Hi friends! If you're interested in purchasing anything that I mentioned in the video then here are some affiliate links: 🔥ASUS ROG Ally: www.baldlyrudy.com/BBROGAlly 3rd Party Docks: 🔥JSAUX Docking Station: amzn.to/3EyFAIJ 🔥JSAUX Omnicase 2: amzn.to/3JksBMW 🔥iVoler Docking Station: amzn.to/3khmRKN SSD: 🔥SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB: amzn.to/3JnQQtH microSD Cards: 🔥Samsung 512 GB A2: amzn.to/3KFXXPs 🔥SanDisk 1TB A2: amzn.to/3lXjx7Y Handheld Wireless Keyboards: 🔥Rii K06 Mini Bluetooth Keyboard: amzn.to/468HKuH 🔥Gimibox Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard: amzn.to/46p0JRZ 🔥Rii X8 Portable 2.4GHz Wireless Keyboard: amzn.to/3PgQ5GJ 65W Power Banks: 🔥Baseus Power Bank 20000mAh: amzn.to/3CBfByL 🔥UGREEN Power Bank 25000mAh: amzn.to/3qQyMSG 🔥Anker Portable Charger 24,000mAh: amzn.to/3Pmej2m If you use these links to purchase anything, I may get a commission from the sale. It helps support the channel at no extra cost to you, so thank you!
Most of the "review" is just your personal preference not being met. Can you elaborate on SOMETHING? "D-pad is so bad" - why? "Its better on xbox controlelr" - okay, so? I mean... Bro its more like a rant than it is a review.
the thing that does it for me is the support for xbox gamepass natively. amd the game that pushed me to get an Ally was Remnant 2… personally i love everything build wise on the steam deck way better than the ally. dpad, buttons, trackpad… etc. if the steam deck had a bit more punch and native gamepass id get that for sure! no questions asked
I've been loving my Ally. Had it about 5 months now and the updates have made it great. It plays at least 80% of my library and the remaining it can run but I have my tower if I want something to look pretty. Sure the battery life sucks and I got a 26,000mah battery bank to carry around with it but 4-8 hours of play time and an hour to charge means I'm never out of juice.
@@baldlyrudySame, but i play Overwatch a lot and that button is crucial lol Also note that hard shells cases are out if the question it will just make it even tighter.
Hey great review, I’ve been really enjoying my rog ally once firmware, bios and driver updates really made it come to form. The stock dpad is quite atrocious in my eyes as a fighting game player but luckily there are files to 3D print a custom dpad for the Ally with a ball pivot with an option for a cross style dpad and its been great for 2D games as a whole. I really recommend it if you find the stock dpad unsatisfactory.
I've had an Ally for 3 months now and love it for traveling in airports and such. Went hands on with a SD but I'm in your camp, I don't use the trackpads, so those being gone is moot. The dead zones are crap but there's an 'anti deadzone' feature they added in one of the recent bios updates (in Armoury Crate) that helps a ton.
How do you feel about dead zones now? Tried a test unit a month ago and in desktop mode the cursor was basically unmanageable. I’m scared it’d be the same in games, but people say that the deadzone is visible only in desktop mode.
@@theStoryofLuca I'd say I only notice it in desktop mode with the cursor which I try to avoid at all costs. If I need more than basic inputs to play games I connect to a keyboard and mouse. Anti dead zone in AC works great in conjunction with in game anti dead zone config (I primarily play MW3 and BF2042).
I loved Emudeck on the Steam Deck and thought it was absolutely amazing but its just not the same on the Ally but its still in a test phase so that kind of explains why its a bit iffy and buggy. I personally think Retrobat is the way to go if using the ALLY for emulation in my opinion as it seems to work pretty much flawlessly in comparison as always opinions are subjective
I have both devices and in my opinion i feel that the deck is a better device to live with on a everyday basis, it's not that the ally is bad it's just that windows is clunky as heck for a handheld.
I had a steam deck for 3 months and before getting the ally I thought I would miss the touchpad because I used the a lot on the steam deck (running windows) but honestly the joystick works fine enough as a mouse on the ally.
I had the worst best buy open box experience the other day via one of these. But the little I was able to tinker with it before I inevitably said this device is doomed I liked what it showed me. Upon returning I said f it and exchanged on a new one as they are on sale rn and my local best buy gave me a new free back up charger for my new device for free and I liked that. I'm not a techie. I expected loads of issues. Not really having any yet and I'm loving what it's capable of doing. We shall see.
The steam deck is just so *comfortable* to use. You can tell Valve really tested using it, and not just in terms of hardware/performance, they really did a good job making something that is easy to hold and feels natural to use. I wasn't expecting to use the trackpads much, if at all, but honestly the lack of trackpads would now be a dealbreaker for me. You don't always need them, but when you do it's so nice to have them. Not to mention being on desktop mode or playing strategy games they're literally essential
i had an ally until sd card fried and insurance paid out, so got the LLG and it is amazing and playing games at 1200p. example playing Tiny tinas wonderland Low settings at 1200p getting 55 - 75 fps without rsr
Disappointed with ROG Ally... The joystick is broken already after the software upgrade but interestingly, it is a hardware problem.. Haven't even used the joystick because I always dock my ROG.
Ye, i have always seen the Rog Ally as something you need to get if you are a AAA player. As for me, i dont really like to play AAA games since they all feel kind of same-ey with some exceptions but i really am more into the AA and indie scene for games which the Steamdeck is great for. I also use it as a portable steam machine that i just hook up to a monitor when i go to work on slow days so i really dont need things like good speakers or a detailed AF screen, it just works for me. 😊 I have already gotten used to the linux desktop if i need to do anything custom on it and i learned at some point that you can install anything on the os that you can on windows, as long as you add its install file to steam to allow it to make a windows directory for it. Honestly is making me consider switching to linux if im forced to leave windows 10. TLDR - the Rog is great for the people that want a dedicated (non laptop) win11 desktop or a AAA play machine, its just not for me since i neither need a pc nor a AAA game player. 👍
same here i cant remember the last time i enjoyed AAA game i mostly play indie games and i own both devices but i use the steam deck way more as the battery stay for longer and the performance is irrelevant for the games i play
There’s two major things for me that separates the steam deck from the ally. One is not being able to play certain games with anti cheat because Linux doesn’t support it, and the fact I can hook up a eGPU to my ally and turn it essentially into a very solid desktop. I have both the OLED Deck and ally, and I’ve come to the conclusion that overall for what I want, the ally is better. There’s definitely things the deck does better at, but the ally is just too good for me to not use
I've been gaming much more on my Ally because BG3, Starfield, Dead Space, Callisto Protocol, and CP2077 run so much better on the Ally versus having to turn everything down on my Steam Deck (which I absolutely love).
I mean, if you're gonna use the ally to play baldur's gate so you get better graphics despite being restricted to a plug, you might as well just use remote play from your computer to your deck. you'll have more fps and battery and no need for the ally.
Personally I absolutely love my Ally it's basically replaced most of my other gaming machines. Sure I'll go to the tower or Playstation when I want to get my big experiences like Spider-Man or anything competitive but for basically everything else I seem to keep reaching for the Ally.
yea glad you though other wise i got yhe rog ally over the steam deck because all my games are majority windows 11 or 10 i got some use launchers and stuff and i play emulators too ps1 ps2 ps3 psp ps vita and and wii wii u game cube and n64 and ds and 3ds so yea i play switch games i even play zelda tears of the kingdom 2 days early before launch lol and i am not going through so many loop holes too make my games work on steam deck so i am good
I don't play fighters so cant comment on the dpad for those. But with everything else I think the dpad is excellent. I've had a Steam Deck (dpad was dreadful on diagonals), Logitech G Cloud (worst dpad ever), all Switch models, a variety of Anbernic and Miyoo devies, as well as all current gen consoles. The dpad on the Rog Ally is one of the best when it comes to handhelds.
IDK. For me the overall feel of the Miyoo Mini Plus D-Pad felt great! The reason why I love the D-Pad on the 8BitDo Ultimate Controller is because of how pivotal the directions are. They are well defined and diagonals are great. The D-Pad on the Steam Deck leaves a ton to be desired. I'd take the Ally's over the Steam Deck's any day of the week.
For anyone looking for a new handheld because the steam deck lacks power. If you have a gaming pc you can just stream to your Deck. Save yourself some money and a lot of battery life!
Might be more powerful, but... I'll trade all of that because windows sucks on a handheld... Linux steam is is just great on his form! And it plays all my games. I can play low graphics with FSR, which upscales it.
What u need of software support if they fixed everything and handheld is running smooth?? In the back end windows 11 gonna update their os.. if something not working asus wil fix it(this is they are doing fine for years).. what else support u needed?? Think of ps1 ps2 game boy.. they don’t have software updates.. just play supported games
@@baldlyrudy haha the coincidence is crazy. Great video btw, I actually came here because there are crazy deals on the Ally right now due to the Deck OLED announcement and I wanted a long time frame review to help with my decision.
The fuck was that warning when you go to comment.. That shit makes me not want to be civil 😂 either way If you're not looking for something to complain about you're probably not going to find anything to complain about with the Asus rog Ally. Amazing device that's worth the price.
Bro I don't have any of these issues like I watch these review videos and I'm like either they're looking for issues or their handheld is fucked up like I don't have any issues with the joysticks I mean I guess the d-pad is pretty bland but it's a fucking d-pad who cares... The buttons feel fine like I don't have any of these problems hahaha
Dead zone has been fixed in the latest armor crate software update. There is an option under settings/configure/gamepadmode, choose the stick you want and you have 3 options to adjust dead zone, outer threshold and the NEW option Anti-Dead zone. Adjust that last option and you will not have dead zone anymore
Man, I was really looking forward to this back then, but that egpu limitation they was the biggest turn off, and after that sd card issue came up, I was like nope, I could careless of the sd card, but the egpu was the biggest downside for me, its just a steamdeck on white casing with windows os, really hope they wont do that on ally 2, of all the big pc components manufacturer asus was my top pick, but after owning one of those asus chakram mouse( replaced the clicker 3x that came with it, I had to use my old razer mouse that works just fine, didnt really think they would f up the sd slot on the ally) I was like man why, I am just surprised non of the other competitor joined the handheld battle, imagine a razer, gygabyte or msi, and even the shitty ones like acer and hp, if ally drops below 500 tho, maybe I might think about it again.
Right after launch there was issue with the dead zone on my unit, but testing now with latest updates, I think ROG Ally is now very close to Xbox controller. Everything is on default. Note that I'm testing with open source Quake port, I know exactly how it reads the joystick data and what kind of software dead zone it's using to filter out "noise". Other games may not play well with this joystick, but it's very clear from the Windows cursor that this is no longer an issue, at least on my device.
Steam Deck oled has entered chat:) have to be realistic for the type of devices these are they are handhelds and high performance = no battery why deck dominates even more now.
Glad you mentioned the dead-zones, I think I will try my best to hold out for the Legion GO to come to South Africa. Apparently it also has slight dead-zone issues. EDIT: So and update, I ended up buying the ROG Ally Extreme (Extreme is very important to look out for in the name), and I do not experience this deadzone issues as much; in addition, another reviewer showed how much worse the Legion GO's deadzones are. I am enjoying the device thus far and my Dolby Atmos doesn't crackle, but rather gives amazing 3D sound. I should mention even as refined as the ROG Ally is thus far, you need to be a "tech savy person" as youtuber Cyber Dopamine mentions. Thankfully, I know the qwerks of AMD pretty well.
Dead zone has been fixed with the latest patch. There is an option on armor crate under settings to configured dead zone. Asus fixed it with software and it works for me.
@@josemisiego that's good news! I have slight of a deadzone, but not extremely bad. Like I can finish with a podium in Shift Unleashed 2. But, I might check the deadzone issues later.
The deadzone was fixed well before this video was released which tells me this guy is several updates behind the latest. Other things he mentioned are also already fixed.
@@hitbm4755 in armor crate look for an option under settings/configure controller called “anti-dead zone” game changer for me! I was about to return the console and once that update came through, now it is perfect for me
I honestly wanted to buy the ROG ally but after reviewing videos about the product it seems like steam deck is more reliable. I think I’ll go for the new steam deck OLED to save me a headaches
@@spike178 It depends on what you want to play, and what you prioritize. The Ally will be able to play more intensive games like that, while the Deck really won’t. Although, the Ally will only be able to do so for about 30 minutes before running out of juice. The Deck is a lot more reliable, and the battery is far, far better. But I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re someone that prioritizes modern AAA games or pvp games like Fortnite or CoD, as their anti-cheat isn’t compatible. But if you like indies, emulation, older AAA’s, and AAA’s up until about a year ago, I’d recommend the Deck hands down.
Save you headaches until you play modern titles on it. Unless you only wanted to play retro games and less hardware demanding games then yeah SD is for you
If you have a great gaming PC already, the best possible solution is to use moonlight (assuming you have an Nvidia GPU) on your steam-deck or ROG Ally. I do this, my wife does this, your PC can push 800p ultra gaming at 60-120 fps to your device. Your battery will last 5-6 hours plus this way vs 2 hours or less. If your home network is modern you will not have any input latency or issues.
@@deusbeowulf6039 that’s completely okay too, if you have a device you enjoy streaming on. But a lot of the people buying Steam Decks already game on PC or consoles. Might as well remote play.
@@SamuraiMerrick I guess that is what I am confused about. Why spend $600 on a remote device that is meant to run games natively?? You can use a controller with a laptop or controller/grip type device for your phone that would have similar ergonomics to the steam deck. Some TV's can even stream games from a PC or Console now. Crap, you might be able to stream a game from your fridge in a few years. I mean, you can use the steam deck for whatever you want (eww), it's your money, but it seems like it would be a glorified streaming device costing a premium when you could probably just play most of those games natively without the streaming lag and extra bandwidth on your ISP.
People glaze the steam deck way to much. You cant even have valid criticisms, just you look at the like/dislike ratio. They're trying to justifiy their purchase without even thinking. I truly dont care about the trackpads and the better OS, the Ally works completly fine. The massive performance gain from the Ally is way more important than the OS, as you'll spend 99% of the time IN THE GAME, and not on the OS.
Like/Dislike ratio is currently 90/10. I think it all comes down to personal preference. But that extra juice helps with heavier titles (like Baldur's Gate 3.) I still like the ease of use when it comes to Steam OS when compared to Windows. That KS was not designed for a handheld. In the end, it just all depends on what you want and care for.
Waiting for my Z1 Extreme Ally! Can't wait for Windows 11, my Steam Deck has been a nightmare! Non steam launchers continually break, I fix, reinstall and they break again. Dock never works as it should, from resolution issues to my Series X controller not being mapped, it's a cluster F. STEAM games I purchased from the STEAM store, that are "supposed to work"...don't. Gears of war 5 is my fav multiplayer game and yup, it doesn't work anymore. I WANT TO LOVE IT, it's so great in so many ways, but the OS and skin are just way to beta IMO
Tried both and if you are playing AAA 3d graphics pushing games, the ally is better. IIRC at 15 watts the steam deck might be a hair better but at 25, the ally is top notch. But having played both, the steam deck is SO much more comfortable to hold for extended periods of time, and for a hand held, that is among the most important considerations.
HOW do you use RoG ally handheld for games?! No game supports it! Even games that steam says has "optimal controller support- will work fine on the device" will have issues like double inputs+ghost inputs, no ability to left click, touch screen not working and more! 0/4 games have worked
Wow you mentioned dead zone. No one else has! That’s way dif than steam deck? You’re the one who has me out here researching the Ally lol. I love the form factor and the fact it looks cool vs the steam deck that looks like a Sega Nomad. New OLED is intriguing though. But I hear steam deck struggles playing Palia. Might be better on Ally as it’s a PC
Steamdeck already upgraded hardware. So I think that shuts out that point on Asus being hardware focus lol. I had the first SD and decided not to buy new one and instead got the Ally. I've had steamdeck love it for what I use on it but found it a little limited on some games I play like wow. It did work but took a lot of tinkering. I plan to use the Ally docked a lot at hotels while traveling for work using M&K hopefully it works out better. So far I am liking it a lot and because it works so well with Xbox.
The Steam Deck OLED has upgraded internals, yes. But that doesn't warrant a large performance boost. It's not large enough to compete with the Ally on power.
Welp. This video already has statements that have been invalidated by the release of the Steam Deck OLED. With the new Deck, I wouldn't even consider the Ally at this point. Windows sucks on a handheld, the micro SD thing will always be an issue, the new Deck has the best screen of any handheld by a mile, SD has better battery life, and the Ally is just too damn expensive. $700 for an Ally vs $550 for a Steam Deck OLED is literally just a no brainer. If you already have an Ally, then enjoy it. If you dont though, there is almost not reason to buy one anymore. Only real reason i cpuld think of is if you use a program that doesn't work on Linux but does on Windows. Other than that, I really cant think of any reason to get an Ally now.
Windows really doesn’t suck on a handheld. And steam deck oled while looks great, it’s still not as powerful and you can run pretty much any game you want on the Ally without worrying if it’ll work or not as well as play games you can’t play on Linux
@@jeffreyali1456 Every time I've used, or heard of someone using, Windows on a handheld it has always been an irritating experience of things not working as expected/not working at all. The deck can still run Windows though, so there really isn't any game that the Steam Deck can't play. So really the only benefit to the Ally is the extra performance. That little bit of extra performance is just not worth all of the other things that the Steam Deck has going for it. There's a reason that pretty much everyone who has actually used the new SD OLED says that it's the best handheld to get right now and the best screen on any handheld by far.
@@jeffreyali1456 People don't seem to realise that Valve carefully balanced everything in the Deck. It was never meant to be super powerful because that comes at a cost to battery life and the Steam Deck has better battery life than the Ally. Valve's philosophy wasn't to throw the most powerful APU in it and call it a day, it was to get good performance and good battery life.
@@Spacemonkeymojo except Steam deck’s performance is mixed with some games and emulators being able to run well and other big games barley being able to run at a decent frame rate. You either have to pick the deck for a better battery or the Ally for a much better performance. There’s pros and cons to both systems so it’s pretty much up to personal preference
@@baldlyrudy I do not no. Think it would be overkill. I use it to play mostly strategy games on 1080p with no issues. Ran Geekbench and was surprised by the great CPU benchmarks.
@appelliefieaudiobooks1410 gotcha. I get that. I was just wondering because I would want to be able to do heavier loads of work, but I don't have an eGPU to test it out.
Lol. It was dry, sarcastic joke. 😅 Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the best games I've ever played. On another note, if a game is self-published and free from the influence of a publisher, is it an indie?
I’d say the ALLY is currently better if you can get over the know Hardware defects. Just due to the software, but once the Legion Go has some updates. It would come down to preference, with the Legion Go having a slight edge (depending on what you’re lookin for in a handheld PC).
you are saying things that are not true regarding the eGPU. You can 100% use this on other devices besides the ALLY. However, it is only for other ROG devices. ASUS makes other ROG devices that use this. Also, I exclusively use my ALLY in desktop mode and find it seamless and has replaced my laptop for everything.
That doesn't really help the situation in my eyes, and makes it more of an "Apple-esque" approach to it. That's even more of a reason for me not to want it.
@@baldlyrudy be that as it may, it still is not limited to the ALLY device. Just saying. Not that I disagree with you on the point that it is proprietary to Asus ROB mobile devices and leads to an "apple" feel, but it is not limited to the ALLY itself.
I just got one but might return it back because it just to many thing u have to do to it to play way to many updates and I hate dealing with windows and am a first time handheld player
I just dont want my main gaming laptop to be burdened by heavy AAA games after i spent 9 hours working on it with complex stuff and video editing (and yes , i mostly play baldur's gate 3 too lol) you think this would work if i just wanted to play and extra 1-2 hrs a day? I really dont care about the feel and the buttons i just dont want to adjust my graphics that much. Thanks!
It'll definitely give you closer to one hour then two when it comes to AAA games like Baldur's Gate 3. You've gotta mess a bit with the settings to get the most playtime possible, but it can be done.
The Ally's screen is just SO much better than the Deck, they aren't in the same league imo. Having said that, Armory Crate is still is flaming pile of trash and Windows is Windows, for better or worse. But anything is better than trying to use Linux desktop (Steam OS kicks butt, though)
Yeah. Hate armorey crate as well and I try not to use as much. I jsut use the commend center to end task, show desktop, keyboard, and etc. For power I use G helper.
Or maybe I'm playing games that don't really need them. What would be a good example of requiring trackpads to experience a game? As in there is no other way to play but with a trackpad? Chances are, whatever you suggest or say is something that I have little or no interest in playing.
@@SublustrisAvis I figured as much. Personally, that's not for me. I mainly play RPGs and sidescrollers. I'll throw in a third person adventure or action game, but I'm always open to trying new things. I've had my fair share of FPS games and I feel like I've been done with the genre for a long time. I don't see the need to go back. A lot of the genres that you mention I can DEFINITELY see the need for a trackpad, but I don't need them for the types of games that I play.
@@baldlyrudy Yeup you and I both. I think maybe in another year the windows handhelds will be better and hopefully a hand held version of windows more optimized. And I still prefer the ally over my legion go. 1080 is the sweet spot for handheld. 1080 p for less intensive titles and 900 p for all else. The 1600p portrait doesn’t have a lot of options yet and some games no matter what are blurry. Dave the diver is terrible on the legion go.
Great video!! I bought one from Best Buy for $450. Unfortunately all it came with was an envelope, no box or charger. The LB button was also non functional and sticking. Just an FYI, when you remove the back plate, there are two foam squares under the Left and Right triggers. If they become dislodged in the slightest bit, it causes the RB and LB buttons to stick. Just push them in place and that should fix it! 😁 Also for the “A” button not working, go into software commander and set the controller to “gamepad” instead of auto. For whatever reason, the software looses focus with the emulation software and switches back to desktop mode without warning. It took me awhile to figure it out, but no issues since! 😁 Awesome review, I can’t agree more about the steam deck UI! The user experience is way better, especially the battery life. However, with the power the Ally offers at full TDP, it’s worth it.
Thank you! I'm going to have to check that out in the LB button. I was taken aback because the RB button works flawlessly. The issue I had with EmuDeck for Windows wasn't fixed with the GamePad controller mode. I was following Retro Game Corps instructions as well as EmuDecks. Also, yes. The Steam OS is fantastic for a user experience. It's the best I've experienced in the handheld PC space.
Pretty much. Unless you're playing titles that don't require as much horsepower, that is. Some games run great on the Steam Deck. But you'll need more horsepower for recent AAA titles to run at 30fps or higher.
Rog Ally is way better then the Steam deck, and at higher watts the Graphics performance difference is huge. I let my son have my steam deck and I can't stop playing Ally.
@@theo5675 But anything under that it’s not even comparable. I can play New Vegas on my Steam Deck for 6 hours without needing a single charge. I’d be lucky to get half that with the competition.
Why wouldn't I update the unit that I've been gaming on for months? ASUS and Armoury Crate literally notified you when updates go live. The dead zones look fine in Armoury Crate, but in practice still give issues. The spatial Audio is still buggy, even at 25w. Don't know what to tell you. Maybe my unit is faulty? 🤷♂️
@@baldlyrudy indeed. The only way you can still get crackly Dolby is if you run at 5watts using software other than AC, which has a 7 watt minimum. Dead zones are fine now. Gamepad tester confirms it. Slightest movements detected.
I use a $20 USB C dock with HDMI out and PD on my LG OLED and its been a great experience. It automatically outputs to my TV. Then when i connect my xbox controller via BT and hit the XBOX buttons, it opens Steam Big Picture mode for me. Functionally its the same as when i would dock the Steam Deck.
@@baldlyrudythen she is a definite keeper. thank you for sharing your experience. i am on the fence between Ally and Onexplayer for its bigger ram, space and gpu. but the ally must be better in terms of fixing and support. its a hard decision.
I never understood how people can play one game more then once. I LOVE games. I play each game on the highest difficulty from the beginning. I'm mentioning that because maybe that has something to do with it. But I cannot replay any game once it's done. The hardest games I've passed were cod world at war and halo 2. I will not be replaying those. EVER. but so glad I did.
i still use both. i use my SD to play simple indie games and roms of old games on emudeck and then i use my rog ally for newer aaa titles that need more power. fans of the SD can jump up and down as much as they like but the FACTS are not wrong. the ally is a much more powerful unit and in being so plays more intense games alot better. the SD has its pros and cons pros steamOS cons not as fast as the ally LOL
I didn't know egpu work that way thats kind of dumb you can't use it on other devices. You pay all that money and can't do what you want with it ridiculous.
An hour or an hour and half with a AAA game is probably a little generous. It’s around 45-50 minutes from my experience. Definitely a plugged in and at home handheld for me, but that’s fine.
Ive nust ordered the rog ally i bought a steam deck a long with 5 of my work pals not one of us still have one all of us sold them they to us were just garbage none of us could pkay the gsmes we wanted they were just all roung rubbish i havent regretted selling mine at all .. ps i never used my trackpads
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apperantly Asus came out with a R8 and R9 revision or something that fixes the SDcard problem.
@tshirtnorge4561 that's interesting. I wasn't aware of that.
I have it and it's just bug after bug. Big disappointment. COD crashes constantly. Junk!
I play mostly triple A games, I prefer the power of the Ally.
I use Steam and other online retailers, so I prefer the options of the Ally.
Most of the "review" is just your personal preference not being met. Can you elaborate on SOMETHING? "D-pad is so bad" - why? "Its better on xbox controlelr" - okay, so? I mean... Bro its more like a rant than it is a review.
Fair point. I appreciate the insight.
The dpad on the ally is pretty bad, its not ideal for games that require fast precise inputs like fighting games
@@warrenwest407 the Ally is a superior machine , so the only battle is personal preferences. It makes sense to me.
But every review is personal…
@@stvnoahc7249 yes, but "the review" part is where you have to elaborate on your preference 🤷
the thing that does it for me is the support for xbox gamepass natively. amd the game that pushed me to get an Ally was Remnant 2… personally i love everything build wise on the steam deck way better than the ally. dpad, buttons, trackpad… etc. if the steam deck had a bit more punch and native gamepass id get that for sure! no questions asked
I've been loving my Ally. Had it about 5 months now and the updates have made it great. It plays at least 80% of my library and the remaining it can run but I have my tower if I want something to look pretty. Sure the battery life sucks and I got a 26,000mah battery bank to carry around with it but 4-8 hours of play time and an hour to charge means I'm never out of juice.
I'm a day 1 Ally owner. Still can't put it down it's November already.
I just got my legion go and man.. it has so many issues
@@antoniohernandez7171 Ally is imperfect too but It’s alright
For that left button you need to loosen the left screw on the shell. It tends to tighten and causes friction with the other near by button.
I'm going to try that out. Thank you! It's been bugging me for months and I basically just got used to it. I thought it was a manufacturing issue.
@@baldlyrudySame, but i play Overwatch a lot and that button is crucial lol
Also note that hard shells cases are out if the question it will just make it even tighter.
@@baldlyrudy did it work
@@Dastardly_Duo it did!
Hey great review, I’ve been really enjoying my rog ally once firmware, bios and driver updates really made it come to form. The stock dpad is quite atrocious in my eyes as a fighting game player but luckily there are files to 3D print a custom dpad for the Ally with a ball pivot with an option for a cross style dpad and its been great for 2D games as a whole. I really recommend it if you find the stock dpad unsatisfactory.
That's awesome. First, I'd need to get a 3D Printer. Is there one you recommend?
@@baldlyrudyI didn’t 3D print myself rather ordered a resin print of the models on etsy, so I don’t have any insight on that unfortunately
@Javiilin gotcha. No worries. I'll see what I can find. I appreciate the heads up though.
Hey! Would you mind linking the custom dpad that you mentioned?
Same it's speakers 🔊 are something special 😅
I've had an Ally for 3 months now and love it for traveling in airports and such. Went hands on with a SD but I'm in your camp, I don't use the trackpads, so those being gone is moot. The dead zones are crap but there's an 'anti deadzone' feature they added in one of the recent bios updates (in Armoury Crate) that helps a ton.
How do you feel about dead zones now? Tried a test unit a month ago and in desktop mode the cursor was basically unmanageable. I’m scared it’d be the same in games, but people say that the deadzone is visible only in desktop mode.
@@theStoryofLuca I'd say I only notice it in desktop mode with the cursor which I try to avoid at all costs. If I need more than basic inputs to play games I connect to a keyboard and mouse. Anti dead zone in AC works great in conjunction with in game anti dead zone config (I primarily play MW3 and BF2042).
@@aktrazer Sounds like a trackpad would really help here.
How does it do with xbox games
@@cizko84 just fine. I've been playing Fallout76 from Xbox Game Pass and it works great.
I’d recommend the skull & co grip case as it gives you more grip on the back of the device and has made a huge difference for me.
Nice! I'll check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.
Does it add any significant weight to it?
@@jessica49arrow nope
I just got the ally and its a beast.
Heck yeah dude. I don't have to worry much with it.
steam deck OLED is leaving rog ally a lot to be desired
That's a lot to be desired.
I just bought Steam Deck and I wish I bought this instead because the better performance
I loved Emudeck on the Steam Deck and thought it was absolutely amazing but its just not the same on the Ally but its still in a test phase so that kind of explains why its a bit iffy and buggy. I personally think Retrobat is the way to go if using the ALLY for emulation in my opinion as it seems to work pretty much flawlessly in comparison as always opinions are subjective
Oooooo. I'll definitely check that out. I'm always up for trying new things with these devices. I appreciate it.
I have both devices and in my opinion i feel that the deck is a better device to live with on a everyday basis, it's not that the ally is bad it's just that windows is clunky as heck for a handheld.
I had a steam deck for 3 months and before getting the ally I thought I would miss the touchpad because I used the a lot on the steam deck (running windows) but honestly the joystick works fine enough as a mouse on the ally.
Yeah. The way I see if, if you want to use a game that needs a mouse and keyboard, then you're better off with a desktop and not a handheld.
Picked one up for 480 open box at best buy. Most likely going to keep it at this price.
$480 is a steal dude.
I had the worst best buy open box experience the other day via one of these. But the little I was able to tinker with it before I inevitably said this device is doomed I liked what it showed me. Upon returning I said f it and exchanged on a new one as they are on sale rn and my local best buy gave me a new free back up charger for my new device for free and I liked that. I'm not a techie. I expected loads of issues. Not really having any yet and I'm loving what it's capable of doing. We shall see.
@@baldlyrudy best buy has it on sale 499 brand new
The steam deck is just so *comfortable* to use.
You can tell Valve really tested using it, and not just in terms of hardware/performance, they really did a good job making something that is easy to hold and feels natural to use. I wasn't expecting to use the trackpads much, if at all, but honestly the lack of trackpads would now be a dealbreaker for me. You don't always need them, but when you do it's so nice to have them. Not to mention being on desktop mode or playing strategy games they're literally essential
i had an ally until sd card fried and insurance paid out, so got the LLG and it is amazing and playing games at 1200p. example playing Tiny tinas wonderland Low settings at 1200p getting 55 - 75 fps without rsr
Disappointed with ROG Ally... The joystick is broken already after the software upgrade but interestingly, it is a hardware problem.. Haven't even used the joystick because I always dock my ROG.
That dead zone you’re referring to is only in auto mode for the game pad. Switch to game pad mode.
Thanks! I'll try that out. 👍
next video "how I switched to Lenovo Go"
The way things are looking, no. For me, it's not comfortable to hold.
Ye, i have always seen the Rog Ally as something you need to get if you are a AAA player. As for me, i dont really like to play AAA games since they all feel kind of same-ey with some exceptions but i really am more into the AA and indie scene for games which the Steamdeck is great for. I also use it as a portable steam machine that i just hook up to a monitor when i go to work on slow days so i really dont need things like good speakers or a detailed AF screen, it just works for me. 😊
I have already gotten used to the linux desktop if i need to do anything custom on it and i learned at some point that you can install anything on the os that you can on windows, as long as you add its install file to steam to allow it to make a windows directory for it. Honestly is making me consider switching to linux if im forced to leave windows 10.
TLDR - the Rog is great for the people that want a dedicated (non laptop) win11 desktop or a AAA play machine, its just not for me since i neither need a pc nor a AAA game player. 👍
same here i cant remember the last time i enjoyed AAA game i mostly play indie games and i own both devices but i use the steam deck way more as the battery stay for longer and the performance is irrelevant for the games i play
Just snagged one from Best Buy Black Friday sale! By far the purchase of the year!
There’s two major things for me that separates the steam deck from the ally. One is not being able to play certain games with anti cheat because Linux doesn’t support it, and the fact I can hook up a eGPU to my ally and turn it essentially into a very solid desktop. I have both the OLED Deck and ally, and I’ve come to the conclusion that overall for what I want, the ally is better. There’s definitely things the deck does better at, but the ally is just too good for me to not use
trackpads give you a competitive edge when playing fast paced FPS games
Agreed!
I've been gaming much more on my Ally because BG3, Starfield, Dead Space, Callisto Protocol, and CP2077 run so much better on the Ally versus having to turn everything down on my Steam Deck (which I absolutely love).
Yeah. I love both of them, but I definitely wanted a bit more performance in some of the games (Baldur's Gate 3 specifically). The ROG Ally delivered.
Sold my steamdeck after bios lock when I upped the ram to 6400 now I have 6400mhz stock
I mean, if you're gonna use the ally to play baldur's gate so you get better graphics despite being restricted to a plug, you might as well just use remote play from your computer to your deck. you'll have more fps and battery and no need for the ally.
BG3 is a indie? Bhahahahahaha
🤣🤣🤣
Personally I absolutely love my Ally it's basically replaced most of my other gaming machines. Sure I'll go to the tower or Playstation when I want to get my big experiences like Spider-Man or anything competitive but for basically everything else I seem to keep reaching for the Ally.
yea glad you though other wise i got yhe rog ally over the steam deck because all my games are majority windows 11 or 10 i got some use launchers and stuff and i play emulators too ps1 ps2 ps3 psp ps vita and and wii wii u game cube and n64 and ds and 3ds so yea i play switch games i even play zelda tears of the kingdom 2 days early before launch lol and i am not going through so many loop holes too make my games work on steam deck so i am good
I don't play fighters so cant comment on the dpad for those. But with everything else I think the dpad is excellent. I've had a Steam Deck (dpad was dreadful on diagonals), Logitech G Cloud (worst dpad ever), all Switch models, a variety of Anbernic and Miyoo devies, as well as all current gen consoles. The dpad on the Rog Ally is one of the best when it comes to handhelds.
IDK. For me the overall feel of the Miyoo Mini Plus D-Pad felt great! The reason why I love the D-Pad on the 8BitDo Ultimate Controller is because of how pivotal the directions are. They are well defined and diagonals are great. The D-Pad on the Steam Deck leaves a ton to be desired. I'd take the Ally's over the Steam Deck's any day of the week.
Just finally saw a great video for me to go ahead and purchase this
Thanks man. Hope you enjoy it. It's on sale for Black Friday too.
For anyone looking for a new handheld because the steam deck lacks power. If you have a gaming pc you can just stream to your Deck. Save yourself some money and a lot of battery life!
Might be more powerful, but... I'll trade all of that because windows sucks on a handheld... Linux steam is is just great on his form! And it plays all my games. I can play low graphics with FSR, which upscales it.
will you be buying the Steam Deck OLED ^^ ?
For sure. If I can get one reserved, then I'll definitely be getting it.
What u need of software support if they fixed everything and handheld is running smooth?? In the back end windows 11 gonna update their os.. if something not working asus wil fix it(this is they are doing fine for years).. what else support u needed?? Think of ps1 ps2 game boy.. they don’t have software updates.. just play supported games
There's a pretty big difference performance wise imo. I get much better performance especially docked
Yeah. Full TDP is definitely great.
11:28 the irony of this being published at the literal exact time Valve announces their Steamdeck hardware refresh.
It was published a few hours afterwards and I literally laughed out loud when I saw it.
@@baldlyrudy haha the coincidence is crazy. Great video btw, I actually came here because there are crazy deals on the Ally right now due to the Deck OLED announcement and I wanted a long time frame review to help with my decision.
ChimeraOS on ally is getting good.
The fuck was that warning when you go to comment.. That shit makes me not want to be civil 😂 either way If you're not looking for something to complain about you're probably not going to find anything to complain about with the Asus rog Ally. Amazing device that's worth the price.
The dead zone is to counter stick drift. Or more accurately cover it up when it occurs
but can you really enjoy a game like BG3 with a 7“ handheld, regardless of the visual quality?
Isn‘t that just too small?
Bro I don't have any of these issues like I watch these review videos and I'm like either they're looking for issues or their handheld is fucked up like I don't have any issues with the joysticks I mean I guess the d-pad is pretty bland but it's a fucking d-pad who cares... The buttons feel fine like I don't have any of these problems hahaha
Love my Ally, started using it as a laptop replacement hooked up to a dock with all the standard peripherals.
Just ordered a dock! Excited to be able to connect it to monitors when I want too. Would love the mobile graphics card at some point
Dead zone has been fixed in the latest armor crate software update. There is an option under settings/configure/gamepadmode, choose the stick you want and you have 3 options to adjust dead zone, outer threshold and the NEW option Anti-Dead zone. Adjust that last option and you will not have dead zone anymore
Awesomeness! Thanks.
Man, I was really looking forward to this back then, but that egpu limitation they was the biggest turn off, and after that sd card issue came up, I was like nope, I could careless of the sd card, but the egpu was the biggest downside for me, its just a steamdeck on white casing with windows os, really hope they wont do that on ally 2, of all the big pc components manufacturer asus was my top pick, but after owning one of those asus chakram mouse( replaced the clicker 3x that came with it, I had to use my old razer mouse that works just fine, didnt really think they would f up the sd slot on the ally) I was like man why, I am just surprised non of the other competitor joined the handheld battle, imagine a razer, gygabyte or msi, and even the shitty ones like acer and hp, if ally drops below 500 tho, maybe I might think about it again.
Right after launch there was issue with the dead zone on my unit, but testing now with latest updates, I think ROG Ally is now very close to Xbox controller. Everything is on default. Note that I'm testing with open source Quake port, I know exactly how it reads the joystick data and what kind of software dead zone it's using to filter out "noise". Other games may not play well with this joystick, but it's very clear from the Windows cursor that this is no longer an issue, at least on my device.
If you play at home; streaming from a computer to either the Deck or Ally actually works pretty well and you don't hafta worry as much about battery
Steam Deck oled has entered chat:) have to be realistic for the type of devices these are they are handhelds and high performance = no battery why deck dominates even more now.
Can't wait to test out that larger battery life to see how long it really lasts, but I'm expecting an improvement.
Glad you mentioned the dead-zones, I think I will try my best to hold out for the Legion GO to come to South Africa. Apparently it also has slight dead-zone issues.
EDIT: So and update, I ended up buying the ROG Ally Extreme (Extreme is very important to look out for in the name), and I do not experience this deadzone issues as much; in addition, another reviewer showed how much worse the Legion GO's deadzones are.
I am enjoying the device thus far and my Dolby Atmos doesn't crackle, but rather gives amazing 3D sound.
I should mention even as refined as the ROG Ally is thus far, you need to be a "tech savy person" as youtuber Cyber Dopamine mentions. Thankfully, I know the qwerks of AMD pretty well.
Dead zone has been fixed with the latest patch. There is an option on armor crate under settings to configured dead zone. Asus fixed it with software and it works for me.
@@josemisiego that's good news! I have slight of a deadzone, but not extremely bad. Like I can finish with a podium in Shift Unleashed 2.
But, I might check the deadzone issues later.
The deadzone was fixed well before this video was released which tells me this guy is several updates behind the latest. Other things he mentioned are also already fixed.
@@hitbm4755 in armor crate look for an option under settings/configure controller called “anti-dead zone” game changer for me! I was about to return the console and once that update came through, now it is perfect for me
I honestly wanted to buy the ROG ally but after reviewing videos about the product it seems like steam deck is more reliable. I think I’ll go for the new steam deck OLED to save me a headaches
I can definitely understand that. The OS experience on the Steam Deck is just dang good. Windows is Windows. You get the good with the bad.
@@spike178 Rog Ally is better for these games. As owner of SD And Ally I can tell you that.
@@spike178 It depends on what you want to play, and what you prioritize.
The Ally will be able to play more intensive games like that, while the Deck really won’t. Although, the Ally will only be able to do so for about 30 minutes before running out of juice.
The Deck is a lot more reliable, and the battery is far, far better. But I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re someone that prioritizes modern AAA games or pvp games like Fortnite or CoD, as their anti-cheat isn’t compatible.
But if you like indies, emulation, older AAA’s, and AAA’s up until about a year ago, I’d recommend the Deck hands down.
@CaptainEffort 100% agree with this.
Save you headaches until you play modern titles on it. Unless you only wanted to play retro games and less hardware demanding games then yeah SD is for you
the egpu can be used on other Asus computers.
It's still proprietary and a very Apple move. I'd rather have an eGPU that runs through USB-C.
You must have a dud there is absolutely 0 deadzone on my sticks once adjusted 🤷
It was the first batch, so maybe?
If you have a great gaming PC already, the best possible solution is to use moonlight (assuming you have an Nvidia GPU) on your steam-deck or ROG Ally.
I do this, my wife does this, your PC can push 800p ultra gaming at 60-120 fps to your device. Your battery will last 5-6 hours plus this way vs 2 hours or less.
If your home network is modern you will not have any input latency or issues.
You don't even need Nvidia, you can use Sunshine compaitbility layer
@@tagg8233 I’ll have to look into that, thanks.
I don’t know how many people would be able to justify a $700 streaming device when most have a laptop and phone already.
@@deusbeowulf6039 that’s completely okay too, if you have a device you enjoy streaming on.
But a lot of the people buying Steam Decks already game on PC or consoles.
Might as well remote play.
@@SamuraiMerrick I guess that is what I am confused about. Why spend $600 on a remote device that is meant to run games natively?? You can use a controller with a laptop or controller/grip type device for your phone that would have similar ergonomics to the steam deck. Some TV's can even stream games from a PC or Console now. Crap, you might be able to stream a game from your fridge in a few years. I mean, you can use the steam deck for whatever you want (eww), it's your money, but it seems like it would be a glorified streaming device costing a premium when you could probably just play most of those games natively without the streaming lag and extra bandwidth on your ISP.
People glaze the steam deck way to much. You cant even have valid criticisms, just you look at the like/dislike ratio. They're trying to justifiy their purchase without even thinking. I truly dont care about the trackpads and the better OS, the Ally works completly fine. The massive performance gain from the Ally is way more important than the OS, as you'll spend 99% of the time IN THE GAME, and not on the OS.
Like/Dislike ratio is currently 90/10.
I think it all comes down to personal preference. But that extra juice helps with heavier titles (like Baldur's Gate 3.) I still like the ease of use when it comes to Steam OS when compared to Windows. That KS was not designed for a handheld.
In the end, it just all depends on what you want and care for.
waiting for mine to arrive was supposed to arrive today oh well monday it is then
Waiting for my Z1 Extreme Ally!
Can't wait for Windows 11, my Steam Deck has been a nightmare!
Non steam launchers continually break, I fix, reinstall and they break again.
Dock never works as it should, from resolution issues to my Series X controller not being mapped, it's a cluster F.
STEAM games I purchased from the STEAM store, that are "supposed to work"...don't. Gears of war 5 is my fav multiplayer game and yup, it doesn't work anymore.
I WANT TO LOVE IT, it's so great in so many ways, but the OS and skin are just way to beta IMO
Tried both and if you are playing AAA 3d graphics pushing games, the ally is better. IIRC at 15 watts the steam deck might be a hair better but at 25, the ally is top notch. But having played both, the steam deck is SO much more comfortable to hold for extended periods of time, and for a hand held, that is among the most important considerations.
Yup. Pretty much. Also the OS on the SD is so user friendly. The UI is simple, but you can tweak and change things if needed.
PC Master Race here, ROG Ally is the only solution.
HOW do you use RoG ally handheld for games?! No game supports it! Even games that steam says has "optimal controller support- will work fine on the device" will have issues like double inputs+ghost inputs, no ability to left click, touch screen not working and more!
0/4 games have worked
Sounds like you've got a dud. Exchange it at the store or RMA it dude.
How do you get games? Buy them? Or are they free?
Rog ally fans are some of the most insufferable man child ive ever seen on the internet
Wow you mentioned dead zone. No one else has! That’s way dif than steam deck? You’re the one who has me out here researching the Ally lol. I love the form factor and the fact it looks cool vs the steam deck that looks like a Sega Nomad. New OLED is intriguing though. But I hear steam deck struggles playing Palia. Might be better on Ally as it’s a PC
What’s wrong with docking the Ally? Loving your shots btw!!! I can’t usually say that on a video like this.
Steamdeck already upgraded hardware. So I think that shuts out that point on Asus being hardware focus lol. I had the first SD and decided not to buy new one and instead got the Ally. I've had steamdeck love it for what I use on it but found it a little limited on some games I play like wow. It did work but took a lot of tinkering. I plan to use the Ally docked a lot at hotels while traveling for work using M&K hopefully it works out better. So far I am liking it a lot and because it works so well with Xbox.
The Steam Deck OLED has upgraded internals, yes. But that doesn't warrant a large performance boost. It's not large enough to compete with the Ally on power.
Steam deck oled release xd
Yup. Can't wait to get my hands on it.
I like the rog ally and the legion go. I'm happy with both
Welp. This video already has statements that have been invalidated by the release of the Steam Deck OLED. With the new Deck, I wouldn't even consider the Ally at this point. Windows sucks on a handheld, the micro SD thing will always be an issue, the new Deck has the best screen of any handheld by a mile, SD has better battery life, and the Ally is just too damn expensive. $700 for an Ally vs $550 for a Steam Deck OLED is literally just a no brainer. If you already have an Ally, then enjoy it. If you dont though, there is almost not reason to buy one anymore. Only real reason i cpuld think of is if you use a program that doesn't work on Linux but does on Windows. Other than that, I really cant think of any reason to get an Ally now.
Can't wait to make a video on the Steam Deck OLED.
Windows really doesn’t suck on a handheld. And steam deck oled while looks great, it’s still not as powerful and you can run pretty much any game you want on the Ally without worrying if it’ll work or not as well as play games you can’t play on Linux
@@jeffreyali1456 Every time I've used, or heard of someone using, Windows on a handheld it has always been an irritating experience of things not working as expected/not working at all. The deck can still run Windows though, so there really isn't any game that the Steam Deck can't play. So really the only benefit to the Ally is the extra performance. That little bit of extra performance is just not worth all of the other things that the Steam Deck has going for it. There's a reason that pretty much everyone who has actually used the new SD OLED says that it's the best handheld to get right now and the best screen on any handheld by far.
@@jeffreyali1456 People don't seem to realise that Valve carefully balanced everything in the Deck. It was never meant to be super powerful because that comes at a cost to battery life and the Steam Deck has better battery life than the Ally. Valve's philosophy wasn't to throw the most powerful APU in it and call it a day, it was to get good performance and good battery life.
@@Spacemonkeymojo except Steam deck’s performance is mixed with some games and emulators being able to run well and other big games barley being able to run at a decent frame rate. You either have to pick the deck for a better battery or the Ally for a much better performance. There’s pros and cons to both systems so it’s pretty much up to personal preference
I use mine with an external monitor, bluetooth keyboard and mouse for work and play. It is crazy fast.
Do you have an eGPU?
@@baldlyrudy I do not no. Think it would be overkill. I use it to play mostly strategy games on 1080p with no issues. Ran Geekbench and was surprised by the great CPU benchmarks.
@appelliefieaudiobooks1410 gotcha. I get that. I was just wondering because I would want to be able to do heavier loads of work, but I don't have an eGPU to test it out.
Tiny "INDIE" ??? Lol this game is not indie.. 😅 it's one of the most anticipated AAA title even won best game of the year I think 🙂
Lol. It was dry, sarcastic joke. 😅
Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the best games I've ever played.
On another note, if a game is self-published and free from the influence of a publisher, is it an indie?
Really confused why you didn't explain what the problem is going on the tv screen with the ally????.
How would you compare it with the new Lenovo Legion Go and which one would you recommend?
Working on that. My unit got delayed from Best Buy. I got it a few days ago.
I’d say the ALLY is currently better if you can get over the know Hardware defects. Just due to the software, but once the Legion Go has some updates. It would come down to preference, with the Legion Go having a slight edge (depending on what you’re lookin for in a handheld PC).
@@baldlyrudy okay subscribed and waiting for the comparison, great review!
I think I will wait for the ally 2 or steam deck 2
Fair play.
you are saying things that are not true regarding the eGPU. You can 100% use this on other devices besides the ALLY. However, it is only for other ROG devices. ASUS makes other ROG devices that use this. Also, I exclusively use my ALLY in desktop mode and find it seamless and has replaced my laptop for everything.
That doesn't really help the situation in my eyes, and makes it more of an "Apple-esque" approach to it. That's even more of a reason for me not to want it.
@@baldlyrudy be that as it may, it still is not limited to the ALLY device. Just saying. Not that I disagree with you on the point that it is proprietary to Asus ROB mobile devices and leads to an "apple" feel, but it is not limited to the ALLY itself.
One simple suggestion for rog ally
Disable cpu boost.
Whole different experience.
I just got one but might return it back because it just to many thing u have to do to it to play way to many updates and I hate dealing with windows and am a first time handheld player
There's are some settings to streamline the boot up sequence so you'll head straight into the Armoury Crate app.
I just dont want my main gaming laptop to be burdened by heavy AAA games after i spent 9 hours working on it with complex stuff and video editing (and yes , i mostly play baldur's gate 3 too lol) you think this would work if i just wanted to play and extra 1-2 hrs a day? I really dont care about the feel and the buttons i just dont want to adjust my graphics that much. Thanks!
It'll definitely give you closer to one hour then two when it comes to AAA games like Baldur's Gate 3. You've gotta mess a bit with the settings to get the most playtime possible, but it can be done.
@@baldlyrudy amazing - thanks so much 👊🏻
Track pads are a must to play Bannerlord
The Ally's screen is just SO much better than the Deck, they aren't in the same league imo. Having said that, Armory Crate is still is flaming pile of trash and Windows is Windows, for better or worse. But anything is better than trying to use Linux desktop (Steam OS kicks butt, though)
Agreed. 100%. The colors on the screen are immaculate. 🤌
@BlueCheeseCross95 seriously! I would love that.
Yeah. Hate armorey crate as well and I try not to use as much. I jsut use the commend center to end task, show desktop, keyboard, and etc. For power I use G helper.
@BlueCheeseCross95 Surprise,steamdeck just got an oled refresh. lol
I think armory crate is easier and better than steam os lol. It’s all just there and more options
If you don't need trackpads then you are using it wrong
Or maybe I'm playing games that don't really need them. What would be a good example of requiring trackpads to experience a game? As in there is no other way to play but with a trackpad? Chances are, whatever you suggest or say is something that I have little or no interest in playing.
@@baldlyrudy Anything that plays better with mouse then a stick: FPS, TPS with free camera, RTS, 4X and grand strategies.
@@SublustrisAvis I figured as much. Personally, that's not for me. I mainly play RPGs and sidescrollers. I'll throw in a third person adventure or action game, but I'm always open to trying new things. I've had my fair share of FPS games and I feel like I've been done with the genre for a long time. I don't see the need to go back.
A lot of the genres that you mention I can DEFINITELY see the need for a trackpad, but I don't need them for the types of games that I play.
Update video please: as of yesterday steam deck Oled releases Nov 16th. Lots of good things happening.
Can't wait to get one in my hands.
@@baldlyrudy Yeup you and I both. I think maybe in another year the windows handhelds will be better and hopefully a hand held version of windows more optimized. And I still prefer the ally over my legion go. 1080 is the sweet spot for handheld. 1080 p for less intensive titles and 900 p for all else. The 1600p portrait doesn’t have a lot of options yet and some games no matter what are blurry. Dave the diver is terrible on the legion go.
Great video!! I bought one from Best Buy for $450. Unfortunately all it came with was an envelope, no box or charger. The LB button was also non functional and sticking.
Just an FYI, when you remove the back plate, there are two foam squares under the Left and Right triggers. If they become dislodged in the slightest bit, it causes the RB and LB buttons to stick. Just push them in place and that should fix it! 😁 Also for the “A” button not working, go into software commander and set the controller to “gamepad” instead of auto. For whatever reason, the software looses focus with the emulation software and switches back to desktop mode without warning. It took me awhile to figure it out, but no issues since! 😁
Awesome review, I can’t agree more about the steam deck UI! The user experience is way better, especially the battery life. However, with the power the Ally offers at full TDP, it’s worth it.
Thank you! I'm going to have to check that out in the LB button. I was taken aback because the RB button works flawlessly.
The issue I had with EmuDeck for Windows wasn't fixed with the GamePad controller mode. I was following Retro Game Corps instructions as well as EmuDecks.
Also, yes. The Steam OS is fantastic for a user experience. It's the best I've experienced in the handheld PC space.
I want a steam deck but it just needs that bit extra omph
Pretty much. Unless you're playing titles that don't require as much horsepower, that is.
Some games run great on the Steam Deck. But you'll need more horsepower for recent AAA titles to run at 30fps or higher.
On sale for $620 at Best Buy
That's a deal.
@@baldlyrudy Never mind Steam Deck OLED just made all this pointless
@@Lycan3303
Why? Just because of Oled screen? It lacks more power and USB 4 compatibility for egpu to really crush Ally
Rog Ally is way better then the Steam deck, and at higher watts the Graphics performance difference is huge. I let my son have my steam deck and I can't stop playing Ally.
What’s the point if you can only play it for 30-40 minutes at a time tho? Like, at that point I’d rather just play on my pc
@@CaptainEffortexactly at 15w the performance is very comparable
@@theo5675 But anything under that it’s not even comparable. I can play New Vegas on my Steam Deck for 6 hours without needing a single charge. I’d be lucky to get half that with the competition.
How are you still having issues with deadzone and Dolby Atmos? All this stuff has been fixed. Update your damn unit, man.
Why wouldn't I update the unit that I've been gaming on for months? ASUS and Armoury Crate literally notified you when updates go live.
The dead zones look fine in Armoury Crate, but in practice still give issues.
The spatial Audio is still buggy, even at 25w. Don't know what to tell you. Maybe my unit is faulty? 🤷♂️
@@baldlyrudy indeed. The only way you can still get crackly Dolby is if you run at 5watts using software other than AC, which has a 7 watt minimum. Dead zones are fine now. Gamepad tester confirms it. Slightest movements detected.
Really hope they don’t pull an apple on us with hardware and support this for 4 years min
Same. If they support it the way they support their laptops, then I'll be happy.
Legion has way better screen
Hopefully next year they’ll bring better option or new console
I use a $20 USB C dock with HDMI out and PD on my LG OLED and its been a great experience. It automatically outputs to my TV. Then when i connect my xbox controller via BT and hit the XBOX buttons, it opens Steam Big Picture mode for me. Functionally its the same as when i would dock the Steam Deck.
your wife plays games？ very cool. my wife plays on my nerves.
She is pretty awesome.
@@baldlyrudythen she is a definite keeper. thank you for sharing your experience. i am on the fence between Ally and Onexplayer for its bigger ram, space and gpu. but the ally must be better in terms of fixing and support. its a hard decision.
The SD track pads are derp..
I never understood how people can play one game more then once. I LOVE games. I play each game on the highest difficulty from the beginning. I'm mentioning that because maybe that has something to do with it. But I cannot replay any game once it's done. The hardest games I've passed were cod world at war and halo 2. I will not be replaying those. EVER. but so glad I did.
Yep... Lol double trackpads are a must! Valve nailed it. Specially for desktop modes
i still use both. i use my SD to play simple indie games and roms of old games on emudeck and then i use my rog ally for newer aaa titles that need more power. fans of the SD can jump up and down as much as they like but the FACTS are not wrong. the ally is a much more powerful unit and in being so plays more intense games alot better. the SD has its pros and cons pros steamOS cons not as fast as the ally LOL
I didn't know egpu work that way thats kind of dumb you can't use it on other devices. You pay all that money and can't do what you want with it ridiculous.
An hour or an hour and half with a AAA game is probably a little generous. It’s around 45-50 minutes from my experience. Definitely a plugged in and at home handheld for me, but that’s fine.
Ive nust ordered the rog ally i bought a steam deck a long with 5 of my work pals not one of us still have one all of us sold them they to us were just garbage none of us could pkay the gsmes we wanted they were just all roung rubbish i havent regretted selling mine at all .. ps i never used my trackpads