Asus ROG Ally Review vs Steam Deck: The Fastest PC Handheld... But Is It The Best?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- Weeks in the works and delayed owing to BIOS issues, our review of the Asus ROG Ally is finally complete. We're looking at the highest specification PC handheld we've seen yet with the Z1 Extreme processor paired with fast memory and a 1080p 120Hz VRR panel. But we're also looking at Windows 11 - which has traditionally performed poorly in the handheld space. This is clearly the most powerful PC mobile device around - but is it the best?
Join the DF Supporter Program for pristine video downloads, behind the scenes content, early access to DF Retro, early access to DF Direct Weekly and much, much more: bit.ly/3jEGjvx
Subscribe for more Digital Foundry: bit.ly/DFSubscribe
Want some DF-branded tee-shirts, mugs, hoodies or pullovers? Check out our store: bit.ly/2BqRTt0
00:00 Introduction
00:44 Unboxing and First Impressions
01:03 Form Factor + Controller Issues
02:15 IO - Ports and Sockets
02:38 Cooler Impressions
03:32 The 1080p 120Hz VRR Display
04:31 Software: The Armoury Crate
07:24 Software: Command Centre
08:05 Asus ROG Ally System Specs vs Steam Deck
09:29 Performance Intro
10:35 Benchmark: Control
12:04 Benchmark: Cyberpunk 2077
13:06 Benchmark: Forza Horizon 5
14:41 Benchmark: God of War
15:50 Benchmark: Returnal
16:44 Benchmark: A Plague Tale Requiem
17:55 Benchmark: Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
18:33 Benchmarks: Z1 Extreme vs Ryzen 7 6800U
19:23 9W Silent Mode - Significant Problems
21:08 Snapshot Comparisons vs PS4/PS5
23:00 Asus ROG Ally Battery Life vs Steam Deck
25:09 Turbo Mode Battery Life
26:09 The Wrap Up
29:55 And Now, The Conclusion - เกม
The Steam Deck, ROG Ally, even Switch etc. really highlight that battery technology can't keep up with how fast CPU, GPU and storage technology is advancing.
It never could.
Not switch, 2nd gen switch is an absolute battery champ
My Game Gear wipes out 6 batteries in 2 hours so I have no idea what you're talking about.
The switch is still kicking the shit out of the other x86 handhelds for battery and it's doing it with a battery less than half the size too. It's hilarious too, because it's running an ARM based chip from 2015 so you know if something modern and ARM were released and had developer support it would decimate any x86 competition in a handheld space (like the Macbook vs literally any other laptop now).
@@ALmaN11223344 Yeah, because even games made for the Switch run like garbage.
We need some kind of paradigm shift in battery tech because that's the real bottleneck. We're gonna be hardstuck at this level in portable gaming without some major advancements in that field.
Well we can keep progressing thanks to new chips requiring less power but we could skip a few years of progress with better battery tech
I agree, for practical gaming reasons and for humanitarian reasons.
Using ARM SOC's and an extremely good translation/emulation layer like how Apple currently has would be another option to significantly increase performance while reducing power consumption.
It is as hard as defying gravity😂😂😂. We have chemical limit. The only viable option is nuclear battery but it will never be commercialized for a long time by safety concerns.
Battery tech was always the bottleneck we could have had so many things much faster if it wasent for need for more power advances in battery tech is the #1 thing why these devices exsist now and did not exist 20 - 30 years ago
There's no channel like Digital Foundry. I love these technical comparisons and deep dives!
There is only one Richard.
@@MarceloTezza There can be only one Richard.
sure altho the phawx, eta prime, taki, retro game corps, etc channels have reviewed these handhelds just as in-depth, actually more pointing out way more aspects, but def still love digital foundry especially for everything none handheld
Linus is making a channel that focuses on gaming and just about every aspect of it.
@@melxb especially our boi Russ of Retro Game Corps. Love his reviews
my doubt is whether Asus will treat the ROG as a finished product, as they do with their cell phones. Or whether it will be a console, which receives updates and improvements over time, so that games continue to run on the same product for an entire console generation, like the steam deck.
Whether they do further support or not, it's almost guaranteed that it will be far less support than what Valve is doing with SteamOS. Parts like replaceable sticks after the originals start drifting would be my main concern.
My main prediction would be that steam will release steam os as a open operating system to all these handheld gaming pc's. steam at the end of the day is mainly a game store and not porting the os is a huge missed oportunity
@camilo fuentes the os is open-source. They don't need to port. Anybody can use it, including you. If you want to create your own gaming OS. It's under Linux free license
@@camilofuentes7056 the os is already available to everyone for free
asus's whole software and side menu is extremely bugged and controls works on and off in games, this thing is a buggy mess and knowing asus, if this doesn't sell well enough they'll drop support like a hot potato under 6 months, leaving people with a clunky mess of an unoptimized menu that will never work long term for future game releases past 2023.
Deck owner here but happy to see a booming pc handheld market. More power to the consumer. I would support them all if I had the money to.
I'm more happy with switch and steam deck!
Get off welfare and get a job, then you'd have money.
Deck, GPD Win 4, and switch owner here. LOVE these things
Sold the deck for this. Still have a Switch. Looks to be a solid choice especially considering I’ll have access to my other library of games without having to do much
Rog ally is coming to Australia, what's Valve's excuse?
The steam deck has so much support both from valve and the community ounce the ally starts dropping off a little in profits asus is going to spit it out and move on to the next thing
You think the ally won’t have a community supporting it all the same?
A lot of the people building up the ally community are going to be the very same people who got a steam deck at launch
@@xMRxLAMAx what it means steam os is open-source. So if there's a bug. Anybody from the community can write code for it to fix. Valve don't have to pay No one to maintain it. However windows is closed source. Only Microsoft has the right to do any change to it. I'm thinking ASUS had to buy windows liscence to modify anything
@@xMRxLAMAx for instance if valve just disappeared from the face of the earth. The community can still build the os and push update. Microsoft will not dedicate a team to support a product that's not theirs
It’s like you forgot Valves other gaming devices and the “ support” they showed it
@@xMRxLAMAx it will be limited because it's running windows. You won't have something like decky plugins and etc that let users customize steam os to their taste.
Richard is the king, presentation perfection, thanks for your brilliant work! Its an honor.
Calm down
@@FeatherDory Never Stop
Latest update gives major performance boost across all TDP settings plus it fixes the issues with the proprietary software. Also, Asus will be allowing the option to park CPU cores, which should increase the performance even more at low TDP.
It would be great if you guys can test Auto TDP with the Ally. The Phawx was able to double the battery life of games using this tool while keeping the 60fps target. This is huge and tells us about how crazy efficient the Z1 can be.
Very cool info. Extra long batt life will be nice w/ retro games. Helps us tech nerds make purchase decisions 😎 Thanks bruh!
Good keep the updates going!
This type of stuff leads to better innovation. It makes my heart tingle and feel the good stuff.
Very excited to see the DF breakdown. Well done!!
Hello m8 ! Love your channel 😊
Deck for the win.
Awesome channel here
@@LEEROY_UK Thank you!! ♥
I appreciated the better audio mix in this one, Richard! The music wasn’t stealing my brain’s CPU cycles while trying to process all the numbers and comparisons being rattled off 😂
i love all the comments that are basically "competition is good, but I don't switch from deck or even consider anything once deck two comes out".
Thats not how competition works - if YOU are not likely to ever switch, then no, you don't actually like or support competition.
I've been looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this device, Rich. A great, thorough review, indeed.
If anything, this underscores how amazing a piece of work Proton is. The steam deck manages to stay within shouting distance of a system running native windows on a significantly updated SoC.
And I bet in edge cases like GTA4 the Steam Deck will outperform the ROG Ally because those single threaded chunky games from the early 2010s get a multiplier performance boost from the DXVK translation layer built into Proton which converts them from outdated apis like DX9 and 10 to multithreaded vulkan.
True, on the other hand - they are both X86 processors - So the translation isn't as hard as for Apples M chips vs their old intel chips..Which is truly impressive
@@christianmn1981 translation at the instruction level from X86 to Apple Silicon is more time-consuming in terms of instructions on the CPU, but not that difficult to implement. Both X86 and ARM instruction sets are well-documented and comparatively small compared to Win32 and DirectX APIs. Valve has been working on Proton for 5 years. Wine, the project it's based on, has been 30 years in the making. Game developers, especially very talented ones, have the annoying tendency to abuse bugs and unexpected behavior they find in the software they use to make their games run faster.
The reason why X86 emulation through Rosetta 2 is so fast is that Apple designed their silicon to emulate X86 well. If you're interested, X86 and Apple Silicon use the same memory layout whereas it's reversed for some data types on standard ARM chips (see "little endian" vs "big endian" byte order). When a standard ARM chip emulates an X86 processor, it spends a lot of time swapping bytes around. Apple Silicon does not need to do any of that.
im starting to strongly consider using linux and proton on my pc now. The performance is wild
Lmao Steam Deck's 15W performance vs the Ally has nothing to do with Proton. It's the custom AMD APU that the Steam Deck uses that deserves the praise.
Hope that battery is easily accessible/replaceable, because the longevity of the pack may not be so good. Charging at 65w means faster charging, but also faster degradation.
I just hope easy to change the batery and cheap so when the batery dies just swap it and done
This is interesting and I have been watching a lot of these comparison videos. I also watched the last Asus video, where they eaid they were working on a lot of these issues. Im not as worried about the battery as some, because I still play these handhelds close to an outlet and plugged in. This is also early software so there will be updates and improvements. Not making excuses for any shortcomings of the Ally. I do have one pre-ordered, but I don't think its a perfect device. I was encouraged when asus said they would support this device for a long time, we will see if thats true, but still encouraging none the less.I will do my own comparison and make up my own mind inve I receive mine June 13.
best detailed and honest review i have seen on youtube!! ❤
Steam made a commitment by using Linux as the OS. They invest a lot in it. The Handhelds using Windows just buy a licens and done. No one can do anything but MS. For the Steam Deck on the other Hand, the whole Community can help improve and many Companies help develop.
True but it’s not hard to install a new os, just cause a device ships with an OS doesn’t mean it can’t be changed, especially windows, it’s so easy to switch from windows to Linux now
@@gex581990 Which most users never actually do, since few gamers are actually that much into tech than simply gaming on their devices.
@@belliebeltran4657 installing an OS is the most basic of tasks.
@@eniff2925 ...for you. Not for the majority of users
@@eniff2925 Unfortunately most Windows users never had to install Windows or any OS. Linux is freakin simple to install but the normal user doesn't know that.
Wouldn’t it make sense to make these handhelds 720p native? The screen is so small, I’d imagine the pixel density would still be pretty high and you’d help along the frame rates
The only company that understands this is Nintendo, it seems.
Or you can just do 1080p for the games you want and do a pixel dense image, and then do a lower resolution for more intensive games since it’s a small screen.
@@MamaSymphonia 5 inches? Are you high?
I remember that when the steam deck was announced some people were expecting a 1080p screen. These people doesn't seem to understand the sacrifice in performance at 1080p (and reduced battery life), literally some games are unplayable just cause of the res bump. Also people expecting a 1080p display on the "switch 2" = 🤡
@@MavsFan10000 The deck is 800p, only because of it's 16:10 aspect ratio.
Such a complete and excellent video, thanks Richard!
Wow! Thanks so much for such a comprehensive comparison!!
I'm glad to see more competition in the handheld pc market but I'm sticking with my steam deck for now. I bought the cheapest model and upgraded the ssd, meaning I'm into it for 450, not 650 so that 700$ price point is meh to me
I have the oled Switch and love seeing all the new handhelds that have been coming out. Just can’t decide what to upgrade to
Best off waiting if you can I’m sure there will be a steam deck 2 some time soon, I’ll pick one up when it has a oled screen
Really good review / analysis 💪🏼 lowering the background music or take less present tracks is always a good thing. I'm looking for successor for my Surface Pro (all in) also for gaming on the go. Unfortunately the Ally has no cameras and stylus support. I also don't lime the white color housing which is bad for screen contrast. In my local electronic store I stumbled upon the Flow Z13 which fits all my cases. Would love to see a Digital Foundry review about this device. Maybe not only the all in version but also the entry level Z13 (2023). Thanks. 13" or 14" laptops are no option for me. Handheld / detachable / 2in1 form factor for the win. PS: how is your "E3" hype level? (I will call the summertime with all the game showcases always E3 - R.I.P.).
Great video! I like the Columbo refrence!
Only been a year?! Must say as cool as the Ally is props to Valve for heading in this direction, It's really opening up a new niche, Might even lead to a successful Steam OS/console someday with the traction gained. I thought it was out for like 3 years with all the improvements and competition that's opened up! Looking forward to seeing the portable pc gaming space grow
Nope
I don't really want another console, honestly. I like that more people are getting into videogames on PC because it's so much more flexible and has such a higher ceiling.
@@dandiaz19934 I didn't mean to word it like another console entirely, but more a PC that just boots up into a game based OS for those who are on a budget or brand new to pc gaming. Something modular to help introduce people into PC gaming. Microsoft has even been looking into making a more gaming orientated OS for these type of portables (probably looking to make their own too!)
It's the one thing besides budget i feel keeps many people back. The portable stuff is already doing that but how about a cheaper version without the screen and portability? Raise the bar for other manufactures besides nintendo's switch. More competition is a win for us gaming.
It's always been treated as a more exclusive thing but now a days the consoles all use PC architecture from AMD for Xbox and PS & Nvidia for the switch. The foundations already laid down for some easier avenues to PC gaming. It'd still be a PC, Just open sourced to install whatever the manufactures want. It's a bit of a pipe dream but i'd have said the same about Steam deck back in 2015. It's a lot more successful than i bargained it for after being a supporter of steams previous endeavours with Link and the controller. I feel we're in the early years, I compare it to a change like when we first got Xinput support for PC and could use 360 controllers. It was fantastic for people coming over from consoles as i was in 07' and now is just a norm for just about everything.
I prefer the ally because it uses windows, i don't want a new os, i hope that Microsoft optimizes windows for these devices tho
@@pneumonoultramicroscopicsi4065 I think on the DF podcast (maybe heard this elsewhere?) that MS was actively working on an OS update for these types of machines. I maybe worded that OS wrong. I'd like manufactors to have the ability to put windows, Steam OS, whatever they want to and we just have more options and competition :)
I'd hate to switch from Windows in all honesty. I've been used to it most my life, I work and use programs that are windows only.
It'd just be neat to open up PC gaming to as many people as possible, It's grown so much already but having cheap non portable screenless examples like the asus and steam os? That'd be a pretty good option for someone new compared to buying a prebuild or doing loads of research, it'd knock the price down a fair amount, apologies for my shoddy explanation friend, i share your opinion.
I prefer my SD, trackpads for functionality and precompiled shaders (equal no stutters). Bought mine at launch (350usd). Upgraded the M.2 SSD to a 2tb (180usd), purchased two 1tb SD cards (140usd), and upgraded the analog sticks to magnetic.
This.
Only thing holding the VSD back is that it wasn't launched in 2019 as intended. And the numerous setbacks meant it only came out in 2021-2022. But it's really polished.
The other problem is that Valve only anticipated selling around 100,000 units but right now they're just shy of 5,000,000 units. So they underestimated themselves.
The only thing better that could've been done, is if something like the ASUS ROG Ally Pro was released by Microsoft. If they did so, let's call it the "Xbox Series Go" and released it alongside the Xbox Series X, the whole landscape would be different. New and upcoming games for Windows would also focus on optimising performance for low-spec gaming. Meanwhile, Valve should've done the SteamDeck as a TV Console to have more thermal budget (but we all know how bad Alienware/others stuffed up the old SteamBox concept). Anyways Microsoft isn't doing a handheld, because they have a whole Cloud Streaming they're expanding for the future. It is starting to bare fruit now, and they will potentially be a monopoly for the next-gen as Fiber/5G/6G networks become mainstream around the world.
@@ekintekoI don't know where you got the 5 million number unless you mean projected lifetime sales. Valve is expected to hit around 3.5 million by the end of the year
Any benefit to the magnetic sticks besides future-proofing stick drift?
So i should stick wit buying the steam deck?? I'm getting the 512 gb..I just ain't jumped the gun..cause I wanna get the best bang for my buck..I got a xbox series x...so I like to have game pass..not cloud...
@@caseybelew1262 Get the ASUS ROG Ally Pro for USD $700. Right now the only thing holding it back is software; but that's one thing that CAN be fixed. Either through updates direct from AMD, Microsoft, or ASUS. Or even community fixes. You'll also get the full catalogue of games, xCloud and GamePass.
The Valve SteamDeck is good but not great. You can't add something to it, to make it better, the hardware is at its limitation.
You can get other handhelds from GPD and the like, and they will come with comparable hardware (7840u chip / 1080p screen). BUT. You won't get it at this price, likely you'll be paying closer to USD $900 level. AND those won't have nearly as good quality fans, speakers, mic, screen, controls, and etc etc. EVEN if you manage to find something better at competitive price, they wont have any customer support, so you risk buying a lemon.
At least for the next period (2023-2024), the ASUS ROG Ally Pro seems to be the better purchase. I said the same thing about the SteamDeck when Valve unveiled it, and that's been true (2021-2023).
Been waiting for this, thanks
The SOC in the Ally is really cool, but I'm not in a rush to sell my Steam Deck to get one. No touchpads on the ROG is a dealbreaker due to how often I use them for general desktop mode controls on the Deck.
Same. I'm a point and click adventure kinda gamer, and the lack of touchpads pretty much makes the Steam Deck my only option. Luckily, it's also (at least in my opinion) still the best option. The Ally has access to more power, but what's it all for if the battery life is dogsh*t? Might as well keep playing on my rig if I have to stay near an outlet to really gain the benefits of having more power. The Deck can throw out great performance at stupidly low wattages, which I think is a lot better.
and dont forget that steam deck uses a xbox kind of joysticks not gpds one ( bad for shooters) Allys only + is more power, and windows based console thats all... all after is a steam deck my leader but both are monsters imho
I never use point and click so never use the Touch pads and in desktop mode I get too frustrated I always switch to an external mouse and keyboard. I wont miss them on the Ally. There's no desktop mode since it's already there. If you need a Bluetooth mouse Windows can do that and use onscreen keyboard.
I hate using touchpad on laptops, and use a USB mouse instead. It's far better.
@@peterpereira3653 I aint using a wirelsss or USB mouse on a handheld PC, what's the point of it being handheld then?
In regards to the buttons, ASUS yesterday stated that they are re-tooling the button molds. They said they will be sending out new reviewer copies before release. I also noticed that my pre-order date has been changed from 13 June to unknown on my BestBuy receipt and I wouldn't not be surprised at a delay. Are you reviewing the original sample or is this a review of the new version? I'm surprised you didn't bring this up and things are starting to get a bit confusing.
As someone who usually plays games at around the 6-9W mark on my Steam Deck, it is nuts just how much more performant the Deck is at those voltages.
*Wattage
@@switchdeck9164 Right. I was just a dumdum when I wrote this 😝.
The worst part is that I used to be an electrician.
Long battery life and quiet operation as a bonus.
If these devices were designed to run under 10 watts like a phone, they wouldn't need active cooling and would have 3 times the battery life, while still being several times faster than a Switch.
I have no idea why manufacturers put laptop-level power draw in a handheld device that obviously can't fit the same amount of batteries a laptop can.
If ASUS figures out and fixes issues at lower tdp (perhaps with firmware/software updates? They stated that they are looking at that during a recent Q&A), I think that many of those that play indies, classics and low tdp games will jump on it and purchase one too. But yeah, the difference is kinda crazy for real
awesome review, only halfway through but I can see already this is gonna be way more in depth than some other outlets.
I wish they went more in depth with battery life and different TDP limits.
good to see you back Rich!
I’m keeping my ally for one reason: emulation. Being able to run the actual pc emulators, drag and drop wirelessly from my pc, and it’s ready to go. And it plays everything! PS3 included.
Probably would have skipped this video but I heard about it being delayed on the DF Weekly about TotK and this and it actually sounded interesting. As impressive as this is I think I still prefer Steam Deck. Steam Deck has become a sort of standard for me in a similar way the Switch has. Switch just works for the most part, of course things could be better but I don’t like messing around with settings and downloading stuff all the time. Also I love Nintendo original IPs. Steam Deck seems one step between Switch and fully customizable Deck; I know you can really mod the Deck but out of the box it can perform alright without too much meddling. When there is a device with great battery life, a great screen, an affordable price, and great game support then I will consider a new gaming device.
Great review, really puts things in perspective
Yo, great vid on an intriguing device. I got three big questions you did not cover
How good would it work in a scenario with a crappy usb power source nearby say a 10w outlet on a plane?
How bad is the missing touchpad or Xbox button that the verge complained about?
When you say 720p - would that really have the GPU output a 720p signal and have the panel scale that to native 1080, looking like crap? Or would there still be some FSR based reconstruction?
25:00 it’s funny how when the steam deck came out every reviewer complained about the battery life and yet even now it’s still miles ahead of the competition
I think that competition is good. I doubt I will be getting rid of my Deck. While I know it's not a huge deal for everyone? I do like the trackpads on the deck. We need an advance in battery technology though if these kinds of portable PC's are to become the norm. I do think battery tech will get better, but new PC hardware comes out every year and will such battery tech be able to keep pace?
It's not really about battery technology "keeping pace" because PC hardware (desktop & laptop) has always been drawing around the same amount of power, due to thermal and cooling limitations (all silicon chips can't really stand above 90C without starting to degrade).
Every new generation of hardware gets more efficient, and does more work (faster) for the same amount of power drawn, but the same thermal/power limits always applies.
Battery life has almost always been the second consideration to thermal limits. That's why most phones only draw under 10 watts, otherwise we'd have to start strapping fans to them and battery life would tank.
Back on topic: If these handheld consoles were designed to run at under 10 watts, they'd be completely silent and have 3 times the battery life they do now, at the expense of performance (but they'd still be several times faster than a Switch).
I wonder if the analogs are full sized with travel like the steam deck if not steam deck wins
Have you done any testing with pushing the TDP past the set profiles? I believe it can go up to 52 watts when plugged in and using a custom TDP profile.
This is the most legit comparison I've watched. Thank you!
I would be curious to see how the newer device would fair running SteamOS or other Proton/Linux OS vs Windows, in particular once there is some driver optimization.
Hmm... With Microsoft behind this device it's very unlikely that Asus is going to make optimized hardware drivers for Linux. And to be honest, a plain Windows install on a device with limited resources is not the best choice. There are a lot of background services that cannot be disabled by the user (yes even as Adiminstrator, because only Microsoft is the Super User).
Anyway - It's very unlikely that the Alley will ever get a Linux based system that is optimized for the hardware in the same way the SteamOS for the deck is optimized for the Steam Deck hardware. It would be nice, but without dedicated Linux hardware drivers it's very unlikely...
Im excited for it even with all of its "faults" as some would say. My only hope is that Asus actually takes all the criticism and actually work on the issues with updates. Especially with how some people are seeing it get worse performance while being plugged in some of its different modes
Yeah, in light of recent events I wouldn't bet on it, Asus addressing faults and taking on criticism - or just solving issues with updates.
Best comparison video even better with the Ayaneo! Valve seems had done better research in portable PC, the console-like experience in steam deck sets high standard for portable gaming. I do hope portable gaming devices will become better and more power efficient
Thanks for the best comparison in the youtube game!
Do you think software updates could fix this 15W low results in compare to the SD?
i hope this sells well. I already have a deck and the performance it nets makes me more than happy (and impresses), but Id love for this to be a success and provide competition in the space. Because it looks like a very nice piece of hardware. My only worry is that the portable gaming space is profitable, but niche. So we really may be relegated to one handheld.
Is it profitable?
@@chikobit3204 thats a question for Asus
Niche? Uhm 125 million Switch sold? 75 million 3DS and 150 million 2DS. Not thaaat niche 😅
@@Herr.Mitternacht i meant the Deck is niche
@@WHATISUTUBE that's a dumb statement. Since steam deck is literally going for the same market as the Nintendo switch. That's just say handheld gaming isn't NICHE at all!
Finally a handheld I feel compelled to settle on. Was planning to wait for Deck 2, but this looks just about right as to what I expect from a PC handheld. Windows support means I can play all my Gamepass games as well.
Definitely going for the ROG Ally!
Gamepass is legit….a lot of games. I just don’t use it…my son does on his laptop, with one account. I just rather buy the games off steam and get the points and achievements…that being said Xbox/gamepass runs in the windows background….hit the home button in the Xbox controller and it instantly brings up your account and messages etc…
This is what I've been waiting for... Let's goooo💯.
Excited for what other companies can come up w/ too.
Can also see portable batteries being paramount for these systems until battery tech improves greatly.
I think the Deck is still the best handheld PC device in balance. Seems the bespoke software Valve worked to implement generally provides a more optimised experience. Will be interesting to see a refreshed version in the future with newer more performant hardware.
I wish steam wouldn release a decklight or mini, even if we have to give up the track pads. The size makes it hard to actually use on the go!
I also think the Steam Deck might be a more polished device where the Devs seem to be aware of the hardware limitations regarding battery and power consumption. The Rog doesnt seem to be of any use. Nintendo did the same compromise with the switch.
Imho, everyone using such a handheld is inclined to accept certain drawbacks in performance. If I want to play AAA games in ultra-high specs I use my gaming PC. I don't expect a handheld to be able to keep up with it. This never changed the last 40years and probably won't.
I’ll wait and see how Asus supports this and improves the performance over the next few months before I consider buying
preordered, can't wait!
Hey nice review !
Is there a setting to bypass the battery charge when its connected to the power adapter ? The Asus rog phones have it.
Thanks!
Great review, Richard!
I think it shows several things:
1) valve did a fantastic job with the Steam Deck - both with software and hardware and that 30 fps limit battery test just showed how much.
2) Asus shows it is incapable of creating well-tuned device, whether UI, performance, or software. Some of this is for sure to blame on Windows 11 atrocious power management.
3) I think with better hardware and tuning, we can get much more from devices with such form-factor.
So what we want is Valve to take Asus machine and have its software and battery management replaced with Valves
I like windows, it means it's flexible
@@pneumonoultramicroscopicsi4065 not as flexible as linux
@Justin-qp1co it depends on what you want from the os, if you have certain priorities, one os is more flexible than the other
I really hated how asus did not embrace the steamdeck os. This is the glue that makes the steamdeck the steamdeck. This is a platform designed for low power pc gaming. so why throw all that out the window and fall back into what we already know? windows is a piece of shit os for handhelds and consumes far to many resources.
I’d be very curious how a tiny11 install vs stock vs steamos 3.0 does with battery and performance. I use tiny10 on a htpc with an apu that doesn’t access the internet and it increased performance a fair amount.
Can't wait to see what folks concoct with this thing.
@@MoeFokah It's windows there are tools to strip out the background stuff. Just how far can you go is the question.
with how much time there is until launch, there'll probably be answers to most of this by then...and guides
4:59 Thanks Rich! That was an extremely valuable info for those of us crusing ships with that infamous flag.
Excellent review, liked how it was both critical and still positive about both products 👍
Hyped for this, competition is great for innovation and consumers. I love the Steam Deck but it's a shame the distribution line hasn't been implemented in many countries, so alternatives can become useful for people.
Do you live in a country that can’t buy a steam? Deck?
@@XGiveMeLibertyX I do
The problem is those alternatives are eye wateringly expensive almost 2x expensive than the base steam deck in those countries
asus's whole software and side menu is extremely bugged and controls works on and off in games, this thing is a buggy mess and knowing asus, if this doesn't sell well enough they'll drop support like a hot potato under 6 months, leaving people with a clunky mess of an unoptimized menu that will never work long term for future game releases past 2023.
I think most of the world has enough logic that 700+ dollars for 20 fps low setting pc gaming is not something enjoyable that's why it's not spread around lol.
I suspect the base ROG Ally R1 with 6 cpu cores and only 4 GPU compute units is going to have the better bang for your battery against the Steamdeck. It's odd how ASUS didn't go with 6 compute units but I suspect they will be running them at much higher clocks than the 12 compute units that's on the Extreme.
Waiting to see the results on the ally when someone run Linux on it. Of course we need to wait a little to mesa drivers catch up Z1 extreme. Awesome video, as always.
wow you know your stuff enjoyed that video. question which to buy steam deck or asus ally?
ALLY even better again now since updates.
To me just throwing more power and 1080p screens show Asus didnt quite understand why the steamdeck works in first place. After trying a steamdeck I was convinced that more pixels was clearly not what was missing. Steamdeck is an affordable package that made smart choices and that let the users set power, refresh and performance target to taylor his experience, all in an integrated and unified interface. Just having more power to push useless pixels on a 7" screen is just a waste of power. Kudos to Asus tho for having actually put some thougth on armory crate and not just run windows and call it a day.
Steam Deck owners with poor standards unable to understand why other people enjoy nicer things. Typical.
I believe the display can be set to lower resolutions to help with performance if need be
Steam deck disply is atrocious to say the least, No vrr support, colors look washed out, poor viewing angles not to mention lack of 120hz support which if you are into playing older titles is a great experience
@@VaydaladaVodalada I actually didn't bought the deck and went for a more expensive gaming laptop instead which suits better my utilisation. But I still thinks that pushing more frame at higher settings should have been the goal of Asus and not wasting the power on 1080p instead of 720p on a screen that small.
@@BlindTrustProject then use the lower resolution on the 1080p screen if you want. Not that hard to understand.
Hmm, gives me something to think about now. Thanks for the info.
What driver were you running in the benchmarks? Has there been a big update by now?
One of the very best reviews on this channel. I still think a good gaming laptop fills this user scenario better overall, but this could still be useful for emulation and older games, just like the SteamDeck. It is sad how little of an improvement RDNA3 is actually providing over RDNA2 at lower power draw, eg 7600 compared to 6600 (and the lack of RT improvement in particular is disappointing bc RT perf improvement was one of the only good things about RDNA3). But still, its amazing these devices can run modern AAA games at all, so to me that's icing on the cake, and RT is icing on the icing.
Ya amd rt has always been pathetic let's be honest
The Steam Deck is still a better choice for older games, it has much better performance at 9W and it's more efficient with capped framerate. I think these Steam Deck opponents still struggle with battery life a lot, I wonder if it's because of Windows. It would be interesting to see these machines running Steam OS to see if there's any improvement in this regard.
@@LuizFernando-li1du 9W is high even. Performance only really takes a dive all the way down at 3W. The Deck chugs along happily anywhere between 5 and 8W and runs titles from a few years ago like a charm. The issue with the Deck is that it stops scaling well at 10W and above, though IMO that's fine for a handheld. I even bought a really long USB extension cable for my Deck, but it's just not as nice as actually being untethered.
A gaming laptop is not an alternative in any way for me. The steam deck on the other hand is my absolute summer gaming machine. Soon I will have finished Dragon Age 1-3 on this thing, and I absolutely loved it.
@@LuizFernando-li1du it might be useful for some PS3 games
Am I missing something here? The performance is pretty similar to the Steam Deck at 15W.
Yeah, the ROG ALLY isn't worth the premium. And apparently the ROG Ally has terrible battery even at 15w limit.
They should have gone with a 720p display.
@@TechOrigamiand even not waste power in rgb lmao.
@@ivand5699 yeah, RGB on a handheld doesn't make any sense at all.
"What do we do to improve battery life on this? Why yes, add RGB lights!"
It's an alternative to a steam deck
we just needed to wait for some updates, performs much better now
Nice! Saving this to watch later
Looking at that configuration screen, I'm curious as to what happens if we make the device mimic the Switch specs, both for portable and docked. Can Asus Ally match the docked clock speeds, both CPU and GPU, of the Switch?
we need a video now that the rog ally performs much better since the updates it has received, very much like the 7840u counterpart now
My fear is asus will not do what valve did and keep supporting the device over a year after launch and counting. I think asus will release a cople updates and then expect you to buy a new one
With the Steam Deck there is a growing community of modders etc releasing software that allows you to improve performance.
That's why I bought a steam deck recently, I know valve and they give their games a long lasting support, even old games like tf2, I don't trust Asus 😝, I've been reading news and Valve is realizing updates every now and then for the steam deck, that's why I love valve, they do everything with love
I would love something like this as a gamedev. Battery life is less of a concern, i'd be plugging it to mains at different locations.
Love the Columbo reference 😎
If they could somehow make a battery that could play at 60 fps for 4+ hours these would be the future of gaming, playing the ally and the steam deck is baffling I remember playing the game boy color when it had first came out it’s pretty incredible what’s possible nowadays, I’m going to continue buying these handheld pcs in the hopes that they can improve on them even more.
I hope Valve's operating system evolves into a sort of a gaming focused OS you can install on these handhelds and even desktop PC's. I reckon Valve OS is probably better on the battery than Windows probably is. I really wanted to get the ROG Ally, whats holding me from getting it is a lack of an OLED screen and the realization it still feels like the software needs more work.
Well, it's a version of Arch Linux IIRC. I agree, if Valve can really drill down and optimize the hell out of it to get more performance it'd increase the value and performance per watt substantially.
And agreed. I'm going to jump into one of these once they come with an OLED and we've got more modular, matured aftermarket support. A portable, customizable handheld would be wonderful as a standard.
The reason they're apprehensive against releasing it for desktops is due to the amount of Nvidia users out there. Their Steamdeck OS is tailormade for AMD GPUs. The reason being for using AMD is that Nvidia drivers on Linux suck. Bad open source drivers for Nvidia GPU's and barely passable official drivers. It also doesn't help that Nvidia refuses to support Wayland, which is bad because the only alternative is X11 which has a major exploit. Their OS is basically prebuilt Arch with all the goodies baked in, which anyone can do on their own if they put the effort in.
hey DF, id like to know if steam deck even has upgradable memory? because if i remember 5 months ago when i was watching videos on it they said you cant upgrade only buy the high end models until memory cards are made or something and its only 158 gigs max or something like that (correct me if im wrong just going by what my brain remembers) so if theres no memory cards how do you install all your games? or do you have to delete some to install some on the steam deck?
All models you can upgrade the storage drives. I upgraded the 64gb drive to a 1tb drive.
Great review, Rich!
I pre ordered an Ally on the launch day and eagerly awaits the 13 of june. It might not be perfect but the screen and the higher perfomance along with with it running windows so that I can play Warzone and BF 2042 makes it worth it for me.
Easier access to gamepass too! If you don't have a steam deck I'm sure you'll absolutely love it
Nothing is perfect
I ordered mine for pc gamepass. nothing is perfect but this is about as perfect as it gets for me
@@MajorETX same. Access to install game pass and to other launchers as well as good performance are points 1,2,3 for me.
1080p is a must on Ally since it is using Windows and because most applications and web elements are designed for 1080p UI, a native 1080p screen is better. Believe me I use Windows on Deck when not playing games, the experience is awful and I always needed to connect it to a 1080p portable touch screen.
Thing is, you CAN cap the tdp on deck at lower than 15 on aaa games when you adjust settings accordingly. It's battery wins are probably higher when you use it carefully
"Its impact can't be *understated*" in the opening sentence of the video, nice :D
It’s nice you can load SteamOS, but definitely missing out on the specific features of the Steam Deck hardware.
Yea I'll take better software over Performance, it's a sick device none the less though. The deck is just perfect for what it is
Seems like if you want to run this at max performance it might be a good idea to carry a large portable battery pack with usb c power delivery to stretch it out as long as you can. But I am definitely interested in getting my hands on this, got my preorder in through Best Buy.
Really curious how much life/power you would be able to squeeze out in that case. Mainly eyeballing a handheld PC to bring on vacation, don't necessarily mind it being on a cord or battery pack.
That's my plan
Just plug it in, no one actually takes these things outside
@@elderbaza06 This!
When you build a "portable" gaming machine for a bunch of introverted gamers.
@@elderbaza06exactly...and these days most likely wherever u at..there's a plug in..
Richard my friend - what can I say you are the master. Well done sir.
Hi Richard, I’ve noticed a discontinuation in your videos, on the frame rate graph the trend lines are drawn BEHIND the central line of the axis while on the frame time graph the trend lines are drawn ON TOP of the central line of the axis. fyi
Pre-ordered the ROG Ally! Being a busy Dad, husband, and career I can't camp out in front of my PS5 for 4+ hours like we used to. But to sneak in an hour to rip through some campaign or play some 2K, this is perfect. Gonna let it rip in Turbo mode with 1080p and 120HZ for those hour bursts. Doubling as a PC is awesome too. I'm a fan of Steam Deck too. For me this is the choice. Thank you DF for the review you guys are top of the hill
Good luck if it breaks. I hope you pre-ordered it from Best Buy or somewhere that offers a warranty.
@@rustler08 best buy offers warranties, it easier to fix then going and fighting with steam support. I’ve had a mixed bag with them personally.
@@rustler08 ordered direct from best buy. I also like taking risks on new bleeding edge tech. I think it will be great for me and my family
Might wanna get one of those 65w 40,000mah power banks. That could probably extend your playtime significantly while still being able to use the turbo modes
@@e2rqeyYeah thx, I have a 40,000 mAh power bank, but it's not 65w 🤔. Slow battery drain while on a battery lol.
Not buying a SRT Hellcat for it's gas mileage!
Feeling even better about my Ally pre-order now! These videos really are the best thing out there for tech enthusiasts
Have you seen Dave2D's video regarding the updated firmware? Big performance bump!
The Colombo reference just solidified Rich as my favorite presenter oh and just one more thing great job DF Retro
I'm surprised you didn't try testing at least one benchmark with a steam deck running windows, as valve does provide drivers and the controller is fully functional, which works wonders when dealing with stock windows as you have a trackpad instead of a joystick for cursor movement, and once steam is running you have full configuration oarity with SteamOS. If you're willing to use community software, you can even get back TDP and refresh rate control, along with integration of 3rd party launchers into steam, making the experience nearly indistinguishable from SteamOS until you switch from Steam's fullscreen interface to desktop mode. I also think not having a compatibility layer on steam deck could lead to less overhead, meaning better performance or battery depending on your configuration. Just my two cents as somebody who's been dual booting on my steam deck for a while to play incompatible games.
great point! no one is talking dual boot performance...
It's a cool looking device and its good to see more competition in the handheld space. However, I think I'll stick with ma trusty Deck and eagerly await Valve's next offerings.
Was this video made before or after the new driver for the Rog Ally?
Don't think that sling problem in A Plague Tail Requiem is an Ally issue - I ran into that bug at that same place using the Game Pass version of the game and an XBox Series S Pad.
After a month, this comparison needs a refresh. Stability and performance have gotten better with updates on the Ally. I have a Steam Deck and a few 6800u devices. Drivers had such a huge lead over the Z1 when this video was released.
what about the battery now ? it fixed ? it same as steam deck , what about playing on 9wtt its better than steamdeck?
I'm getting one tomorrow and I'm extremely happy to hear that. Happy I waited a little bit too for those updates
@@Itsumi456are you liking the ally.
@@Itsumi456any update
Was hoping for a better analysis of the sleep/suspend issues this device has considering what its core design is for a portable experience.
They have better things to cover, consoles still make up about 95% of all gamers. That's what these guys specialize in.
@@drummer7557 "Better things" shut up nerd.
For my use case of playing at home on the couch while watching TV with the wife, the Ally makes more sense. Would still be nice to see some efficiency gains at lower TDP though. Maybe through firmware updates?
It would be great to have a Switch performance comparison (like the ps4 one you did) to kinda predict a potential switch 2
Biggest problem for Steam Deck competitors is Windows (strictly as an OS), sadly it is beyond bloated that ends up taking resources away from the user, Valve really knocked it out of the park by tailoring the OS for the hardware and eliminating such bloat. Very impressive, this coming from an exclusive windows gamer, one thing going for windows as of now is compatibility across the board.
We'll have to see IF Microsoft can come up with the Windows for handhelds they are saying they are working on
@@LuisPerez-5 why would they waste their time on that if they could instead launch a portable Xbox?
@@softwarelivre2389 because it wouldn't change anything. And just making the software they would make ALOT more money from all the Windows gaming handhelds out there.
@@LuisPerez-5 they already do, because those weird companies prefer to use windows and have a bad product instead of trying the GNU/Linux approach like Valve did with their SteamOS.
@@softwarelivre2389 Which product is bad because it uses windows?
Loss of touch pads is a huge issue for me. So many games would be extremly difficult to impossible to play without them.
That’s why I’m sticking with my deck
What games do you play most with touch pads?
Like wich one?
I was saying this too. I own a Steam deck and a GPD Win 4 and it is a game changer having a keyboard and mouse built in.
I have a deck, I've literally never used the touch pads in any game.
Gweat weview mate. Weally liked it
*wiked
I made it to the end Rich! You guys are the best!
I think if you can disable cores on the Z1 and leave it as a quad-core the GPU will get more power and games will run better.
I think asus is working on that ability
But you can do the same and similar things on the deck already, and steamOS bakes in that functionality better than armoury crate can
@@SolidSt8Dj but the steam deck is a quad core already so you wouldn't want to disable cores. deck is very cpu-limited
You can disable turbo boost via advanced battery management. I do that with my SD and my battery life lasts 5+ hours