its so durable you might not ever need to replace anything unless you’re really irresponsible lol! Plus I’ll just get a geek squad membership with best buy if im that concerned, Im a steam deck fanboy but man this handheld a true competitor!
Cannot wait for the side by side video with the Steam Deck. Thank you so much for going in depth about the small things like comfort when holding the device and button feel on these devices. The BIGGEST issue I've had with the steam deck is finding a comfortable way to hold the device since I use what is called " the claw" grip by my friends. Really hoping one of these smaller devices like the ROG Ally or the Win 4 fit me a touch better than the Steam Deck.
I don't think you did one with the GPD Win 4, which is the other handheld PC I have been eyeing up lately. Would love to be able to compare the 3 devices much easier since they are all sitting at around that $600-$700 USD pricepoint.
this seems way better than i was expecting, really looking forward to the rog ally vs steam deck video
Hats off to ASUS for trusting you with the first review unit. Well done with the emulation tests.
ETA and others have one too
He wasn't the first, don't spread false info
I'm truly impressed. This quality for this price is amazing. I hope this pushes the market forward significantly in terms of price/performance.
Very good review. I liked that you showed a variety of game running on it.
Was looking forward to this one. Thank you 😊
Devices like this that have issues with diagonals need to create a 4 way 8 way mode option in the
menu, would help a lot with classic contra and pac-man style games.
Thank god you addressed things that other previews refused to answer or address. Because lord knows every big CZcams tech side previews made this out to be the perfect device. I commend you on addressing and this awesome in dept review
Meanwhile mrwhosetheboss straight up giving false information lol
@@shahtayyib i have nothing against the guy personally but his videos are so generic it hurts
Linus was very critical , surprisingly good overview
@@mehmetsinanaydn5982 not just that, he constantly shows bias and that he doesn't fully understand all a products specifications before talking about them
No knowledge depth whatsoever
@@Dx-so7jm agreed
One of the best reviews on this covering the emulation. Thak you!
My man! I was waiting on your opinion on this unit before I get one. We see eye-to-eye on a lot of points.
Sure looks like a Steam Deck competitor. However, I have no regrets about buying my Deck. I love that thing.
Something someone who have a bit of regrets would say.
@@zZiL341yRj736 Consider being more happy about something you're about to buy (I'm assuming), and less happy about if others are unhappy.
here's what you'd be giving up: no trackpads, less back paddles, no hall joysticks available, no parts replacement program (think about the battery and the sticks!), no steam os, no joystick touch
@@cheater00 you can just run steam anyway. And there will be spa reparts. The reason they chose ifixit is because it's the easiest method for a starting hardware company. Asus can just send spares to any of their partners to sell.
@@zZiL341yRj736 lol why????
Just pre-ordered partly based on your review. I haven't been this excited over a new toy in 20 years.
Linus heavily recommends it so much
An impressive and really professional dissertation. Thanks a lot
Great review! - Looking forward to latency measurements :)
Great review. Wish Asus would have used a bigger battery. Sounds like they had a light enough unit to do it.
Here's hoping for a good aftermarket support ecosystem
I think the biggest thing this is missing that the steamdeck has is the touchpads for mouse heavy games like Civ. It just works so much better then trying to use the sticks and buttons.
Yes. Trackpads and even the 4 back buttons. I use those all the time.
Especially considering this runs Windows out of the box. Navigating windows with analog sticks sounds like torture.
Also missing is the lack of a suspend mode so you can't just turn it off and on when you want to pause and resume your game. On a handheld that is a deal breaker for me.
@@MortonSeinfeld There's an entire touchscreen to navigate with. Asus has been making gaming tablets and laptops with touchscreens for awhile now and as someone who owns a Flow Z13, using touch to navigate has been great.
@@jollyrancherchick I've used Windows on a touch screen and it blows.
This a superb in-depth review. Kudos!
I’ve been curious about this device for awhile and I’m happy to see how it works. As a steam deck owner, I don’t really think it’s worth getting this since the battery life is way better on it only going up to 15w at 800p, but most games can get away with being played at 720p, mid to low settings with solid performance. Also the community support surrounding the device is also a huge help in getting the most of the device and the performance at least in terms of emulation doesn’t seem that far off from what the deck can do. Even if some games can’t run well on the deck, anyone with a quality desktop can try playing on that for more demanding games at 60fps and higher graphical fidelity. The Ally is a great device flaws aside, but unless there’s something that outclasses the steam deck in every single way at a competitive price, then it’s very likely not worth upgrading. Awesome video russ!
THIS is what I've been waiting for
This with GamePass seems like a dream setup 👍
My thoughts as well.
Really appreciate your D pad section in your reviews! Thank you!!!
Thank you for your awesome videos on ROG Ally, I got mine during the first week! Still enjoying it everyday!
Gonna get a dock adapter to come to me next week!
The problem with ROG Ally is that they took the biggest minus of the Steam Deck and multiplied it by four, getting a very, very, very HUGE minus. I'm talking about battery life. The one who came up with the concept of this console did not come up with how to make a competitive product, but came up with an excellent advertisement that is very quickly read - "2 times more resolution and 2 times more hertz!". As a result, you get 4 times less battery life. AAA-games in turbo mode in 1080p literally work for 45 minutes. You can say: "Put 720p and rejoice." But 720p on a 1080p screen looks much worse than native 720p.
I guess it's just very hard to put a big battery in these handhelds without making them impossibly chunky and heavy.
My thoughts exactly.
Using a Powerbank isnt that bad imo
Battery life is fine lol don't be surprised when Nintendo and valve do the same for their next gen handhelds and you people will complain like children lol bunch of crybabies go buy a power bank and play the dam game 🤡
@@AhmadCycro It's not about putting a bigger battery but turning down the screen resolution to native 720p and making a very lightweight OS like what steam deck has. putting 1080p is not a good decision in the long run.
This was the review I was waiting for. As always honest with big focus on detail. I hate windows so this is not device for me, but it’s great for competition;) I hope Valve is taking notes ;)
I don't feel like valve will be in any rush to spit out an updated Deck. I feel the Deck for most people is a great way to play through their steam backlogs and emulation in bed. I would rather see support for the device from Valve and the community for the next few years rather than doing the yearly refresh thing cell companies do.
You do realize that uh, you don't need to run Windows on this if you don't want to right??
Yes valve should take notes on how their true custom apu is so much better than rebranded laptop apus, that 1080p 120hz is a gimmick, that no gyro sucks and that true immediate sleep mode is so great. But also that a better screen when it comes to colours, contrast and backlight would be nice.
Best review of all others, Amazing the quality, thank you 👍
Very in-depth vid i really like it. I hope can you make a "dock mode" as well while using the ROG Alley. As usual in-depth as well.
Ahhh yea!
I don’t even bother with other reviews anymore. I know that RCG’s gonna be the best one anyway, so why waste my time 😊
This a weird technical question, Russ, but I hope you see this.
With your numerous sections about demonstrating different quality components - you show your "Contra Test" and the D-pad functionality very well; it's excellent! You show different aspects of the device uniquely. It's no surprise you are quickly rising up in the community.
Is there a way to provide a basic line graph model (thematically styled, with transparency, etc.) that represents the bass and treble balance in low/mid/high ranges? It might be a bit much or over technical at first thought, but I guess if you have a baseline of something with exceptional output - say, oh I dunno, a SteamDeck - and then comparing devices such as the Ally sound quality to that of the Deck.
For the example of the Hades theme song: You could have the song length and the change on the graph as the track plays, with a parallel graph as a comparison of the output of the Steam Deck's output.
It would be a subtle but beneficial way of adding to the strength of your demonstration section for sound as the speakers are important. This Ally seems a deserving candidate, as a severe competitor compared to the Deck.
Cheers Russ, great review. As handheld PCs go right now it seems a good one.
Just to note, there is a use for the 120hz mode that you’re overlooking. Local streaming . Can you do a test for battery life for local streaming?
he's just a clueless ad peddler. even for emulation you want > 60hz because some emulated machines run above 60hz. and you need VRR because a lot of emulated machines don't run at exactly 60hz and so will hitch without VRR.
It's an interesting device for sure. Nice video.
In the UK, I could get the 64gb Steam deck, the official dock and then a 2tb ssd for the same price.
I think I'd prefer the Steam Deck, especially with the Steam OS.
All of that would be £628, so I could get a Micro SD card as well,
and it looks like the high spec ROG Ally is £699 in the UK.
I love my steam deck but this being able to get that extra performance is really nice
Do remember the Deck has issues with the 64GB model. It's great value if you're willing to buy and install your own SSD, But without an upgrade the internal drive will likely fill up with compatibility data if you install enough games.
That's not to say the Deck is bad, I bought and upgraded the base model myself. But unless you're willing to do that, I'd argue the only models you should be considering and comparing are the 256GB and up ones.
@@sceerane8662 I have the 64gb model if you have cryoutilities installed there is almost no issue
@@sceerane8662 that issues has been fixed by the community
I just got my steam deck a few months ago, so i'm not looking to buy. But it's nice to see some actual competition. Great review.
I think the Ally could be a good choice for someone's only (and possibly first) gaming PC. When docked it's pretty much a standard and decent entry-level rig, though you will have to buy a monitor (and kb and mouse) or use it with your TV. The big question is: Why not get a gaming laptop instead, which offers a more complete package? The answer depends mostly on what form factor you prefer when traveling: laptop vs. handheld.
You can't play lying down on a sofa or in bed with a gaming laptop. That's the reason the Nintendo switch has sold in the millions.
i'm using a steam deck as my only gaming pc currently, and i can definitely see an ally used the same way considering the spec and it being windows.
really hope in a year or so the steam deck can do even more
Its a great day when RGC comes around with a 40 minute review!
It was 39 mins
It’s amazing but not the steam deck killer I was expecting it to be. The battery life was the biggest concern most people have. I was expecting 2 hours on turbo mode and 4 hours on silent mode. It’s possible over time the community will be able to optimize windows or just run steam OS to get better battery life. The screen is much better at 1080 but what’s the point if you end up running games at 720p. I think I’m gonna be patient for other companies to use this opportunity to make better handhelds next year.
Yep, same. Not in a hurry. They be beta-testing, I be buying when the tech matures
the biggest thing about this product is the 120hz display and variable refresh support. it's a game changer for emulation.
you actually need > 60hz to run every game in MAME properly because some games in MAME run over 60hz.
And because very few if any emulated games exactly ran at exactly 60hz, you need a variable refresh display to run them without hitching. so basically, just the VRR support makes this handheld far better than any of the other options for emulation.
everything else about this product is DULL
Exactly my thoughts here! SteamOS + ROG Ally would be much better than Windows.
Asus is basically, making very very small profit. I wouldn't be surprised if ROG ally is selling at cost + 5% margin. At this price point, its a steal. The other company won't be able to compete at all. Sad, but true. ROG ally is just to cheap for the amount of hardware inside.
Thank you ASUS for pushing the needle forward! Great product and hope to see more from this line.
I got the pre-order email from best buy and rushed over here first. I'm excited to get into this video and value your take.
As someone who is comfortable and familiar with computer hardware, one of my favorite things about the Steam Deck is how easy it is to upgrade and repair. How easy it is to access the internals on this Ally?
This. I’m excited to see iFixit do their takes on the repairability.
And a partnership with Valve is a big upside to the Steam Deck’s repairability, so if something broke, I can replace without problem.
From what I've seen of the teardowns. It's 6 to 7 screws and then you can then easily pry it open. You can replace the SSD, thumbsticks and battery. It seems like a modular design like the deck but you can't easily replace the battery in the deck because they stuck it down.
You could also get the base model steam deck and a 512 GB micro SD card for about $450. $250 cheaper.
Or, if you’re the type of person that enjoys tinkering with things, then get a 2230 512GB SSD and combine the 512GB SSD to make it 1 TB in total.
Got my order in! Thanks russ!
I’ve been waiting for this. I’m mainly interested in getting a device like this for retro games/emulation, so the extra power of this doesn’t necessarily interest me, but the ability to play my game pass games on the go is very tempting. I still feel like a steam deck is probably going to be what I go with, because I really don’t need another gaming pc.
If it takes 30 minutes to charge to 50%, it will not take another 30 minutes to charge the rest. It will take significantly more. The last 50% of any battery takes longer to charge than the first 50% because batteries work like that.
Thats why he said about 1:30 for a full charge and not 1 hour.........................................
@@lemonscampi He said, "about an hour, hour and a half" and just wanted to clarify to anyone that didn't know in the comments that it will take more than they might think. So the expectations are closer to reality.
..................................................... you seem to like periods, have some more ...............................................
Best review put there. Still disappointed about the battery which was my top problem with the Steam Deck. Also in Europe the Extreme is 799€ which is absurd
Exactly, the price in Europe is way too high. Im not buying that over 650€
Same in uk it’s £699 which is 800€
@@NOVARIS Its 804€ in the UK, even more
Wait what?! 699$ are 650€. They increase the price by almost 200$ then..that’s crazy. Usually it’s Dollar price in Euro, so 699$ = 699€.
could it be that the usd price is before tax and the eu one with tax included? idk I just remember us has a weird thing of not including tax in their prices
Amazing review Russ!
Very nice review, and very nice device. I like where these are going, I hope I eventually won't need a large desktop anymore for gaming and art, and just have something like this instead that I can use anywhere.
Looks good, but in Germany it’s 800€, 200€ more than the highest Steam Deck version. So not really worth it for me personally. Just got the 64GB version a week ago and so far really enjoying it
I honestly feel that the Steam Deck got many of the basic things right at a fabulous price with great support. With the buggy software mentioned on the Asus, as well as atrocious battery life, I’m staying well clear. I can’t bring myself to use Windows either. SteamOS, drop the 120Hz panel and replace it with a 60Hz OLED (which would help battery life) and it’d be a winner. I’d still have no confidence in Asus support and don’t think I ever will.
In light of them screwing over their customers with the motherboard fiasco, I agree with the last part of your comment.
Very clear comparison video thanks
Ordered mine today!!
The one thing that cannot be put on a spec sheet but carries immense value is customer support and service. Valve has been incredibly transparent about taking apart your deck for replacement parts and has also made them easy to access. I've also had fantastic interactions with Valve customer support and I can't say the same thing about Asus.
This is one of my most important things when you're considering buying a 500$ handheld with the controller essentially "built in". Competition is always good but I'm sticking with my Steamdeck for that reason alone.
Very recently had to deal with the Valve support to refund the base station that wasn't working well with my 8KX. A common problem because of EMI I've wrote, but the guy requested I do some tests and send him logs even it was my legal right to send it back without any reason. So I wrote I don't do that and never heard of him again. I had to open a 2nd ticket to get my DHL label. So not impressed by this support at all.
Haven't even watched it yet, but just wanna say, it's the review we've all been waiting for!
Thank you for the detailed review. And thank you for "no clickbait title".
If I didn’t already have a SD I would have difficulties picking one above the other. This thing looks sick!
This really is great, steam deck + optimized OS runs elden ring at sub 40 fps on most of the time, it's possible that with a lighter OS and some tweaks you can get a constant 60 on the ally
This was my thoughts exactly. Dual boot SteamOS on it, and see what it does.
10W mode 2x slower then Steam Deck. I guess Steam Deck still winner for On The Go use without charger
Truly an incredible review.
Awesome review! 👌
Is there gyro? Steamdeck still works better due to trackpad, additional buttons and gyro (FPS), it seems harder to play RTS or MMO games on the Ally
Yes it has gyro. I agree that there are more games you can play on the Deck thanks to the trackpads!
@@RetroGameCorps not sure if it's best buys mistake, but on their page, they have the Z1 regular listing for 512Gb storage
Exciting! I’m really curious to see how Valve will respond. So glad to have some genuine competition in this market!
Im hoping the SD 2 will have the same internal form factor so we can upgrade sd 1 with all the new parts.
@@GameTimeWhy I will be really surprised if Valve produces a follow-up any time soon. Valve is SUUUUPER slow at development and has a bad case of ADHD!
It's simple they won't.
@@allenfrisch they've been talking about a SD 2 for a while though and some of their plans for it. I don't want a new one every years because that's silly but maybe 3 more years and see what new advancements in batteries and apus there are. Also oled screens should be in a better mass production spot in 3 years.
@@GameTimeWhy I think you're correct about the timing. Unfortunately, the tech is improving so fast at this point that Valve may have a hard time competing by the time they produce the next Deck.
The "secondary function" is something that EVERY device should have, and games too - they should ALL provide this simple yet extremely powerful feature.
Love the channel Russ! Keep up the good work, long term watcher of the channel. Keen for the ROG to compete with the steam deck.