ROG Ally vs Legion Go vs OLED Steam Deck: Which gaming handheld is right for you?
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- čas přidán 11. 12. 2023
- With the release of three new and exciting gaming handhelds, this year figuring out which device is right for you suddenly got a lot more difficult. So to help sort out the best and worst things about ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and the OLED Steam Deck, we’ve prepared a big face-off covering the most popular portable PCs on the market.
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Correction: I stated that the ROG Ally has an OLED display when in fact it's an IPS panel. My apologies.
It's ROG, not ROg
The ally’s screen is also VRR, and is anti reflective without being matte or etched glass.
@mechanicalmonk2020 there should be a period at the end of your sentence.
"This error shows Engagets bad attitude"
I don’t blame you, this panel is actually amazing
Small correction. The Rog ally has an glossy IPS display. Not oled.
That's a huge correction
@@anthonydoring5397fr
You mean massive correction lol wtffff
I mean, Oled and a IPS display have almost no difference when the ROG ALLY colors and Steam Deck Oled is not really that noticeable :/
@@thegame8112 oled and ips is a big difference tf lmao
I bought the Steam Deck Oled even after the fact the Asus ROG Ally was on sale. The reason was because I loved the original Steam Deck and I enjoyed the ease of use and setup. I also appreciate Valve's efforts to constantly update and improve the Steam Deck's compatibility with future and current releases. So I will happily support Valve, and I hope the Steam Deck 2 will be successful as well.
LEGO
? You mean Go
The ease of use of the SD is way overrated, the use of the Ally is pretty straightforward and simple not as what people making it sound like.
@@SOPHISTICATED_VIBESNo man, Steam deck is much more user friendlier. No comparison.
@@2greenify you’all be defending that thing like your first born, the SD was cool but it’s time has passed. This is what it’s fanboys doesn’t wand to accept.
@@SOPHISTICATED_VIBES you assume to much man
As someone who mainly wants to retro emulate and remote play games, having a legion go sized display in a lightweight mobile processor setup would be sooooo sick
I'm envision a Legion Go Cyberdeck with one of those 144 Hz, 15-inch displays. If you flip the legion vertically, it's about as tall as a 15-inch, 16:9 screen, so you can make a pretty sick portable dual-screen Cyberdeck.
He didn't even mention that the ROG Ally has VRR, which is a huge plus for it. Or that the Steam Deck is the low watt / battery king. (Steam Deck APU beats Z1 Extreme below 15w) combine with 50w battery makes it last much longer than the others. Great for indie or games that are a few years old.
I have a LeGo. I use it all the time. The screen is what sold it for me. It's also run everything I've thrown at it so far in reasonable graphics settings and frame rates. I did quite a bit of research on all of the handhelds before buying one and it was a pretty hard decision. I agree with the reviewer, pick the one that fits. You can't go wrong with any of them.
Your story sounds like mine I did tons of research but was sold on that LeGo 8.8in screen and I don’t regret my decision at all
Pcsx2 still crashes for me. Pretty sure its driver related
I did a lot of research too and ended up with Lenovo for at least 10 reasons. What is little known is that Lenovo have faster RAM than Rog Ally and Steam Deck.
If the screen only had VRR (like the ally)...
Just buy any of them, play with them to clear your backlogs, in a couple of years there will be a gen 2, at least thats how i planned to use my rog ally.
Picked up the ROG Ally when it first came on sale during Black Friday and have been very happy with it. It was kind of an impulse buy because I wanted to play games outside of my office. Originally thought I’d play mostly D4 but in reality it let me rediscover gems in my backlog and discover new ones to fall in love with (Hifi rush). Playing at my desk always felt like a big commitment, but playing anywhere else made gaming feel so much accessible and leisurely. Honestly, it’s kind of rekindled my joy of gaming. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these offerings.
Thank for answering all questions
The way he's going hard on the steam deck old shows that he really is not bias, very honest review 💯👏🏼
The honeymoon period for the steam deck is long gone. More people are pointing out the systems flaws.
@@Guciom honeymoon period??? people hated on the steamdeck as soon as it came out, even before. i was one of them. i still have problems with the system, but i bought one the other day because it's the best pc handheld experience you can get for both the price, performance, and user experience.
Very informative thank you!
Great comparison video. It's really helping my choose as I Tey and pick my second handheld fighter (behind the ubiquitous switch of course!)
Nice video..How much each gaming handhelds in this video please?where you got the 3 gaming handhelds please?If you choose one among this 3 gaming handhelds what you will choose and why please?Please review MSI Claw please..
Get the device that fits your budget and meets your portable PC gaming needs. For me, that's the Steam Deck OLED. It has the best battery life of all of these, good enough performance with a careful and intentional balance between power and efficiency, an absolutely beautiful screen at a very purposefully chosen resolution for a 7.4" display, fantastic build quality, comfortable ergonomics, and excellent support from both Valve and the community, the former of which actually has good reason to continue support beyond the initial sale of the device.
Great summary. You covered a lot of the reasons I chose the Steam Deck OLED as my portable gaming device. I couldn't be happier with it. To me, life is about balance. I've learned that more isn't always better--or to put it another way, "better" isn't always better. It is all about how an attribute harmonizes with other attributes in the function of the whole.
From this and many other reviews I’ve watched, seems like the OS is a major selling point too. I mean, windows on those other portables… seriously. LOL
Yeah, I would love a windows portable - if Microsoft wasn't doing their damndest to make windows suck more with every iteration.
Great review, really appreciate how objective it was.
Steam OS can actually work better in some instances for compatibility in older games. Proton can actually fix a number of issues that stops games from launching at all on modern windows installs
This is an extremely important point that most fail to notice. Windows 11 really only offers "better compatibility" if all you want is modern triple A gaming (that are very hard to run on these devices anyway): If all you want is indies, older triple As, retro gaming or just older windows games, SteamOS/Linux actually runs them much better than Windows 11. And really, the newer triple As that dont run on SteamOS are few and far in between. Currently I've been playing Elden Ring and Monster Hunter World perfectly, zero configuration needed. (And my Elden Ring is a p*rated copy with a windows fitgirl crack that runs perfectly and was very easy to install in Bottles. If I ever buy a ROG Ally I will install Steam OS on there or one of those linux distros that try to copy steam OS and be happy. Windows 11 on these handhelds is horrible. Every time I see one (Ally or legion GO) in the store I go there and see Teams and OneDrive opened up in the middle of the screen (windows installs and opens them automatically) and get reminded on how I would HATE Windows 11 on my gaming handheld. Too much bullsht, too much bloat.
@@azenyr neither teams nor onedrive opens up automatically on the rog ally. It isn't installed when you get it.
As for performance not really, I've seen the performance of linux on the legion go, it is alot worse than windows.
@@oo--7714 that is because legion go drivers are still very much in development. Lenovo didn't make the legion go with Linux in mind so it's hardware doesn't run perfectly in linux yet. Community eventually finds a way to optimize it. The rog ally has much better compatibility with linux
I really appreciated the efforts at an unbiased comparison review. Thanks!
I loved my OG Steam Deck and I love my OLED even more now that I have it. It's a really solid upgrade. I'm not really interested in the other handhelds aside from the better performance, but at this point they're weaker in other categories that matter to portable gaming and the performance boost isn't enough for me to care when the Deck is as supported and optimized for the games I want to play as they are and continue to be.
The overall polished and comfortable experience will always reign supreme, but there will also always be a use case for any of these devices that depends specifically on the user since they're unique enough for someone to want one over the other. It's good to have all of these options and I can't wait to see what the future holds in the handheld gaming space.
specs are specs....higher specs are always better......the go will end up way better then the steam deck in other areas too.....eventually
@@christopher480 If you were talking about a device that didnt have a battery id agree with you. but when it comes to devices that run off batteries high specs aren't always "better"
@@christopher480 Higher specs are pretty pointless if the device runs out of battery after an hour and a half.
@jasondwimes8612 but doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of on the go gaming? If I need to plug it in I'll jump on my desktop (if I'm home obviously)
@@therealbeast660 well on the go gaming to me means being able to bring a powerful portable device with me on vacation or work without having to bring my PC or console. This portable devices all require a charger for long time gaming sessions. The Deck uses less power, so the battery life is slightly better. But I had to keep my deck plugged in with a power bank when I was on vacation also. You don't go without a phone charger, so why not bring your charger for your hand held device?
Steam Deck - best battery life, least powerful, medium weight
Legion Go - best screen, heaviest/bulky design, performance can still be improved
ROG ALLY - best portable (lightest), optimal performance + VRR screen, but of course, worst battery life
Most of the time, I play plugged in (or with powerbank) anyway so I guess ROG ALLY is the one for me 😅
I think for the most part this was a really well rounded comparison of all 3 gaming PCs well done Engadget 👏
I have all three and I still have a hard time deciding which one to pick up and use. I tend to use the Go most because I love the big screen, but it is the least comfortable to hold and has the worst sound.
Thays true! I think the ROG Ally is probably the sweet spot with VRR, price, and how it feels in the hands.
My hands actually hurt in some battles in Arkham City.
Same here, I really should sell one of them but I can’t bring myself to do it. Each time I pick one up I think ooh, this is the one I’ll keep, then with the next one and so on!
Legion go is better I don't see myself playing steam deck oled in the house I have ps5 xbox x I don't really travel anywhere but work. So Legion go gives me that 50/50 experience with tablet and gaming I love
The screen on the go is so good.
Not just for the size, the colour and vibrancy of it is so good.
The sound doesn’t bother me as honestly due to how I use these devices I’ve either got the sound of or headphones on.
The handheld controls are a bit annoying but tbh I’m a sucker for rumble and while the go has the best rumble out of the 3 it’s still not a patch on a controller so I’ve found myself taking advantage of the kickstand (which is actually fantastic) and just paying with a controller quite a lot.
That being said I hope they take advantage of the detachable aspect of the controllers and make different options for us to attach
Good thing that Engadget had to upload this nice handheld gaming PC showdown!
Depends on your region too. For me, Steam Deck classic with aftermarket 1TB SSD is stupidly cheap at 8m IDR - 6.2m IDR if I don't want the SSD (which I'm contemplating because I only play a handful of JRPGs and VN at a time). Compare to ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion GO which starts at 11-12m IDR for like half the storage and it's no brainer.
Vn on steam deck? Saudara ini sangat berkelas
I'm loving my AokZoe A1 Pro, but if i had to choose of these 3, i would go for the Legion Go. Its hard not to enjoy the larger screen
Which is funny because people were saying the steam deck was a monster and way too big and heavy
A larger screen with inferior picture quality. Also, 16:10 aspect ratio is pointless for gaming.
OLED has faster response times which is CRITICAL for gaming not to mention it has TRUE BLACKS and a superior contrast ratio.
...."because the Lenovo's performance mode is set to 25 watts, instead of 25 on the Asus" ROG Ally "Has a 7 inch OLED display in the center"? Typo in the thumbnail?, ....who wrote this? This video seems very rushed, lots of incorrect info.
I had to sell my original Steam Deck, and I am now considering purchasing a new PC handheld. I am undecided between the Steam Deck OLED and the Lenovo Legion Go. I would appreciate some advice on which one to choose.
great review!!
I strongly suggest using Handheld Companion if using Ally or Legion. There is an auto TDP options that can almost double your battery life on a single charge.
Wow! 😮 I have the Lego and didn't realise this 🎉 thanks for the tip - will definitely try it as I've seen its name being passed around the forums recently 😎
@@ModernOak "the lego".....good one athough "le go "sounds a bit more sophisticated.
No one talks about the fact that Valve is a software company and are likely to support their hardware long term (with a great track record already), meanwhile both Asus and Lenovo are hardware companies known for really bad software updates and tend to abandon their hardware within 1 year. So whatever issues you have on the Ally and Lenovo whenever they decide to abandon them you'll be SOL.
Dude windows will support Ally and Legion Go as it is a windows so I don't even know what your blabbering about I got my acer VX15 since 2017 and it still works fine up until today its going to be 7 years next year never had a problem doesn't need a support from Acer since windows is the one giving it an update and up until today it still is updating and don't even say in handheld and touch screen is different I bought the ally just yesterday and never had a problem with windows in handheld I installed all my games in my laptop from my ally and all are working fine.
@@nathanjuan6042 Yeah clearly you don’t work in the industry and understand how things works. Firstly, Windows is far from ideal on a handheld, microsoft needs to get deeply involved to actually optimize or even make a fork for handhelds for it to be even close to viable. Right now Windows is even a bad experience on regular laptops. Secondly, Microsoft are extremely bad at fixing bugs and very good at introducing them, so ”Microsoft will support” is not even an valid argument. Thirdly, there are things that even Microsoft can’t fix that requires the manufacturers to release new device and firmware drivers, and especially Asus laptop division (who are likely the ones supporting the Ally) have an extremely bad track record of this. They usually stop supporting a device within the same year of release, and this is a fact. They for example have still not fixed fTPM stutter on hundreds of devices from 2020-2022. They instead left millions of users in the dust with a very severe bug that is unfixable by anyone else as it is a firmware level bug. Lenovo are a little bit better at this but still, they don’t really care much about previous released hardware after 1 year either. At least with Valve it’s guaranteed.
@@Azrael-xl3jl I don't think I need to be in the industry to know how things work because I own this device and I am telling you based on my experience of owning the device and I can tell you that there is no problem with it like I said I put all my games I play in my laptop thru my Ally and it works fine. And since you already said that lenovo is little bit better I have different experience of owning a lenovo since it only lasted me 2yrs from 2013 I own lenovo g400 and the motherboard gave up after 2 yrs. I don't have a steam deck so I don't have anything to say about steam deck unlike you probably haven't own an Ally but your already saying things that you haven't even expererienced yet since you don't have the device. Don't judge until you own one.
@@nathanjuan6042 I am talking about the companies behind the devices, not devices themselves. I said Lenovo is ”a little bit better”, which is not really saying much as Asus is really bad on long term support. I have supported Lenovo devices for 8 years professionally and owned Asus motherboards and laptops all my life. They ALWAYS have some issue going unresolved. You might think that a device is perfect but an issue can creep up whenever. At least Valve will be there to fix it because they’ve said and proven they will support it long term, Asus and Lenovo won’t as they dropped support for the device months or years prior. Stop being a fan boy and use your brain.
@@Azrael-xl3jl Not being a fanboy this is based on experience of owning these device I won't say good about a device if my experience is bad I got good track record on my acer vx15 since I use it in 2017 up until today I never had a problem going 7 years next year and I expect my Asus ROG ally to do the same. Like I said own the device first before judging. Valve needs to support steam deck since they have their own OS since probably 70% of games works on linux and all games work on windows. I'd say your more a fanboy than I am since your judging a device without even owning it.
The best solution would be if they bring SteamOS to other handhelds and maybe gaming laptops as well. That would push gaming on Linux to the next level and can give windows and its dominance a serious run for its money.
Maybe once Logitech and razer let alone every other company start putting their products on it, and majority of the community isn’t going to do sudo anything so get rid of that too and we’re talking
Soon(tm)
isnt steam os literally "big picture mode" on laptops?
@ pretty much, and then they talk about the desktop mode that functions the same as using windows,,, so it just never makes sense
There's always big picture mode within Steam.
No doubt that's what Steam is holding on to though to have an edge on their competition as no primarily hardware company will be able to compete with a Steam OS.
Idk how you can say that the SD OLED has the worst screen of the 3. 800p is more than enough for a 7.4" screen and great for the performance target, 90Hz is also perfect for the performance target, and most importantly it is a *beautiful* OLED display with HDR that's actually good and 1000 nits peak brightness. It's just so damn gorgeous to look at. Even other reviewers, including Digital Foundry, mostly all agree that the new OLED display on the Steam Deck is by far the best screen on any handheld PC available right now.
Probably depends on the use case. I've never thought of the Switch screen as being low res when playing games, but I absolutely notice how nice the Go screen is when browsing e.g. the Steam store.
The Rog ally is above all these handhelds by a lot
@@mayorofnow While I can understand when it comes to text sometimes, 800p is more than adequate for playing games on a 7.4" display.
@@firstclaims30 That's a pretty bold claim to make when you said literally nothing to back it up. Lol. I'm not even saying that the Ally is overall better or worse than the SD OLED. I'm just talking about the screen in particular, which the Ally screen doesn't have sh!t on the SD OLED screen at all.
I’ve seen all three of these and these so called “tech” reviewers are typically jack of all master of none sorts. It’s a better panel, that’s a fact. Colour accuracy, response, brightness are all massively superior and test numbers reflect this. One lesson in life that all could benefit from is that you simply can’t fix stupid so just ignore it and move on.
Had all three, due to re occurring sd card port issue I actually got a buy back RMA from ASUS. So far neither the Steam Deck nor Lenovo Legion Go have given any issues.
@@user-vd7bb4bo5hAsus doesn't manufacture their own panels if I'm not mistaken.
If Asus releases the ROG Ally Gen. 2 with an 8" OLED display and narrower screen bezels, 144Hz and a larger battery, it will be the best handheld of all.
2 of those specs are already on the Legion Go.
I think that's the point here is each company waits out another to one up the specs. Valve waiting out Lenovo and Asus to release an OLED Deck now makes those others screens less color accurate no matter how high res and refresh rate they are.
Great time to be a gamer honestly! I'm very curious to see what Nintendo has to bring to the table with the Switch 2.
I’m planning on buying one of them, as I suffer from some chronic illnesses that cause severe chronic intractable neuropathic pain throughout my body that can sometimes leaves me to be bedridden for hours or even days on end and having a gaming device I can use in bed sounds like a Godsend. I like the SteamDeck but, it seems easier to use the ROG Ally for XBOX and GamePass, as well as games I own that aren’t on the Steam Store. I would love any suggestions from anyone with experience with at least one or the multiple different devices.
Well if you game on Xbox game pass you can use your phone and laptop to stream games. If you're going to be best ridden for extended periods then I can see why you'd want the ally since you can plug it in and get better performances but the steamdeck feels so good in you're hand and the battery life is amazing. To be honest if you have a decent laptop use that to stream games from you're steam deck which works pretty well. It manly depends on you're set up in you're room and how bed ridden you are when you game
get the ally, its the most comfortable, if you're going to play for hours, you're going to have to plug all 3 in. SD card reader sucks, but if you can get it for 600, have a !tb NVME installed and don't worry about it. I have arthritis and i can comfortably hold the deck for hours. Its been out longer than the Lenovo, and the software keeps improving. not a fanboy of anything, when something way better for the same price comes out I'll buy that, but right now i think ally has the lead.
Can the windows 11 based download playstation app for remote play to double down at home? Obviously windows xbox would be easy. I did the work around on the deck for ps5 remote play but its not perfect
What's the best device for MMORPGs like phantasy star 2 and tree of savior?
Main reason i bought SD OLED over the other 2 is i have only 4 priority games to play in the entire year. Division 2 . Monster hunter world, diablo 4 and guild wars2 (SD trackpad is so helpful with radial menu on this) on the go if im away from home. And all of those games runs fine. The rest of new and demanding AAA games my beefy PC will do the job.
Just play everything on your PC with a RTX 4090. Better experience and performance and you save money by not wasting it on the SD OLED.
@@commentwriter1240 spending something for ur needs and purpose is not wasting. i would rather spend for my gaming stuff rather than going outside with a bunch of people in a bar and spending same amount in just a week
I think I'm getting the Legion Go since I have SUPERRRR bad eye sight and gotta have things a lil bigger- I hope it works out lol
I have an OG SteamDeck, I think it still works perfect, would love that OLED display (maybe a mod will come up soon). Eyeing the new MSI Claw but, depending on pricing. What device here supports VRR? Does anyone of them? I know the Deck does not.
So far the Rog Ally is the only one.
I have all three, and my fav is the GO, closely followed by the Deck. I have pretty much altogether stopped using my gaming rig ever since getting the GO.
What do you do for a living to have enough disposable income to buy 3 variants of the same device???
@rihardsrozans6920 I wish I was rich, and that's just it, but it's more a matter of poor decision making than anything else
@@HekaWaset oh I've got that
Lmao, I feel that bro, (unfortunately).@@HekaWaset
What games do you play on the Go?
My opinion is that the Steam Deck is the better overall portable "PC" gaming system. Steam OS is great and the extra power of the other systems is a bit pointless. It requires going to 25W rather than 15W and that's going to kill battery life. Watt for watt, the Steam Deck performs as good, and sometimes better. If you're going to need to be tethered to an AC adapter to get the extra performance from those devices, you're better off just using a gaming laptop. Legion had one on sale on Black Friday for $800 with an RTX 4060. That would run circles around the Ally or LegionGo. I've got an older Legion with an RTX 2070 along with a Steam Deck. The Steam Deck is just a better and more cohesive experience than the other two and makes way more sense especially with a decent and more versatile laptop.
Handheld is a great form factor though.
Exactly my thoughts. I got original Deck, upgraded to OLED and adore it.
I have a gaming laptop and a desktop, so I really don't need another device that's tethered.
This one is incredible for killing my Steam backlog and emulating at 5-10W for 6+ hours at a time, best input system including software rebinds, and screen is fantastic even outdoors with etched glass.
You're not wrong. But based on my observation at least locally (asia) people tend to go with the ally simply because it can do gaming and is technically a PC when docked. Not a lot of people can afford a gaming PC or laptop around here because it tends to be overpriced (180-200 USD more due to import tax), Hence the Ally seems to be a more common sight, for some reason the ally z1 extreme tends to be cheaper than the SteamDeck Oled (again, probably due to less import tax on Asus coming from china/SG/HK than that of SteamDeck coming directly from the US).
Thanks for going into detail, that makes lots of sense for that market, and generally for people without another PC. I do recommend Steam Deck as budget portable PC, but for someone not used to Linux and really needs to get work done and not spend time learning then Ally is a great package. Plus I'm jealous of VRR! @@Psygnosis
@@Psygnosis That's true and I could see that if someone can only have a single device. Even then though I think an argument could be made it'd be better to have a laptop and a cheaper handheld like an RS36S for on the go/couch use, but that does sort of come down to personal preference at that point.
How to sound quality ? Which the better ?
the 90s kid in me needs that limited edition steam deck. I always went for the clear blue dual shock 2 controllers
Addition :
Rog ally and legion go is working with RDNA 3 graphic card which means you got high performance with FS3 and frame generation implementation.
So in conclusion you could get the benefits of high refresh rate screet because of this feature, i see some YT videos on legion go games are working around 120fps with FSR 3.
i really like the steam deck alternatives, but the fact that majority of my games are on steam (only Lies of P in gamepass and Alan Wake 2 on Epic), is why I'm picking the SteamDeck over the other two. Lenovo and Asus also don't have a good track record in software updates or stability when it comes to PC components. User experience and UI is one of the most underrated feature of a handheld that most people seem to not count in their factors for purchasing a handheld unit.
You know steam runs on the ally and the go right? They are literally a windows pc. Also, there is a thing called big picture mode.
@@spartan246 I hear you buddy, returned the steam deck oled and got the legion go. Couldn't be more happy. =)
I love the steam deck, I just wish it had the Z1 Extreme chip. My poor deck struggles with College Football Revamped so bad. Ally plays it no sweat.
What a wonderfully spoken video good job
Lets not forget though the Ally still destroy SD cards unless you send it back to have it RMA
You can use legions big screen if u attach egpu, with thing going right now imho 780m won't survive half a year so egpu will be must in near future
What about in Australia where the steam deck is not actually available by local retailers?
Which is best for emulation? I want to play all retro games but on my TV
I picked up a 512 gb steam deck used for $200 with the intention to flip for some profit.
After testing it out for a few days, I've decided to just keep it since it can play some of the games from my library without having to use my power hungry gaming rigs.
I can watch tv with my girl, while playing... its perfect.
All of them are amazing! can't go wrong if you choose any :)
Until you have to deal with customer service😂😂
@@mistrgiggls2554 oof. lenovo and asus dont have the best track record when it comes to pc components customer service. Pretty sure this will carry on to these devices.
I got the steam deck honestly I’d say it is the best one overall 👍
I totally agree all epic, I'm still playing this little x6 device rocking the genius but old megadrive earthworm jim and god these r good. Am baffled there so much more powerful than me old gaming pc, just wow on all 3, all the companies featured here r on fire and its epic for us gamers 😁 Thanks 4 the review am stunned
I love that there are options for everyone. I had returned my steam deck oled as I couldnt play a large portion of my library on it. Currently testing the Ally and waiting for the Go to arrive.
there's few it can't play. And even fewer if you decide to go the dual boot route. As far as performance goes, it's helps to be realisitic, it's very tiny so the graphics settings will have to come down on some games and 30fps will be a regular thing, which is more than playable for single player games.
Being able to run a game doesn't mean it can play it, not in an enjoyable way. You can only lower your expectations so much, being realistic is knowing the Deck is the perfect indie machine, ideal for some, but unable to keep up with the bigger games. If you want to play those games there's no reason to buy one when other handhelds do offer better performance.@@sorastereo7197
Yeah the steam deck is garbage. Get the ally instead. Way way better screen
@@MacGamingGuides Are you on drugs? I own an Ally an OLED deck and an LCD deck (that's off to a relative soon). The OLEDs screen is significantly better. Screen wise order goes OLED, Ally, LCD deck. Don't get me started on battery life the OLED absolutely murders the Ally on that. Which for a handheld games console is massively important. My Ally spends most of it's life docked.
@@eaglemmoomin_418ally is next level. Steam deck feels last gen
Steam Deck, and Ally, have much better audio compared to the LLG.
I dont get the whole Windows is bad for handheld thing. Sounds like an echo of someone elses opinion.
Wondows is bad if you plan to use the devices as a handheld PC, but if you use them as intended for gaming, your interactions with Windows is minimal.
And with all the updates to Armory Crate, you barely go into windows except for updates.
because Windows is ass when it goes wrong. Just not a cohesive experience. The difference is a handheld console experience vs a desktop PC in a tiny case that's missing a keyboard and in the case of the Ally a mouse. On my Ally I have Armoury Crate, Handheld Companion, RivaTuner and HWInfo64....To make it do all that stuff that is just part of SteamOS and far far far less ball ache to use and configure.
I bought a $25 folding MnK combo. Problem solved. I prefer Windows, but I understand it, and I have more games away from Steam's ECO system. Gamepass just works on the Ally. And PS Plus.
@@eaglemmoomin_418 you actually make my point.
You aren't using the device for its intended use of playing games.
Try that and you'll not notice the OS.
There's zero reason to have RivaT, and HWinfo on the Ally, LLG. HHCompanion although useful, is unnecessary.
Stop using it like a Gaming PC, and use it as it's creators designed it to be used as a HH Gaming Device.
You can install Windows on a Refrigerator, doesn't make it a PC.
Really, what do you gain from all that, Two extra FPS? How much time do you spend reviewing and monitoring statistics? Probably equal (if not more than) time actually playing games.
Hey I get it, it's what you like, and it's great that the devices can accommodate you. You are a member of the original PC Master Race, or a descendant of it.
A large portion of the consumer market only wants to play games. They're monkeys who only know how to press a button.
Ally, LLG, and Windows accomplish this without compromise.
If your interactions with windows are minimal, then why use windows at all? It's a bloated, unstable, and Microsoft hates you. You're a source of data, they can sell for ad revenue, and they will happily degrade your experience if they can make, or save money doing it.
The irony, is that many games run better through Proton, than they do running natively in windows. That's how bad windows is, and why you should migrate away from it at your earliest convenience.
Linux gives you freedom and ownership of your gaming and computing experience, and that's worth more than compatibility with crappy games, like Fortnite, Destiny, and the rest of the anticheat holdouts.
ROG Ally get me with its cool design, small form, factor, and stick layout. But the battery life and ease-of-use on the steam deck just sounds like that’s the smarter decision for me. The reason I’m looking at Ally is because it runs PC games. But be honest, could I get all of that to work on the steam deck?? That way I can play Palia and Fortnite and anything else that comes to windows
If you wanna play Fortnite, get the rog ally, if you want to just use steam get the steam deck
You definitely won't be able to play all of your games SteamOS
Also didnt mention the sound quality of the Ally, its soooo good
1:20 the ROG Ally does not have an OLED display.
I love my Ally- but I have to say windows has made it clunky at times due to software optimization. My external speakers are acting strange too. They fade in and out at times and it seems software related. But who the heck knows. Otherwise I like it a bunch!
Steam deck also has sound issues in max volume with some games
Can you do the same only with switch next?
I know it ain't 120 or OLED but I'm a big fan of OneXplayer. I have four of their devices for my family and just crowd funded their egpu. I also have the SteamDeck but I don't use it very much. All of my previous GPD devices all died the same death.
Hi im after getting one for my Child however he plays a lot of call of duty, Fortnite and wants to play BeamNG which 1 will run these perfectly?
The choice of 1600p is far superior to 1080p as it is perfectly scalable to from 800p giving it much better picture quality than the ally at 720/800p with integer scaling. The z1 extreme is much much much more performant at 800p vs 1080p.
exactly and the difference in frames isnt even that bad plus i dont mind its not like im trying to be a competetive cs player like bro who cares about frames
@@BeaumontReadMore frames isn't about being a pro player.
More frames contributes to a better gaming experience especially on OLED panels thanks to OLED's faster response times (not to be confused with input lag).
You wouldn't understand if you haven't played games at 240Hz or higher.
Spend a little more and get a laptop that's what I did and having a Nintendo switch Oled for years and only using it for planes as the screens are to small. Especially when you are nearly fifty like me or have bad eyesight. Don't think I would buy a handheld again. Great comparison probably the best I've seen
Nah, I don't want a buttugly gaming laptop lmao
The Rog Ally is my pick …perfect size for a handheld.
Battery is bad I can play only for 1 and half hour
Get a battery bank like the 737.. My Ally virtually never dies
Missed the VRR function on Ally's screen. For a PC with those specs, VRR is simply a must when you're always below 60 on AAA games.
Forgive my ignorance but what is VRR?
@@VelvetMagician Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) is an image transmission scheme that allows the device to adjust its refresh rate based on the frame rate of the video source, including game content, to eliminate the stuttering or tearing of the image and enable smooth display of the source.
Can one get get steam on the other devices besides the steam deck
Got the ally, my SD card reader never worked! not an issue for me personally. I like it well enough for what i bought it for, and i rarely use it without the plug in the wall. It does what i want it to do. I think personally all 3 need to step up their game. i would choose the ally again if i had to do it over, especially if i could get it for 100 bucks less!
I have an LCD steam deck and it's too small. I really wish deck is could be in the Lenovo. That 8.8 is what I am looking for.
I really want to go handheld but dont know which 1 is best for me as they all look good but dont want to regret buying a piece of scrap without the s lol so can someone please tell me, if all three devices what set to the best it can perform and was to play the same games, which 1 gets the most fps in game. Any advise is appreciated
If you want affordablity and not break the bank then rog ally / if you care about convenience and good experience and willing to comprise small compatible game library the steam / if you care about power and graphics and run power fps then legion but legion does do much updates and only focuses on more future products so being obsolete may occur for the legion.
Can go wrong with anyone.
The 1600p 144 hz Comes in handy when streaming your pc with sunshine/moonlight.
Which is the best device for playing Destiny 2?
Picked up an open box Rog with the extra discount it was great! I was thinking of legion go but the extra savings was the deal breaker. I knew I wanted a windows machine so I can install all the current games I own and didnt want to rebuy games on steam. the windows os is familiar for me so it more fixable. The main negative was if you not a little computer savvy and not willing to spend hours updating drivers etc to get things running super nice the systems are just not for you. My wifi was somehow disabled out of the gate and it took me hours to figure out how to install window without wifi and turn it back on. I guess that’s why it was returned as open box. But after few days of installing my Xbox games, steam, blizzard, and emu the system is great. The touch screen works well I have no issues typing and navigating through windows is a breeze not sure why other reviewers are complaining about it. Sure it’s not like amazing like using a phone or tablet but it works pretty well.
This is honest review from someone who accept this device.
You are absolutely right touch screen not that great like phone but it works fine
Yeah the touch comparison between the 2 deck and rog is night and day, always laugh when I hear windows is hard to navigate when it’s legit just steam os desktop mode……. Like wtf are people on about?
I also was able to snag an open box RoG at a MASSIVE discount. I got it for $470 and have had no issues with it. It definitely is not the system I would recommend to someone who has NEVER used a computer extensively, as it is a daunting learning curve at first. It took me about 2 afternoons to get the hang of the controls and fluidly summon the keyboard, swap between desktop mode/gamepad mode, but now I'm operating it almost as fast as my regular PC.
I have no issue with the touch screen, and the joystick control of the mouse is well optimized all things considered.
My biggest thing with it is that compared to the Steam Deck, I can run Elder Scrolls Online which is absolutely critical. I am amazed that people choose a steam deck's OLED screen over being able to run mods for a game. Also Destiny 2 on a handheld is fire, but impossible on a Steam Deck due to the anti-cheat software flagging it as suspicious.
Did you get the z1 extreme?
@@rileybrogan910 mine was AMD Z1 Extreme/Radeon Navi3/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/Windows 11/
I had both ally and Legion go but taking then back windows is just way to much work to deal with so I will get steam deck oled
I had bloody 3 allys all were faulty i had to get rid and try the kegion go and now we had the december update to ne kts night and day better
I got my ally last week and im absolutely loving it! I dont even use armory crate, but its fine for what it is.Outside of changing settings if you need to, armory crate is the desktop version of snapchat on a smart phone lol. And by that i mean why do i need an app to do what i can already do straight outta the box,if that makes sense hah.If you dont like windows on a handheld, go with the steam deck, But imo you get so much more versatility and performance with the ally.
I use the heroic launcher to access my epic and GOG libraries and it works great
I impulse bought the Steam Deck OLED, and that OLED screen is FANTASTIC. I have another PC handheld, the AOKZOE A1 Pro which has a 1200p display, but I'd rather have the 800p OLED display.
The Legion Go was really tempting, but the battery is too small for a device that big, plus only 16GB of RAM isn't enough for something with that high of a resolution display.
battery lifew is most important factor in handheld underwise you might as well go play in desktop
Tbf, battery banks are so compact and powerful now, that you can easily double or quadruple your playtime for not that much money. I have two battery banks, one was $150, fits in my backpack, and gives me a solid 16 hrs of playtime, the other was $60, fits in a pocket, and easily doubles my Deck's runtime. Battery life has never been an issue with the Deck for me.
then again, steam deck oled has double of battery life compare to rog ally.@@badsamaritan8223
I'm playing through the Arkham Trilogy at 1600P 144 FPS on the Go.
It's silly how nice the screen is. I was tempted to trade it in for an OLED, but it feels like an iPad browsing the store, as opposed to the Switch-quality screen you'd get on a Deck. In game though, maybe you wouldnt mind.
There is no way in hell you're getting close to 144 fps running at 1600p on the go!! You'd be lucky to average 20fps with that resolution. I'd say low settings @ 900p and you'll average about 60fps though
@@heavyequipmech2693 I haven't played Knight yet, but I did play City with the Steam Deck Highest Quality Docked INI from Nexus Mods at 1600P. Not always 144 FPS, but always high and very playable.
You mad at facts bruh
I've never heard someone try to use a pause, leading into 'y' know' more than in this video
I think you have a typo in the thumbnail.
Deck all the way. If I need anything more powerful then that- then I'll just play on PC.
Then you just wasted money
@RickSanchez-uv6es That's your opinion- sure. lol
I rather enjoy laying in bed playing WoW, D4 or the other plethora of my steam library (with 5+ hours of battery life). When I want to play Star Citizen, or DCS in VR- then that's when I'll hop on my PC. Either way, the ROG is unable to do either ;)
@@RickSanchez-uv6es Personally, I like carrying around my entire 500+ games library in my backpack, and knowing they will all run without issue. Emulators and Steam games alike. From Atari ad MSDos, to Xbox360, PS3, Switch, and the latest PC games. They all run great, and I know Valve is going to keep making it a better experience every year. Best money I've spent in years.
Ally is the winner here. ASUS fixing everything now. And reg battery life still steamdeck wins it. But you all have to remember steamdeck was so buggy during launch. We all trusted steam and now ally is same too.. those who complains about user friendly, here s answer for you. Windows 11 gonna bring handheld mode. User friendly windows + millions of game then u won’t regret buying windows handheld..
to me my priority to choose was that the legion go is all the above + its able to be used as a normal pc with its fps mode. Im a pc gamer and not usually a "controller" user but in some games i do use controller like rocket league etc etc, to me the overall diversity of usage the legion go has was a clear winner . I use mine on either 1280x800 or 1920x1200 and never actually use it at full rez since it wont make that much of difference on a 8" screen anyway. And the best part is with a few system & graphic tweaks here and there its the ultimate portable gamer all in one device. I mean i never use it "on the go" or what i would describe as on the go "commute" in (bus/train) etc since i drive to my destination and role out the whole device and all i need is the charger nothing else, i got my jbl buds and i got both controller and a mouse combi in one package. That is quite a large difference from when i had to pack my entire 17" asus rog laptop + the brick that weighs twice+ of the legion go on its own + headset / mouse and the list goes on an on. With the legion go its just drop the legion case in a small backpack with the charger and thats it, the fact that i go from 4/5+ kg to 1.5 kg is a clear pros over cons on its own, so if you're mostly a pc gamer go for the legion go and if you're a xbox / ps gamer go for asus. The steam deck is a no brainer for me since i game on multiple platforms other than steam and the downgrade of rez & screen size is not optimal for me even if it got better battery i would still choose legion go since in my case i never use it "on the go" but always seated / laying so running out of battery is of no worry for me.
I wish asus or Lenovo had stramdeck thumb placement
None of these hand held are small or even medium-sized, you have large, xl, and xxl. The onexfly is medium, the gpd win 4, win mini, and aya air devices would be small.
7:41 Why would Microsoft create a dedicated hand held mode for other hardware creators like Valve, Asus and Lenovo?
I don't understand why a lot of these reviews hype up the Steam OS. Its essentially just Steam Big Picture Mode. Which you can have on your ally or legion go. I sold my original steam deck for the upgraded power of the ROG Ally. I love the ally however I really am drawn to the detachable controllers and fps mode on the Lenovo GO. Having a tough time deciding on pulling the trigger. I want the upgraded screen to play cs however I think I would also rather wait till the next handheld comes out with a better chip or even better performance since they have the same chip the ally and go.
Just buy both like I did and test them yourself. You will end up keeping the Ally like I did. It is far better. Sound, size, weight, looks, game compatibility, game smoothness, resolution, variable refresh, 1080p, etc. No longer do I have to check to see if a game is supported and having windows 11 is far better if you are a pc gamer already. I had bought the Steam deck oled limited edition. Sound was not as good as my lcd version and I like the Ally screen better. Friends at work saw the Steam deck side by side with the Ally and all bought the Ally. One guy's first question was Can I run Game pass on it? Another asked Can I play the game Black Desert on it. The answer was that you can only on the Ally. They also could go to a nearby Best buy and buy the Ally with a choice to return it for 15 days.
All very good but all let down by silly lcd screns or too small or even too much bezel
The Steam Deck is still great!
VRR is quite useful when gaming on igpu 😅
I installed Nabara Os on my legion Go it’s pretty awesome
Steam deck still. If I wan’t to play AAA+ games I will use a gaming laptop/PC for best experience. For the Definition of portability and easy to use, steam deck oled.
I already have a great Asus gaming laptop, but I think I want a Steam deck oled
Any reason systems like Ayaneo and GPD aren’t in the conversation?
Because they usually become irrelevant a few months after their release.
Fair question, and mostly it's because we wanted to compare the most popular systems. I really liked the Ayaneo 2 when I reviewed it at the beginning of the year, but it just doesn't have the same level of available or support that you get from Valve, ASUS and Lenovo, which makes its stuff more of a niche choice.
last I checked, they don't compete on price.
I personally went with the LeGo and I love it, I didn’t go with the SD because it’s the weakest of the 3 and the Ally seems cool but I just wanted the bigger screen.
Would you recommend it to someone who isn’t that hip on Microsoft OS? I honestly want it to play mostly COD and some AAA games! Is it hard to setup for gaming? Thanks for your input
@@seanmathis1755 yes I would because I was not hip to pc gaming at all before this and still had no issues with it. All the information you need is right here on CZcams.
Weakest is subjective I’d prefer to get more then 2 hours out of my handheld .
@@W3TFART I get up to and a bit over 3 hours on my ally, my guy you need to stop drinking the deck sauce 🤣 the decks battery isn’t that much better, and it charges a lot slower 😭
@@aaronw-arrior9974 I get over 6 on indie games on my deck .
Would be more on the oled models
Although the biggest problem I have with ally is no touchpads .
I use them a lot on my steam deck .
The worst part is the windows units will have a new model in 2024 before you know it