This was my cousin, Dylan's first time appearing on-camera - a comment below here saying "hi", or just welcoming him to the channel would be appreciated so he can see it! 💜 And thanks for the support on the recent videos about the Ally, and this one with the Steam Deck OLED - I have always wanted to dive more-into other products within this niche when smartphones get stale. SO I a SUPER happy to see you all enjoying them! (ALSO, studio should be done within the next 2 weeks). It is ALMOST there and looking AMAZING.
Hey, this is the first video that I've seen of yours so it's my first time seeing either of you and you guys were great! This was a great breakdown of the pros and cons of both systems. I've been really considering selling my PC (that I built in 2012 so it's a little old..) and buying an Ally X as a replacement. Have you used any eGPU's and a dock to experience how the Ally X is as a full desktop replacement? I like the Steamdeck too but I'd prefer Windows so I can continue to play the games that I have on PC without hiccups.
Hi Dylan! I wanna say you did very well for your first appearance on video. Also great video Valis I only just subbed but please keep up the good work on the videos :3.
I personally couldn't live without the steam deck touch pads now. Life saver playing some games that weren't designed for controller. Got the OG steam deck. Was very tempted by the white oled coming out. But just going to wait a few years for the steam deck follow up.
@camerooonify what games in particular do you like the touch pads for? I’m debating on the steam deck vs ally x and the touch pads intrigue me. Just not sure what games they are useful for!
@bret4033 any games that have tab targeting. For example I've recently been replaying through dragon age origins. The touch pad can also be clicked/pressed in separate areas. So the left touch pad for me then has 9 different click points for abilities. I also use the steam deck to play wow. Also just using the touch pad as a mouse is far more accurate and rapid to do than using a stick.
yes, touchpad is quite an addition. the more useful stuff the better, although i haven't used it in game that much. but i think I'll try you games soon and find out
I never really use the touchpads. I have the LCD SteamDeck and ROG Ally Extreme. I prefer the Ally, the difference is pretty notable in favor of the Ally.
Even when playing games like RDR2, cyberpunk, Elden ring, baldurs gate 3, etc? I wanna play those games and I can't decide between steamdeck OLED and ally x! I really want a OLED screen but I'm afraid the performance will be bad
I got a brand new Ally X on eBay for $669. I returned my 512GB SD Oled for the Ally X because I play a lot of fighting games. The d-pad on the Ally X feels closer to an Xbox gamepad and just feels more natural for fighting games compared to the placement of the d-pad on the SD for me.
@@Miggysaurus13 it's a handheld. Sure you can hook it up to a TV and dock it, but then why not just buy a laptop for the same price and get significantly more performance.
I personally prefer the ROG ALLY X, you can always install Steam OS (Bazzite) on it, if you want a more console like experience. And you have more power, more battery life, 120 Hz VRR Display (no need to cap framerate anymore like on Steam Deck on every game) and more
Is the battery life really better on steam os? My steamdeck loses in standby about 10 % in one day and it's empty after one week. My rog ally with windows 10 loses 2 % after one month vacation in standby mode.
@@alexh7513 The battery life on the Ally will be better on Steam OS for sure, I have yet to try it, but Linux has very little overhead. Windows always has a ton of resources running in the background, connecting to internet, using system memory, etc. It's quite a nightmare. I hope one day, ASUS could make a Steam OS native version of the Ally to give the performance a place to shine. Though, I would still put a small windows partition on it for COD ajahhahaajha.
You all gotta play around with steam input more on the steam deck. Using the touchpads for virtual keys is amazing. You can also turn off the back buttons so if you hit them they do nothing.
Just wish the ally had a slightly larger screen. 7 inches is a bit too smal for me. The oled on the deck feels way larger. The ally smokes it in all other categories though.
I own both the ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED. I find myself mostly using the Ally X over the Steam Deck thanks to its better battery life and more comfortable feel in my hands. The extra USB port is also super helpful as just having one can be annoying. I didn't realize how nice it was until I got to use a Legion Go, despite it being my least favorite of the PC handhelds I own
Should I buy also Rog Ally X for running Bazzite? I love Steam Deck and Steam OS, but I would love better battery life. So bigger battery with ROG Ally X would be awesome.
It's not about performance overall, it is more about the efficiency of the battery and power. As it says in the video: Stardew is a great example for comparison. If you play low-demanding games, indie titles, your choice is SteamDeck, since it is very well optimized for such games and it allows you to play longer even with the smaller battery. You can compare how well and how long Half Life 2 runs on Deck and Ally. I've managed to play HL2 about 4-5 hours and yet still had some battery left.
Great video. For me, the deciding factor is that most of my gaming library is outside of Steam. The ease to open up multiple libraries is the main reason I'll go for an Ally X. That steam deck OLED screen is niceeee tho
Weird, I'm the opposite. I have a VRR monitor, can't change to anything that isn't. The stability of VRR makes me really sensitive to frame stuttering on other monitors.
@@PomuLeafEveryday hey we are all different . Having both devices on front of me right now the OLED screen on Deck is both bigger and far more immersive due to the blacks and colors - so it depends on the games you play and the individual . Both devices are cool but I can't get over just how much more immersive the Steam Deck screen is ...
I agree it blew me away, I’ve had hands on with it, but seeing it side by side yesterday with the Ally was interesting it’s way better. I do still prefer the Ally for VRR and it being 120FPS. but I wouldn’t mind the performance of the Ally with the Deck display. I could sit comfortably at a 90FPS limit in cod if it looked THAT good.
I wouldnt be able to make a decision. Performance is key. But i remembered that a nintendo switch or even a phone is not nice to play games because of the glare of the sun. Like, then why have a handheld if you cant see anything. I would imagine the oled does a way better job with that? Just being able to see what even is on the screen
Id take the Steam Deck, because if you are buying this devices, chances are you already have powerful PC or a gaming Console. Steam OS is just much straight forward and user friendly to use
If you don't have a gaming desktop/laptop I suggest the ally X , other than that get the steam deck oled. I always tell people it always depends on what games you are trying to play. If you are playing FPS games like R6, Warzone etc. Definitely the ally X ( Steamdeck has no solution for the anti cheat so you can't play any of these) but I personally don't suggest playing shooter games on a handheld as you will DEFINITELY get skill and peripheral diffed by mouse and keyboard players lol. If you want something more laid back for Story games, Racing games, Emulation I suggest the steam deck OLED The price is also an important aspect , I picked up my Steam deck OLED 512 GB Used For 500$ CAD or 350 USD. I paid about 900$ CAD or 650 USD for the ROG ally X Used . I already have a beast gaming PC with a 4090 so I can't justify the extra cost for the ally X. My only complaint with the ally x is why they couldn't include a trackpad at that pricepoint.
Actually i lately started playing battlefield 1 about a month ago. Hitting around 1,5 K/D with controller and having a shit load of fun. Of course sometimes someone just jumps around the corner and i cant do anything. But mainly i am enjoying myself and every now & then being within the top 3
I really enjoyed watching you two stick to your guns, but also respect the other's choice. This was a great look into the differences, and why there is no clear "winner" factually; it's all about best hardware/software for your personal usage habits. Thanks for the honesty. And, Hi Dylan! From your friendly neighborhood AmeriCanadian, PixelFreak.
I love the trackpads, I use them for like 90% of games, much preferred over the joysticks for most games... you can take advantage of every control on the Steam deck, it doesn't matter if the game supports it or not, you can map and set any controller setup you want custom, and there are community layouts you can just download and try other people have already customized.
You’re correct, I think he just meant that the steam deck verified games could do something to add unique functionality for the touchpad over just being an alternative input method
Steamdeck for me. Touchpads and quick resume is a must for me. For AAA games I just screen mirror from my ps5 or pc. everything is covered. While running emulators and chill games natively. Modded with clicky Buttons is chefs kiss along with the huge community backing steamdeck.
Also Steam Deck is a great choice if you're not familiar with PC tinkering/adjusting... The most work I've had to do in the las 2 years witht the deck, is change a proton to get the game to play. It plays 90% of my steam library. Most of the time it's install and hit play.
regarding price the deck 512GB OLED 569,00€ and the Ally Z1 Extreme is currently 499,99 in sale right now, with this price difference the ally would be a better choice right?
The OLED is a huge difference. I wish we had a high quality, OLED display version of the Ally. but I don't doubt someone is going to be making a mod kit sometime in the future like they're starting to do with the Switch lite, and so on ahaha.
Dont have a Windows gaming desktop and want _all_ your game options on the go? *Get the Ally X (or upcoming Windows handhelds)* Already have a full blown gaming desktop or laptop as your daily driver, and just want an amazing _companion_ to your existing setup? *Get a Steam Deck OLED, and enjoy all the benefits of an amazingly-tuned Linux OS while on the couch, in the kitchen, or chilling in bed.* *Have games that don't run on Linux? _STREAM them to the Deck from your desktop!_ *Mouse and keyboard only game? _Utilize Steam Input to create your own intuitive or complex control layout, complete with gyro-to-mouse aim for any game; further extended by creating rotary popup menus on a touch pad or stick to release-press Function keys or macros!_ *Want the Deck, but also (for some reason) want Windows? _Install Windows 10/11 on the Deck. It's a PC!_
Hey it will be different for everyone . I am personally selling the Ally X as I have the g14 rog oled laptop which is a far better windows device and still very portable. I am keeping the Steam Deck OLED as I i don't need two portable windows devices and the Deck OLED screen is both bigger and much more immersive than Ally X screen for the kind of games i play handheld . Ally X I really liked but its too many devices...
"As i dont need 2 portable windows devices". Bro. Have u ever heard of "installing a new os on a pc"? Bro how u gonna play on the laptop? U need an external mouse for this or are you gonna play cod with the mousepad 😂
Thats rediculous man but whatever xD i stick to my ally x with the 4tb SSD ive build in. When im gonna sell it, i will open it up and switch the ssd, then im gonna use the 4tb ssd on the next gen handheld.
The ally x is crippled imho. Most ally users put bazzite on it. Just buy a steam deck. It feels like having a samsung phone back in the day and put lineage os on it to keep using it. For minecraft on steam deck its pretty simple. Just use desktop mode-->discover-->minecraft bedrock launcher.
I want to see this same video again, after you install Bazzite (or however its spelled) on the ally. Other than the OLED screen that may tip the scales fairly well into the favor of the ally.
It's like comparing apples with oranges. Even the slim PS5 is a better choice for gaming in general if you play on the big screen than both of these devices. These machines are only worth it if you play most of the time on the go or just prefer handheld gaming. Personally, I see these devices more like a cool gadget and a great secondary device, but not worth it as a primary one, especially if you want to play the most recent AAA games. Both the PS5 and Xbox series X are still more future proof.
I’m returning my rog ally x , I love the upgrade but dang windows is so buggy, im switching to steam deck I don’t play anti cheat games so im not missing anything
I remember that a couple of months back, Valve announced that they'll add official SteamOS support for ROG Ally X. Fingers crossed that the linux experience will be much better.
Can you explain how you configured minecraft java onto the device at 3:20? I have an Ally X and I wanna get that working so I can play it with my friends. I have the game already but it only lets me use the touchscreen when I open the game
Silly Ques: I have bad experience of having loose controller buttons within 6 months/8 months of purchase, what would happen if buttons of any handheld becomes loose
BOTH the Ally and the Steam Deck are able to be serviced by you - with replacement parts being widely available, even from iFixit. - Wear and tear is normal, unfortunately. It just happens, and can't really be avoided if you did play for long. That being said, both have held up. Though the Ally is relatively new, I have abused it and it's been solid. It is good to know though that parts can be swapped, and even upgraded - like with high quality components such as hall-effect thumbsticks.
I’ve been stuck on deciding which one of these to get. I’ve got a powerful desktop, a gaming laptop aswell, and I mainly play rpgs like RuneScape aswell as a few story mode type games like red dead or farming simulator. I think the steam deck is the one for me, the touch pads are a big selling point I think especially for a game like RuneScape where you really need to move the mouse. Thank you guys
great job, very unbiased review, both platforms are fantastic, as a bit of a PC tinker I have the ROG Ally X dual booting into both Bazzite and Windows, but thinking about getting the Steam deck for the daughter as it just works with that console feel.
Big thing that I don't believe they mentioned is that the steam deck can go into sleep mode without issues in most single player titles, but the ally can't because it's windows, so you need to fully exit the game.
I have both OLED steam deck and the rog Ally and for my point of view I like this steam deck, but it runs more like a gaming console like PlayStation and the Xbox which is just fine but the rog Ally is gaming PC and I can actually do quite a bit compared to the steam deck so I actually would go with the rog Ally myself they’re both great otherwise
This video was nicely done. Have you tried running Lossless Scaling on the Ally x and the SD to see what the highest stable framerates in a title like RDR2 or Horizon Forbidden West are?
I have a gaming PC so OLED SD made more sense for me. Ally would be good if you were someone who didn't have a gaming PC/laptop. Plus the OLED screen is so much better than the Ally's screen.
Very good comparison video. I went with a 512 oled steam deck, 750 canadian with taxes and shipping. I quite enjoy it. While there are great performance markers for the ally x, 1100 dollars for a handheld, and 400 more dollars than the oled is a large ask, and i didnt feel it could be worth it.
Yeah. The price is a con, but I understand. Cost of licensing windows needs to be added on, and it’s not like ASUS can sell it at a loss and make it up on game sales.
If you compare the the price, you should also take the same storage option. The Rog ally z1 extreme 512 gb is the same price as the steamdeck oled 512 gb.
My main games are older like aoe2 and aom but there mouse keyboard games I'm guessing the steam deck would be easier because of the track pads? but I saw also that the rog ally can play those games also by having the joysticks become like mouse movements? My question is which device has the better mouse controls and keyboard controls?
I feel the oled is good but most games is below 60fps and the asus is powerful but danm expensive i thought steam should get above 60fps at least in red dead redemption or any game that looks cool above 60fps for smooth play
"The ally has VRR" So why does the footage of you playing Call of Duty show screentearing? Did you forget to enable vsync in the games settings? Or enable VRR in radeon settings?
Got the ally x recently. The $500 deal at Best Buy for Black Friday was too amazing to pass up. The steam deck didn’t even have a Black Friday sale other than a limited white edition at the full price lol. Made sense for me. I got blizz and Microsoft games too. And if I got the steam deck instead I’d still end up modifying it for emulation etc so it really didn’t matter which way I went as far as ease of setup.
Steamdeck is already sold at a loss because they get the profits off of game sales. Ally x is sold at a profit because they dont have a storefront to get profits from, and thus they can afford sales.
Really fun video. I prioritize screen qualities and features (HDR, OLED) and ease of use above all else this early into the the PC handheld wars. The OLED on the Steam Deck and console like interface, with the ability to adjust like a PC is a perfect balance.
the shadowban/ perma-ban issue has been solved with MW3 a while back on the Ally, but yeah - so far it's been fine haha. Even though I was being a little sketchy, trying to change region and VPN to trick the Xbox app to letting me in prior to launch, but all good here. And performance is solid! Not exaggerating when I said I play it every night LMAO
@@valismind love to hear that! yea I deff am gonna play it on my ally x but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't get accidentally banned from changing the TDP or opening the armory crate control panel mid-match
Just feel the SD APU is just a bit too long in the tooth now. Too many new title are struggling to play, I don't really want to be stuck playing 2D stuff or old games I've already played years ago for the next 2 years. Yes, it plays Cyberpunk and Red Dead 2, but they came out years ago, we've all played those already. Maybe when the SD 2 comes out I'll have another look.
It was a difficult decision, but no matter how powerful the Ally X, I still chose the SD OLED because it is OLED and it matters because it is a "handheld". However, I would've chosen the Ally X if it was OLED
I love oled. I have the steamdeck oled and the rog ally. But if a game only runs with 30-40 fps i prefer the VRR screen on my ally, because it looks much smoother in comparison to a non VRR screen. If the game runs with 60 fps or more, i prefer my oled steamdeck. The best would be a VRR Oled screen, but at this time no Oled VRR handheld exists.
@alexh7513 Fair point, and that's part of what made the Ally X powerful. In the end, we just have preferences and there are also factors that could affect our decisions. In your case, I just preferred VRR to be either from a PC or a console because there are good monitors and TVs nowadays and they have better screen size
It's simple if you want more power and are comfortable with tweaking around windows get the ally, if you just want to play less powerful games the second you click play get the deck.
Steam Deck all the way. Honestly I feel like if you chose the Ally over the Deck its because you have never had the opportunity to try the Deck. The Deck may have less power then the Ally, but the secret sauce is in Steam OS and the OLED display. Its just a better experience IMO
I owned the original steam deck, and had hands on with my cousins because he delivered it my house. Even did the unboxing here on this channel. Idk, it’s just not for me.
There’s a valid argument to be made that the Ally X with bazzite is the definitive way of playing indies. At 7w your getting like 8+ hours of battery especially if the Ally dips to 5w automatically Steam deck is nice but I found myself on team Ally. And I have. Tower pc too so I can easily switch between the 2 and have similar yet scaleable experiences
I’m thinking of buying one of these two handheld devices.. and I’ve decided to go for the ally x just cos it can play all the games whereas the steam deck is limited.. the only thing that I don’t like is how expensive Ally X is 😅
Both look good to me. When choosing a handheld device I always look for comfort when playing games. I'm the type of person who will plays for hours on end, so having my hands stay comfy and not get cramped up is important. This is why I couldn't play the PSP and Vita. The thumb sticks are too low and gave me hand cramps after thirty minutes of play. I can't be having that. So both these devices are excellent in that regard, with the SteamDeck edging it ever so slightly. Frame rates and resolutions isn't important to me. As long as it's smooth and not blurry I'll be happy enough.
Why windows? Its just inferior to SteamOS. Unless being able to play multiplayer games that devs aren't assed to optimise for other operating systems is that important, steamos shines in every way. Better optimised, less tinkering and is built around the steam deck features.
Price plays a big part here. The SD LCD is £349. SD OLED is £479 whereas the Ally X is £799. The SD is the better overall package and a perfect companion to your desktop. The Ally X seems to favour outright performance over battery life, which is not ideal on a handheld. Plus the SD is far better for on/off gaming on the go.
I got the SD OLED over the summer and while it would be cool to play games like CoD while I’m on the go I usually am in the mood to play something I can already run on the SD. On top of that, I already have a gaming PC so if I want to play something more intensive or with anticheat, I just stream the game to the deck/on TV thru the deck!
Moved from Steam deck oled to Ally X. Don't miss the SD at all. The Ally X just plays everything. All my games are spread over different launcher's and windows is what I'm used to. Bought the SD because of the poor battery but the X covers all bases
case is what sold it for me, I absolutely love the steam decks case. Especially with the smaller carrying case inside that you can use. Fuck it’s awesome
Legion go 512gb is $549 brand new on amazon with the same Z1 as the ally and 16gbs of ram making it the best choice price wise. Just got mine in a few days ago. I haven't played my desktop since. I realized I am a handheld guy. I'd much rather have my handheld and play wherever then by stuck at my desk. especially since I work from home and I'm already at my desk most of the day. I just preordered the ayaneo egpu that supposed o ship at the end of the month to complete my setup. probably going to sell my desktop and go strictly handheld.
@@fightnight14 and so? It's nowhere near as expensive either. 549 vs 799. You can install bazzite instead of windows and get better play times at lower tdps. Or you can use the money you saved and buy a power Bank.
@@fightnight14 ok. and? it's also cheaper at 549 vs 799. it was 499 a couple weeks ago. with that price difference I was able to get a 2tb corsair 2230 ssd, the adapter to use the ssd, and a 25000 mah battery bank and still spent less than the 1tb rog ally x. I'm not saying the ally X isnt a better device. Of course it is, it has almost twice the battery and an additional 8gbs of ram. That doesn't mean it's the better deal value wise.
When/if Windows can make a partitioned game mode OS, I'll consider making a Windows handheld my laptop replacement. I still use plenty of Windows productivity programs. I'd love to just dock a handheld instead of use a laptop. In the meantime, I've got my Asus G14 and steam deck.
As someone not knowledgeable with pcs outside of the average office use the deck seemed the better choice, with hindsight the user experience is perfect for that however my lack of any experience with Linux has been a massive hurdle and there's been a steep learning curve so its a double edged sword for noobs
@grinnellgrinnell no I disagree. On a modern network, at native resolution the network latency isn't noticably higher than the normal click to photo latency. With the OLED having better latency than the other LCD handhelds, at least on my network, it about balances out
@@derekfurst6233here in australia that’s just not possible, the average wifi speed is too slow. My sister uses playstation remote play, but it only works inside the house and the latency is very noticeable most of the day
👋 Nice video you both talked about each others experience and highlighted what each of you consider each systems best traits. Awesome video, What me in particular consider is that the steamdeck is a bit less powerful and I fear that in the not so distant future it could be harder to run more recent titles. But I can definitely see why people love it. The ally x seems like the polished version of what a windows handheld should be. Overall still a hard choice to make.
May I request for reviewers to talk about Steamdeck's performance with current gen games instead of describing how well it plays Dead Cells or Cup head? I think valve did a terrific job optimizing the hardware and also taking efforts to work with publishers to have Steam ready ports of AAA games. That is commendable. Talking about these low end pixel graphics games is really an insult to the steamdeck.
Why does it seem like the guy who prefers the steam deck is coping hard lmao… If the ally had an Oled screen this wouldn’t be a video it would be a copethon!
I have the steam deck(not the oled model) and loving it. But I might consider picking up the rog ally possibly for fps games such as battlefield, cod and others alike.
Nice comparison. It'd be cool to see time stamps in your video. I was skipping around to find your price comparison. Also, Don't forget, in the US, those Refurbished 64GB LCD models do come in from time to time at $279 USD (roughly $390 Canadian). You can't beat that for someone who doesn't have alot to spend and wants to get into portable gaming. Adding more storage is easy and cheaper with a 512MB or 1 TB micro SD card for your games, or you can swap the 64GB M.2 drive for a 1TB starting around $70 USD. The micro SD cards are like around $20 USD.
See that "bloat" is what's stopping me from getting the Ally X. I have the SD, but I want the performance boost of the Ally. But having to deal with Windows and all its BS is a serious detractor for me
Another two cents. yes an Ally X bias I have the Ally and Ally X. I installed Bazzite on the original just end up feeling handicapped and limited. Limited in terms of library and options. I basically turned it into an emulator machine. Yes I am aware of work around to install epic games and Xbox for game pass, but when you realize how stupid it sounds to jump through hoops just to basically do what an ally can do vs the steam deck. You'll understand why Ally X is the better choice. So I wiped the Ally gave it to my wife and. Now she has a portable gaming PC she can take every where and I have my Ally X. It's not that expensive as steam deck owners portray if you can save for a Deck you save for an X. I say get the most bang for your buck go all out it's what you save for. Gaming is an expensive hobby, from Consoles, PC, to Handheld.
i have both and both are great. i like rog ally a little better because of the dpad and general layout of the buttons and joysticks, and it's windows, so anything that can run on windows will run on rog ally (provided the hardware is capable enough) - which means any library outside of steam, it's a huge win factor. however, steamdeck's touchpad is wonderful.... these days i do tend to play on rog ally more.
@valismind looking back at ur vid. Your display is totally filled and even though mine is set to 800p I'm getting letter boxed, something is def off. I'm not sure weather to be bothered though as my performance is largely in the 50's at 10 watts which makes for a good 40 fps lock and the game is looking good.
Changing the settings def works. Game looks bad turned down too low. Must be the resolution not working correctly. That 16/9 aspect ratio must be making a decent difference
Changing the res works too. For whatever reason it just seems to be the aspect ratio that won't change. I have to say fsr does a good job in this game. I'd recommend it for extra performance
I already have a beast gaming desktop but I travel a lot I’m still deciding which one to get I mostly playing fighting games racing games and fps games
I already have a gaming laptop, and I have everything installed on my steam library (yes even non-steam games). I can easily remote play the AAA games on my OG Steam Deck. And for just $350?? THATS A PRETTY GOOD DEAL. Thats the only budget that I currently have and willing to... $800 for a handheld console..?? haiyaaa I could build a gaming PC faster than that one. Also I have my steam deck mainly on windows 11
Kind of. The 8" is more of a fan among RTS/4x where text is more readable in 1080p. Some like the detachable controllers/mouse too. It's okay. The Ally X does have VRR, 2280 SSD for 4tb, twice the battery, etc. but most people like the SD for OLED and 720p is smoother for the Zen 2 APU vs the Zen 4 APU in the Z1E which handles 800p and 1080p. There are also 2 leaked Legion Go models coming next year, so there might be more options in pricing, or chipset, a 7" lite, and a 8" with dual fans, that's what's known so far (from a legion dock manual iirc). 2025 Ally X / Legion Go's versions may have the Z2E or the HX870 chipset which is 20% faster at the same batttery TDP levels (based on the HX370 laptops which have the same Zen5 and 890m APU spec as the Z2E) time will tell what SteamOS is doing, or if they add SOS on these alternate consoles too (though, Bazzite works fantastic to smoothing out the 'console' like features.)
@@panamike6178So, - The ally x is the juggernaut. It has the best performance. But, its lacking in features. No trackpads or custom OS. Its also extremely expensive. - The legion go is the versatile one. Its in the middle in performance and has 1 trackpad, and can be turned into a tablet. The detactable controllers also function as a mouse. The screen is also gigantic and immersive, and is 1600p. The price is a tad expensive but not as bad as the ally x. Its worth noting the battery is terrible. Like, half - The SDOLED is the 2 edged sword. It has OLED, a nice OS, 2 trackpads, 4 back buttons and excels in user friendliness. It performs the weakest though. Its around 10% weaker than the legion go and 30% weaker than the ally x. Where it best excels in is price. Its 550. Where i live, its 300 cheaper than the legion go and 400 cheaper than the ally x.
![BEST Gaming Handheld in 2024!? [Steam Deck OLED | Ally X | Legion Go | Claw]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/czoKrKcgHaY/mqdefault.jpg)
![BEST Gaming Handheld in 2024!? [Steam Deck OLED | Ally X | Legion Go | Claw]](/img/tr.png)
This was my cousin, Dylan's first time appearing on-camera - a comment below here saying "hi", or just welcoming him to the channel would be appreciated so he can see it! 💜
And thanks for the support on the recent videos about the Ally, and this one with the Steam Deck OLED - I have always wanted to dive more-into other products within this niche when smartphones get stale. SO I a SUPER happy to see you all enjoying them! (ALSO, studio should be done within the next 2 weeks). It is ALMOST there and looking AMAZING.
Hey, this is the first video that I've seen of yours so it's my first time seeing either of you and you guys were great! This was a great breakdown of the pros and cons of both systems. I've been really considering selling my PC (that I built in 2012 so it's a little old..) and buying an Ally X as a replacement. Have you used any eGPU's and a dock to experience how the Ally X is as a full desktop replacement? I like the Steamdeck too but I'd prefer Windows so I can continue to play the games that I have on PC without hiccups.
Hi Dylan! I wanna say you did very well for your first appearance on video.
Also great video Valis I only just subbed but please keep up the good work on the videos :3.
Dudes, this was excellent. Not just the topic itself but the handling of it between you two.
You should have Dylan on more it really added a nice dynamic.
Hi Dylan! Welcome
I personally couldn't live without the steam deck touch pads now. Life saver playing some games that weren't designed for controller. Got the OG steam deck. Was very tempted by the white oled coming out. But just going to wait a few years for the steam deck follow up.
And also for getting rid of those annoying menu pop ups.
@camerooonify what games in particular do you like the touch pads for? I’m debating on the steam deck vs ally x and the touch pads intrigue me. Just not sure what games they are useful for!
@bret4033 any games that have tab targeting. For example I've recently been replaying through dragon age origins. The touch pad can also be clicked/pressed in separate areas. So the left touch pad for me then has 9 different click points for abilities. I also use the steam deck to play wow. Also just using the touch pad as a mouse is far more accurate and rapid to do than using a stick.
yes, touchpad is quite an addition. the more useful stuff the better, although i haven't used it in game that much. but i think I'll try you games soon and find out
I never really use the touchpads. I have the LCD SteamDeck and ROG Ally Extreme. I prefer the Ally, the difference is pretty notable in favor of the Ally.
In the end it's all about what you want to play. Since I already own a gaming laptop, I went for Steam Deck, mostly for retro gaming.
Yup! This is exactly it. Sometimes the extra performance, or it being a windows handheld isn’t nessicary. The OLED does have some benefits.
isn't ally x playing mod or emulator games much better than steam deck?
Yes for a "better" price too@@brianhangfaing4946
@@brianhangfaing4946also has better battery life than steamdeck
@@brianhangfaing4946it is!
COD while chilling on the couch with the Ally X has been so fun! Especially when my wife or other person is hogging the TV
Yeah my wife’s bf can be an ass too with our tv but the Ally is great to zone out
wtf
@@BlueCollaredGritwife’s bf..
@@BlueCollaredGrit ur sick
@@gomuningen18 sorry my life is not perfect like yours.
I have both ROG Ally X, and Steam Deck Oled. However, even though I love them both - I see me enjoying games more on the OLED
Even when playing games like RDR2, cyberpunk, Elden ring, baldurs gate 3, etc? I wanna play those games and I can't decide between steamdeck OLED and ally x!
I really want a OLED screen but I'm afraid the performance will be bad
@ Red Dead plays amazing! Same with Elden Ring.. Cyberpunk is playable on both, but I’d rely more on the Ally for that game.
@@AntonioMottaAtor Your on handheld, the performance will be bad anyway... But if you really care that much just use upscaling.
I got a brand new Ally X on eBay for $669. I returned my 512GB SD Oled for the Ally X because I play a lot of fighting games. The d-pad on the Ally X feels closer to an Xbox gamepad and just feels more natural for fighting games compared to the placement of the d-pad on the SD for me.
Bro could just dock it and use a controller
@@Miggysaurus13 it's a handheld. Sure you can hook it up to a TV and dock it, but then why not just buy a laptop for the same price and get significantly more performance.
That must of been a hard find for that price😅
Where did you buy and return the SD? I wasn’t aware we could return them.
How is the sd card issue that the first one had?
I personally prefer the ROG ALLY X, you can always install Steam OS (Bazzite) on it, if you want a more console like experience. And you have more power, more battery life, 120 Hz VRR Display (no need to cap framerate anymore like on Steam Deck on every game) and more
Is the battery life really better on steam os? My steamdeck loses in standby about 10 % in one day and it's empty after one week. My rog ally with windows 10 loses 2 % after one month vacation in standby mode.
@@alexh7513 The battery life on the Ally will be better on Steam OS for sure, I have yet to try it, but Linux has very little overhead. Windows always has a ton of resources running in the background, connecting to internet, using system memory, etc. It's quite a nightmare. I hope one day, ASUS could make a Steam OS native version of the Ally to give the performance a place to shine. Though, I would still put a small windows partition on it for COD ajahhahaajha.
@@valismind Xbox might actually be making an OS for these handhelds
Ally X looks great, but its over $1100 where I live, where the LCD 512GB Steamdeck was $360, so I bought the SD.
OLED kinda the deal breaker 😢
You all gotta play around with steam input more on the steam deck. Using the touchpads for virtual keys is amazing. You can also turn off the back buttons so if you hit them they do nothing.
Fair. I’ll make an updated video.
Just wish the ally had a slightly larger screen. 7 inches is a bit too smal for me. The oled on the deck feels way larger. The ally smokes it in all other categories though.
These are my thoughts as well
I own both the ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED. I find myself mostly using the Ally X over the Steam Deck thanks to its better battery life and more comfortable feel in my hands. The extra USB port is also super helpful as just having one can be annoying. I didn't realize how nice it was until I got to use a Legion Go, despite it being my least favorite of the PC handhelds I own
Should I buy also Rog Ally X for running Bazzite? I love Steam Deck and Steam OS, but I would love better battery life. So bigger battery with ROG Ally X would be awesome.
@@robotti84 Yes. I dual boot Bazzite and Windows on mine and it's great. Mostly I stay in Bazzite now but I do use windows occasionally
Talks about performance while playing stardew valley 😂
It's not about performance overall, it is more about the efficiency of the battery and power. As it says in the video: Stardew is a great example for comparison. If you play low-demanding games, indie titles, your choice is SteamDeck, since it is very well optimized for such games and it allows you to play longer even with the smaller battery. You can compare how well and how long Half Life 2 runs on Deck and Ally. I've managed to play HL2 about 4-5 hours and yet still had some battery left.
@@BakerDogeI’m pro deck, any way you swing it. Love mine
Yeah the point is that the deck is just very efficient because it can run at a lower TDP offsetting the difference in battery size between the two
Great video. For me, the deciding factor is that most of my gaming library is outside of Steam. The ease to open up multiple libraries is the main reason I'll go for an Ally X. That steam deck OLED screen is niceeee tho
You can actually play other game library on steam deck
For me OLED was the determinant, my main desktop is also an OLED monitor and I feel like I just can't go back to LCD
Weird, I'm the opposite. I have a VRR monitor, can't change to anything that isn't. The stability of VRR makes me really sensitive to frame stuttering on other monitors.
@@PomuLeafEveryday hey we are all different . Having both devices on front of me right now the OLED screen on Deck is both bigger and far more immersive due to the blacks and colors - so it depends on the games you play and the individual . Both devices are cool but I can't get over just how much more immersive the Steam Deck screen is ...
I agree it blew me away, I’ve had hands on with it, but seeing it side by side yesterday with the Ally was interesting it’s way better. I do still prefer the Ally for VRR and it being 120FPS. but I wouldn’t mind the performance of the Ally with the Deck display. I could sit comfortably at a 90FPS limit in cod if it looked THAT good.
I wouldnt be able to make a decision. Performance is key. But i remembered that a nintendo switch or even a phone is not nice to play games because of the glare of the sun. Like, then why have a handheld if you cant see anything. I would imagine the oled does a way better job with that? Just being able to see what even is on the screen
Nah i choose THE POWER OF ALLY X - HOOKED UP ON MY LG OLED WITH FREESYNC PREMIUMMMMMMM!!! GAME CHANGERRRRR AYOO!!!!!
Id take the Steam Deck, because if you are buying this devices, chances are you already have powerful PC or a gaming Console. Steam OS is just much straight forward and user friendly to use
To be honest the people I know who own these aside from my cousin don’t actually own a pc
Yeah I don't think that's really true? Most people getting a steam deck are those who are too busy to game but liked to.
If you don't have a gaming desktop/laptop I suggest the ally X , other than that get the steam deck oled.
I always tell people it always depends on what games you are trying to play.
If you are playing FPS games like R6, Warzone etc. Definitely the ally X ( Steamdeck has no solution for the anti cheat so you can't play any of these) but I personally don't suggest playing shooter games on a handheld as you will DEFINITELY get skill and peripheral diffed by mouse and keyboard players lol.
If you want something more laid back for Story games, Racing games, Emulation I suggest the steam deck OLED
The price is also an important aspect , I picked up my Steam deck OLED 512 GB Used For 500$ CAD or 350 USD. I paid about 900$ CAD or 650 USD for the ROG ally X Used . I already have a beast gaming PC with a 4090 so I can't justify the extra cost for the ally X. My only complaint with the ally x is why they couldn't include a trackpad at that pricepoint.
Actually i lately started playing battlefield 1 about a month ago. Hitting around 1,5 K/D with controller and having a shit load of fun. Of course sometimes someone just jumps around the corner and i cant do anything. But mainly i am enjoying myself and every now & then being within the top 3
does steam deck needs to paid cor games?
or you can install it with fiels??
what about for me i wanna play retro football games
I really enjoyed watching you two stick to your guns, but also respect the other's choice. This was a great look into the differences, and why there is no clear "winner" factually; it's all about best hardware/software for your personal usage habits. Thanks for the honesty. And, Hi Dylan! From your friendly neighborhood AmeriCanadian, PixelFreak.
I love the trackpads, I use them for like 90% of games, much preferred over the joysticks for most games... you can take advantage of every control on the Steam deck, it doesn't matter if the game supports it or not, you can map and set any controller setup you want custom, and there are community layouts you can just download and try other people have already customized.
You’re correct, I think he just meant that the steam deck verified games could do something to add unique functionality for the touchpad over just being an alternative input method
Steamdeck for me. Touchpads and quick resume is a must for me. For AAA games I just screen mirror from my ps5 or pc. everything is covered. While running emulators and chill games natively.
Modded with clicky Buttons is chefs kiss along with the huge community backing steamdeck.
Why you don’t play AAA games on Steam Deck?
When you mirror from PC is the input lag noticeable?
@@SUlCUNE not at all. Feel native
@@OhQueBacan cause it's to weak. I can just stream them from ps5 or pc and make them do the heavy lifting.
Great video guys! My Oled Steam Deck arrives tomorrow😊
Nice! You'll love it, enjoy!
One of the best videos i seen on a handheld and i seen sooooo many videos. You guys are my new favorite
Also Steam Deck is a great choice if you're not familiar with PC tinkering/adjusting... The most work I've had to do in the las 2 years witht the deck, is change a proton to get the game to play. It plays 90% of my steam library. Most of the time it's install and hit play.
Is it wrong if you're indecisive and you own both?
No if you have the extra cash for both
regarding price the deck 512GB OLED 569,00€ and the Ally Z1 Extreme is currently 499,99 in sale right now, with this price difference the ally would be a better choice right?
They're talking about Ally X because the ally is not comparable to the OLED sd
@@adityakhanna113 okay thank you, what's the best choice between z1 extreme for 499,99 or deck oled for 569,99
@@adityakhanna113 That's not true. The OG Ally is comparable in a lot of metrics
@@crestofhonor2349OLED - do you know what this means??
@ organic light emitting diode
Excellent review! I am totally going to get me a Steam Deck Oled 1TB for Christmas. :)
Great video The RogAlly X looks great but the OLED on my steamdeck is just too much to give up for me to switch. 😊
The OLED is a huge difference. I wish we had a high quality, OLED display version of the Ally. but I don't doubt someone is going to be making a mod kit sometime in the future like they're starting to do with the Switch lite, and so on ahaha.
Dont have a Windows gaming desktop and want _all_ your game options on the go? *Get the Ally X (or upcoming Windows handhelds)*
Already have a full blown gaming desktop or laptop as your daily driver, and just want an amazing _companion_ to your existing setup? *Get a Steam Deck OLED, and enjoy all the benefits of an amazingly-tuned Linux OS while on the couch, in the kitchen, or chilling in bed.*
*Have games that don't run on Linux? _STREAM them to the Deck from your desktop!_
*Mouse and keyboard only game? _Utilize Steam Input to create your own intuitive or complex control layout, complete with gyro-to-mouse aim for any game; further extended by creating rotary popup menus on a touch pad or stick to release-press Function keys or macros!_
*Want the Deck, but also (for some reason) want Windows? _Install Windows 10/11 on the Deck. It's a PC!_
That's actually golden advice.
Hey it will be different for everyone . I am personally selling the Ally X as I have the g14 rog oled laptop which is a far better windows device and still very portable. I am keeping the Steam Deck OLED as I i don't need two portable windows devices and the Deck OLED screen is both bigger and much more immersive than Ally X screen for the kind of games i play handheld . Ally X I really liked but its too many devices...
You’re personally selling the ally x- “AS I HAVE”? 😂. What country are u from 😂
@LaymanGamin was just saying I own the g14 OLED laptop so even though I like the Ally X - no need for so many windows devices for me . UK ... Hehe
"As i dont need 2 portable windows devices". Bro. Have u ever heard of "installing a new os on a pc"? Bro how u gonna play on the laptop? U need an external mouse for this or are you gonna play cod with the mousepad 😂
Thats rediculous man but whatever xD i stick to my ally x with the 4tb SSD ive build in. When im gonna sell it, i will open it up and switch the ssd, then im gonna use the 4tb ssd on the next gen handheld.
@@LaymanGaminhe’s a straight up liar. Bot post. There is so many comments exactly like this bot lol
The ally x is crippled imho. Most ally users put bazzite on it. Just buy a steam deck. It feels like having a samsung phone back in the day and put lineage os on it to keep using it. For minecraft on steam deck its pretty simple. Just use desktop mode-->discover-->minecraft bedrock launcher.
I want to see this same video again, after you install Bazzite (or however its spelled) on the ally. Other than the OLED screen that may tip the scales fairly well into the favor of the ally.
I agree. I think the Ally is somewhat best of both worlds.
I got both… I’m fully satisfied! No need to get the ps5 pro
Hahaha, you've got quite the arsenal!
It's like comparing apples with oranges. Even the slim PS5 is a better choice for gaming in general if you play on the big screen than both of these devices. These machines are only worth it if you play most of the time on the go or just prefer handheld gaming. Personally, I see these devices more like a cool gadget and a great secondary device, but not worth it as a primary one, especially if you want to play the most recent AAA games. Both the PS5 and Xbox series X are still more future proof.
I’m returning my rog ally x , I love the upgrade but dang windows is so buggy, im switching to steam deck I don’t play anti cheat games so im not missing anything
I think ima buy it at best buy & if i dont like it ima return it
@ definitely try it Best Buy has great return policy
For what it's worth, Luke Jones, the guy who contributes pretty much all of the Asus code in Linux, uses SteamFork on his Ally X.
I remember that a couple of months back, Valve announced that they'll add official SteamOS support for ROG Ally X. Fingers crossed that the linux experience will be much better.
Can you explain how you configured minecraft java onto the device at 3:20? I have an Ally X and I wanna get that working so I can play it with my friends. I have the game already but it only lets me use the touchscreen when I open the game
Silly Ques: I have bad experience of having loose controller buttons within 6 months/8 months of purchase, what would happen if buttons of any handheld becomes loose
BOTH the Ally and the Steam Deck are able to be serviced by you - with replacement parts being widely available, even from iFixit. - Wear and tear is normal, unfortunately. It just happens, and can't really be avoided if you did play for long. That being said, both have held up. Though the Ally is relatively new, I have abused it and it's been solid.
It is good to know though that parts can be swapped, and even upgraded - like with high quality components such as hall-effect thumbsticks.
You guys did awesome 👌. This review was pretty good, it helped me make up my mind. Running with the Steam Deck
I’ve been stuck on deciding which one of these to get. I’ve got a powerful desktop, a gaming laptop aswell, and I mainly play rpgs like RuneScape aswell as a few story mode type games like red dead or farming simulator. I think the steam deck is the one for me, the touch pads are a big selling point I think especially for a game like RuneScape where you really need to move the mouse. Thank you guys
This video was amazing. Just bought a Steam Deck yesterday and I'm annoyed TH-cam hid this gem of a video from me for 6 days!
Much love man I appreciate it :) enjoy it!
great job, very unbiased review, both platforms are fantastic, as a bit of a PC tinker I have the ROG Ally X dual booting into both Bazzite and Windows, but thinking about getting the Steam deck for the daughter as it just works with that console feel.
Big thing that I don't believe they mentioned is that the steam deck can go into sleep mode without issues in most single player titles, but the ally can't because it's windows, so you need to fully exit the game.
I have both OLED steam deck and the rog Ally and for my point of view I like this steam deck, but it runs more like a gaming console like PlayStation and the Xbox which is just fine but the rog Ally is gaming PC and I can actually do quite a bit compared to the steam deck so I actually would go with the rog Ally myself they’re both great otherwise
And the SD card does not burn up that’s all a mess info sorry
This video was nicely done. Have you tried running Lossless Scaling on the Ally x and the SD to see what the highest stable framerates in a title like RDR2 or Horizon Forbidden West are?
Great video! Informative and great at highlighting a fair comparison between the two!
I have a gaming PC so OLED SD made more sense for me. Ally would be good if you were someone who didn't have a gaming PC/laptop. Plus the OLED screen is so much better than the Ally's screen.
Very good comparison video. I went with a 512 oled steam deck, 750 canadian with taxes and shipping. I quite enjoy it. While there are great performance markers for the ally x, 1100 dollars for a handheld, and 400 more dollars than the oled is a large ask, and i didnt feel it could be worth it.
Yeah. The price is a con, but I understand. Cost of licensing windows needs to be added on, and it’s not like ASUS can sell it at a loss and make it up on game sales.
How well you can run games like rdr2, Elden ring, baldurs gate 3, Wukong, etc?
If you compare the the price, you should also take the same storage option. The Rog ally z1 extreme 512 gb is the same price as the steamdeck oled 512 gb.
Sick video both valid points. I have neither and I only play FC25, call of duty, and spider man I’m guessing the ally would be preferred right?
I would go with the Ally X for sure, it would be a better fit.
My main games are older like aoe2 and aom but there mouse keyboard games I'm guessing the steam deck would be easier because of the track pads? but I saw also that the rog ally can play those games also by having the joysticks become like mouse movements? My question is which device has the better mouse controls and keyboard controls?
I loved the format of your video. New subscriber here
I feel the oled is good but most games is below 60fps and the asus is powerful but danm expensive i thought steam should get above 60fps at least in red dead redemption or any game that looks cool above 60fps for smooth play
Rog ally X can also charge at 100w, don't hear many people mention that.
"The ally has VRR"
So why does the footage of you playing Call of Duty show screentearing? Did you forget to enable vsync in the games settings? Or enable VRR in radeon settings?
I have both.. love both. Can’t go wrong with either one
One thing that you didn't mention, the ROG Ally X can use USB Thunderbolt eGPUs for when you want to dock it as a desktop replacement. The SD cannot
Amazing video man! Very detailed analysis....loved it!
Got the ally x recently. The $500 deal at Best Buy for Black Friday was too amazing to pass up. The steam deck didn’t even have a Black Friday sale other than a limited white edition at the full price lol.
Made sense for me. I got blizz and Microsoft games too. And if I got the steam deck instead I’d still end up modifying it for emulation etc so it really didn’t matter which way I went as far as ease of setup.
500 dollars you sure you got the X explain I kept checking price stayed at 700
Steamdeck is already sold at a loss because they get the profits off of game sales. Ally x is sold at a profit because they dont have a storefront to get profits from, and thus they can afford sales.
Really fun video. I prioritize screen qualities and features (HDR, OLED) and ease of use above all else this early into the the PC handheld wars. The OLED on the Steam Deck and console like interface, with the ability to adjust like a PC is a perfect balance.
Yeah man the OLED is absolutely a game changer, and the Steam Deck is very simple to use.
Hows blops 6 been on your ally x so far? No shadowbans or anything I hope!
the shadowban/ perma-ban issue has been solved with MW3 a while back on the Ally, but yeah - so far it's been fine haha. Even though I was being a little sketchy, trying to change region and VPN to trick the Xbox app to letting me in prior to launch, but all good here. And performance is solid! Not exaggerating when I said I play it every night LMAO
@@valismind love to hear that! yea I deff am gonna play it on my ally x but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't get accidentally banned from changing the TDP or opening the armory crate control panel mid-match
Just feel the SD APU is just a bit too long in the tooth now. Too many new title are struggling to play, I don't really want to be stuck playing 2D stuff or old games I've already played years ago for the next 2 years. Yes, it plays Cyberpunk and Red Dead 2, but they came out years ago, we've all played those already. Maybe when the SD 2 comes out I'll have another look.
Ive own the oled since it first dropped and i absolutely love it. But lately ive been thinking about getting a ally x.
It was a difficult decision, but no matter how powerful the Ally X, I still chose the SD OLED because it is OLED and it matters because it is a "handheld". However, I would've chosen the Ally X if it was OLED
I love oled. I have the steamdeck oled and the rog ally. But if a game only runs with 30-40 fps i prefer the VRR screen on my ally, because it looks much smoother in comparison to a non VRR screen. If the game runs with 60 fps or more, i prefer my oled steamdeck. The best would be a VRR Oled screen, but at this time no Oled VRR handheld exists.
@alexh7513 Fair point, and that's part of what made the Ally X powerful. In the end, we just have preferences and there are also factors that could affect our decisions. In your case, I just preferred VRR to be either from a PC or a console because there are good monitors and TVs nowadays and they have better screen size
It's simple if you want more power and are comfortable with tweaking around windows get the ally, if you just want to play less powerful games the second you click play get the deck.
Steam Deck all the way.
Honestly I feel like if you chose the Ally over the Deck its because you have never had the opportunity to try the Deck.
The Deck may have less power then the Ally, but the secret sauce is in Steam OS and the OLED display. Its just a better experience IMO
I owned the original steam deck, and had hands on with my cousins because he delivered it my house. Even did the unboxing here on this channel.
Idk, it’s just not for me.
This right here is the real answer. People have no clue how legit the OS is and the OLED screen. It’s a handheld.
Great video i have the Z1 extreme and I do love it. I am going to purchase the Oled steam deck. 👍🏼
There’s a valid argument to be made that the Ally X with bazzite is the definitive way of playing indies. At 7w your getting like 8+ hours of battery especially if the Ally dips to 5w automatically
Steam deck is nice but I found myself on team Ally. And I have. Tower pc too so I can easily switch between the 2 and have similar yet scaleable experiences
you can make that arguement but the OLED screen makes the indie game look way better on the deck, and the ergonomics are perfect
I’m thinking of buying one of these two handheld devices.. and I’ve decided to go for the ally x just cos it can play all the games whereas the steam deck is limited.. the only thing that I don’t like is how expensive Ally X is 😅
Agree with you, I'm considering to buy the ally X but the price kinda rub me in the wrong way
its really expensive i bought z1 extreme and i will wait for x price around 500$ still it just better than steam deck
@@ayahandakibab9197buy the z1 extreme, you’re gonna get basically the same fps but worse battery life which is an okay tradeoff imo
@@PersianAirdopsAnd now it’s $350 at Best Buy !
still love the SD OLED... love the screen and playing emulators.
Biggest issue i have with the steam deck is the joystick position. Felt really out of place when i first got the device.
Both look good to me. When choosing a handheld device I always look for comfort when playing games. I'm the type of person who will plays for hours on end, so having my hands stay comfy and not get cramped up is important. This is why I couldn't play the PSP and Vita. The thumb sticks are too low and gave me hand cramps after thirty minutes of play. I can't be having that. So both these devices are excellent in that regard, with the SteamDeck edging it ever so slightly. Frame rates and resolutions isn't important to me. As long as it's smooth and not blurry I'll be happy enough.
The deck has a better build. The deck's build with the internals of the legion go on windows is the perfect handheld.
Why windows? Its just inferior to SteamOS. Unless being able to play multiplayer games that devs aren't assed to optimise for other operating systems is that important, steamos shines in every way. Better optimised, less tinkering and is built around the steam deck features.
Price plays a big part here. The SD LCD is £349. SD OLED is £479 whereas the Ally X is £799. The SD is the better overall package and a perfect companion to your desktop. The Ally X seems to favour outright performance over battery life, which is not ideal on a handheld. Plus the SD is far better for on/off gaming on the go.
I got the SD OLED over the summer and while it would be cool to play games like CoD while I’m on the go I usually am in the mood to play something I can already run on the SD. On top of that, I already have a gaming PC so if I want to play something more intensive or with anticheat, I just stream the game to the deck/on TV thru the deck!
Just got both of these and they both have some strong points i use my steam deck for less graphic intensive games
yeah the deck is more of an indie, emulation, and less-intense title machine.
Moved from Steam deck oled to Ally X. Don't miss the SD at all. The Ally X just plays everything. All my games are spread over different launcher's and windows is what I'm used to. Bought the SD because of the poor battery but the X covers all bases
I enjoy my steamdeck but I do see myself getting an X down the line cause of COD, Fortnite and Star Wars Battlefront for online
I never accidentally click Deck's back button they are hard enough, I also have rubber grips on them too.
Have both. Love both.
case is what sold it for me, I absolutely love the steam decks case. Especially with the smaller carrying case inside that you can use. Fuck it’s awesome
The carrying case is amazing, super high quality.
My only probelm with the Aly X is the lack of grip. Other than that I think its perfect bc I love action games and windows stuff.
Legion go 512gb is $549 brand new on amazon with the same Z1 as the ally and 16gbs of ram making it the best choice price wise. Just got mine in a few days ago. I haven't played my desktop since. I realized I am a handheld guy. I'd much rather have my handheld and play wherever then by stuck at my desk. especially since I work from home and I'm already at my desk most of the day. I just preordered the ayaneo egpu that supposed o ship at the end of the month to complete my setup. probably going to sell my desktop and go strictly handheld.
legion go? u will regret buddy
@KhaiIzwan-dg2jl why? There isn't a single thing about it that I haven't enjoyed. It took some tinkering in the beginning, but now it's perfect.
Battery life is not as good as the Ally X
@@fightnight14 and so? It's nowhere near as expensive either. 549 vs 799. You can install bazzite instead of windows and get better play times at lower tdps. Or you can use the money you saved and buy a power Bank.
@@fightnight14 ok. and? it's also cheaper at 549 vs 799. it was 499 a couple weeks ago. with that price difference I was able to get a 2tb corsair 2230 ssd, the adapter to use the ssd, and a 25000 mah battery bank and still spent less than the 1tb rog ally x. I'm not saying the ally X isnt a better device. Of course it is, it has almost twice the battery and an additional 8gbs of ram. That doesn't mean it's the better deal value wise.
When/if Windows can make a partitioned game mode OS, I'll consider making a Windows handheld my laptop replacement. I still use plenty of Windows productivity programs. I'd love to just dock a handheld instead of use a laptop. In the meantime, I've got my Asus G14 and steam deck.
As someone not knowledgeable with pcs outside of the average office use the deck seemed the better choice, with hindsight the user experience is perfect for that however my lack of any experience with Linux has been a massive hurdle and there's been a steep learning curve so its a double edged sword for noobs
Great job Dylan 👋🤘. For me personally my choice is SD Oled !
If you already own a pc (90% of users) you can just stream any game without worrying about anticheat
Yeah but you wouldn’t want play competitive shooters over stream, the reason for anti cheat, due to latency
@grinnellgrinnell no I disagree. On a modern network, at native resolution the network latency isn't noticably higher than the normal click to photo latency. With the OLED having better latency than the other LCD handhelds, at least on my network, it about balances out
@@derekfurst6233here in australia that’s just not possible, the average wifi speed is too slow. My sister uses playstation remote play, but it only works inside the house and the latency is very noticeable most of the day
👋 Nice video you both talked about each others experience and highlighted what each of you consider each systems best traits. Awesome video, What me in particular consider is that the steamdeck is a bit less powerful and I fear that in the not so distant future it could be harder to run more recent titles. But I can definitely see why people love it. The ally x seems like the polished version of what a windows handheld should be. Overall still a hard choice to make.
I wish i could play valorant on the steamdeck oled, really loved the trackpads to play fps on the go, but i hate windows on a handheld man :(
May I request for reviewers to talk about Steamdeck's performance with current gen games instead of describing how well it plays Dead Cells or Cup head? I think valve did a terrific job optimizing the hardware and also taking efforts to work with publishers to have Steam ready ports of AAA games. That is commendable. Talking about these low end pixel graphics games is really an insult to the steamdeck.
You’re not wrong - it’s what we both had installed. I’ll make a more detailed comparison.
Why does it seem like the guy who prefers the steam deck is coping hard lmao… If the ally had an Oled screen this wouldn’t be a video it would be a copethon!
I have the steam deck(not the oled model) and loving it. But I might consider picking up the rog ally possibly for fps games such as battlefield, cod and others alike.
The game is great base. Now let’s hope you keep on perfecting/fixing it like cdpr did.
Congratz in the good numbers.
Nice comparison. It'd be cool to see time stamps in your video. I was skipping around to find your price comparison.
Also, Don't forget, in the US, those Refurbished 64GB LCD models do come in from time to time at $279 USD (roughly $390 Canadian). You can't beat that for someone who doesn't have alot to spend and wants to get into portable gaming.
Adding more storage is easy and cheaper with a 512MB or 1 TB micro SD card for your games, or you can swap the 64GB M.2 drive for a 1TB starting around $70 USD. The micro SD cards are like around $20 USD.
See that "bloat" is what's stopping me from getting the Ally X. I have the SD, but I want the performance boost of the Ally. But having to deal with Windows and all its BS is a serious detractor for me
Every gaming pc in the world runs windows that’s the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard.
@@oldirtydave22
Really, buddy? Did you have a rough day at work? Did posting that make you feel better? There ARE better ways to communicating that.
Another two cents. yes an Ally X bias I have the Ally and Ally X. I installed Bazzite on the original just end up feeling handicapped and limited. Limited in terms of library and options. I basically turned it into an emulator machine. Yes I am aware of work around to install epic games and Xbox for game pass, but when you realize how stupid it sounds to jump through hoops just to basically do what an ally can do vs the steam deck. You'll understand why Ally X is the better choice. So I wiped the Ally gave it to my wife and. Now she has a portable gaming PC she can take every where and I have my Ally X. It's not that expensive as steam deck owners portray if you can save for a Deck you save for an X. I say get the most bang for your buck go all out it's what you save for. Gaming is an expensive hobby, from Consoles, PC, to Handheld.
i have both and both are great. i like rog ally a little better because of the dpad and general layout of the buttons and joysticks, and it's windows, so anything that can run on windows will run on rog ally (provided the hardware is capable enough) - which means any library outside of steam, it's a huge win factor. however, steamdeck's touchpad is wonderful.... these days i do tend to play on rog ally more.
I get better performance in spyro on my deck. Whats going on there?
What settings? This is native, 800P ultra settings unplugged at 15W
@valismind according to the game maxed. Makes me think the settings have glitched.
@valismind looking back at ur vid. Your display is totally filled and even though mine is set to 800p I'm getting letter boxed, something is def off. I'm not sure weather to be bothered though as my performance is largely in the 50's at 10 watts which makes for a good 40 fps lock and the game is looking good.
Changing the settings def works. Game looks bad turned down too low. Must be the resolution not working correctly. That 16/9 aspect ratio must be making a decent difference
Changing the res works too. For whatever reason it just seems to be the aspect ratio that won't change. I have to say fsr does a good job in this game. I'd recommend it for extra performance
I already have a beast gaming desktop but I travel a lot I’m still deciding which one to get I mostly playing fighting games racing games and fps games
1:55 "ROG Ally X has a 120Hz display, which will be especially noticeable in first-person shooters." Also showcases 88 FPS in the background. 💀💀💀
Unplugged.
Sadly VRR only works with minimum 48 fps and above... So if your games are limited to 30fps then it won't matter to have VRR feature on ally X
Not true.
I'm curious why you guys have cuts in your hands.
He’s a chef and I’ve been building a studio lol
@valismind oh I see. 😅 It's my first time stumbling on your vid so I got curious
What game is playing on minute 2:00. ???
I think Stardew
I already have a gaming laptop, and I have everything installed on my steam library (yes even non-steam games). I can easily remote play the AAA games on my OG Steam Deck.
And for just $350?? THATS A PRETTY GOOD DEAL. Thats the only budget that I currently have and willing to... $800 for a handheld console..?? haiyaaa I could build a gaming PC faster than that one.
Also I have my steam deck mainly on windows 11
So is the legion go the red headed stepchild (no offense) ?
Yes it is but it does have its dedicated fans
Kind of. The 8" is more of a fan among RTS/4x where text is more readable in 1080p. Some like the detachable controllers/mouse too. It's okay. The Ally X does have VRR, 2280 SSD for 4tb, twice the battery, etc. but most people like the SD for OLED and 720p is smoother for the Zen 2 APU vs the Zen 4 APU in the Z1E which handles 800p and 1080p.
There are also 2 leaked Legion Go models coming next year, so there might be more options in pricing, or chipset, a 7" lite, and a 8" with dual fans, that's what's known so far (from a legion dock manual iirc).
2025 Ally X / Legion Go's versions may have the Z2E or the HX870 chipset which is 20% faster at the same batttery TDP levels (based on the HX370 laptops which have the same Zen5 and 890m APU spec as the Z2E) time will tell what SteamOS is doing, or if they add SOS on these alternate consoles too (though, Bazzite works fantastic to smoothing out the 'console' like features.)
@@Toliman. Thanks for the info. I have a lot to consider. I have an OG Steam Deck from July 2022 and am looking to upgrade soon.
@@panamike6178So,
- The ally x is the juggernaut. It has the best performance. But, its lacking in features. No trackpads or custom OS. Its also extremely expensive.
- The legion go is the versatile one. Its in the middle in performance and has 1 trackpad, and can be turned into a tablet. The detactable controllers also function as a mouse. The screen is also gigantic and immersive, and is 1600p. The price is a tad expensive but not as bad as the ally x. Its worth noting the battery is terrible. Like, half
- The SDOLED is the 2 edged sword. It has OLED, a nice OS, 2 trackpads, 4 back buttons and excels in user friendliness. It performs the weakest though. Its around 10% weaker than the legion go and 30% weaker than the ally x. Where it best excels in is price. Its 550. Where i live, its 300 cheaper than the legion go and 400 cheaper than the ally x.