ASUS ROG Ally review: The best way to game on the go

The radical success of Valve’s Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch has confirmed a deep urge for food for handheld gaming exists, and rivals are popping up left and proper in an try to take a bit of that pie. ASUS is the newest firm to step up to the plate, and if it aimed to create a quicker, nicer-looking, better-feeling Steam Deck, the ROG Ally is a powerful success.

The handheld PC game console, obtainable for preorder now and can launch June 11 for $599, is quick sufficient to play lots of the newest titles, presents a shocking quantity of customization, and achieves shocking stability for a first-generation piece of {hardware}. Yet what holds the ROG Ally again from near-perfection is the one piece of the puzzle it couldn’t totally management: Windows.

Overview

• The ASUS ROG Ally is the first mainstream Steam Deck competitor, and on a technical degree, it bests Valve’s well-liked gaming handheld in nearly each way.
• The handheld’s Windows system is extra versatile than a streamlined working system like SteamOS but additionally will increase energy consumption and complexity.
• For severe PC avid gamers who favor customizability and energy, the ROG Ally presents the best stability of efficiency and value.

Pros

• Incredible value
• Excellent efficiency
• Good battery life
• Ergonomic design
• Smooth-feeling analog sticks
• Expandable storage
• Surprisingly full-sounding audio system

Cons

• Operating system not designed for handheld gaming
• Can be complicated to entry sure settings

Verdict: The ROG Ally is the handheld gaming system to beat if you may get over the ache of Windows gaming on a conveyable system.

The ASUS ROG Ally construct

I’ve been enjoying handheld game consoles since the authentic Game Boy, and I used to be instantly smitten with how the ROG Ally seemed and felt out of the field. Its 7-inch display is the identical dimension as my Switch OLED version and the Steam Deck. ASUS’ show is 1080P and helps refresh charges up to 120Hz as an alternative of the 720P 60Hz panel on Nintendo and Valve’s techniques. The distinction in sharpness and constancy in contrast to the Switch was noticeable and made up for the indisputable fact that the ROG’s great-looking LCD show isn’t fairly as vibrant as an OLED display.

An analog stick and directional pad flank the handheld system’s display on the left facet, whereas an analog stick and 4 face buttons are on the proper. A pair of buttons and triggers on prime of the handheld are complemented by two on the system’s bottom. A headphone jack, quantity controls, and energy button line the system’s prime, together with two vents for the followers.

This is kind of the identical button configuration popularized by the Xbox 360 in 2005, which made the ROG Ally really feel acquainted earlier than I even booted up a game. Four extra buttons provide you with fast entry to widespread actions, like mentioning the ROG Ally’s efficiency choices and going to a game-select display. More importantly, the handheld feels nice in hand. The angular cut-outs on the entrance of the system make it simple to grip, whereas the curves on the again contoured to my palms. ASUS designed the ROG Ally to really feel good whether or not you’re holding it or have it propped up on a desk, and the result’s a house run the place ergonomics are involved.

I used to be happy—although not stunned—to see the handheld’s USB-C charging port, which ASUS opted to put on the prime somewhat than the backside of the system. The mass adoption of a single charging port for many electronics is one in all the best current developments in client tech. The ROG Ally’s MicroSD card slot, which can be utilized to broaden its storage to maintain extra video games simply, can also be situated on prime of the system, which makes it instantly and simply accessible with out opening the console’s case. In common, my impressions of the {hardware} have been very constructive.

The ASUS ROG Ally setup

ASUS did its best to guarantee the ROG Ally’s setup course of was as simple as potential. I used to be greeted with a well-recognized Windows 11 lock display. Tapping the OK button—my overview unit got here pre-configured with a consumer account however no password—introduced me to Microsoft’s desktop. Preinstalled software program referred to as ASUS Armoury Crate launched inside seconds and introduced me to a user-friendly display the place I might log into my Steam and Xbox accounts to obtain video games from their respective digital libraries. The solely actual roadblock throughout my setup was navigating to Windows’ WiFi settings and typing in my password.

All my downloaded titles appeared as icons in Armoury Crate, making them simple to launch. This system isn’t as slick as the Switch or Steam Deck’s consumer interface, however these techniques are solely designed for gaming. The ROG Ally runs a full model of Windows, which suggests it could possibly be attached to a monitor and be used for Google Docs and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of purposes as well as to booting up the newest PC video games.

Overall, the ROG Ally’s consumer interface is fairly user-friendly. However, it took slightly time to get the grasp of downloading video games and navigating the Xbox Game Pass portal, which is annoying to use on a PC with no keyboard and mouse. Switching the ROG Ally from handheld to desktop mode allowed me to replicate the performance of a mouse with the proper analog stick transferring the cursor, however the expertise was nonetheless sort of clunky. Steam was designed to be used natively with a game controller, and I had no points there.

Even the ROG Ally’s management panel, which will be toggled with a button press, was neatly organized. This settings menu permits you to change between quiet, efficiency, and turbo modes, which routinely ratchet up the system’s processor to the detriment of its battery life. Other settings embody altering the display’s decision between 720P and 1080P, adjusting the show’s brightness, switching between handheld and desktop modes, and different widespread controls. It’s clear ASUS needed to make the ROG Ally as accessible as potential, and it succeeded.

The ASUS ROG Ally efficiency

I’ll be the first to admit my PC gaming wants are fairly fundamental, however the ROG Ally nonetheless exceeded my expectations. The older and indie titles like The Legend of Heroes: Trails In The Sky, Tales of Zestiria, Hi-Fi Rush, and Tunic all ran with no hitch utilizing the handheld’s quiet setting. I attempted extra resource-intensive 3D video games throughout my demo at an ASUS occasion two weeks earlier than my overview unit arrived, and people ran nice, too—albeit solely when the battery-sucking turbo setting was enabled. The solely time I bumped into hassle was making an attempt to play Jet Grind Radio, which refused to launch regardless of what number of occasions I attempted enjoying it. I deleted and re-downloaded it in case of a bizarre one-time bug, however the system didn’t play good with SEGA’s high-octane, early-2000s title.

ASUS geared up its handheld with an eight-core Z1 processor, designed in-house explicitly for gaming. The system’s lower-end mannequin comes with the customary Z1, which presents 2.9 teraflops of graphical efficiency, whereas the premium system’s Z1 Extreme tops out at 8.6 teraflops. There’s solely a $100 distinction between each configurations, and I like to recommend going with the higher-end one for those who primarily play PC video games. Casual customers like myself might get away with the entry-level model with no hitch. Both ROG Ally handheld fashions are extra highly effective than the Steam Deck and blow the six-year-old Nintendo Switch out of the water.

I didn’t discover any stuttering or dropped frames when enjoying my video games, which I anticipated, given their modest system necessities. Still, the expertise of enjoying video games on the ROG Ally was so good it felt pure to decide up the system and play. I might hit the energy button mid-game, realizing I might return to it instantly as soon as it was time to start my subsequent play session. The good thing about enjoying smaller titles with the display brightness at roughly 75% was I might prolong the battery life fairly far. I might get about 4 hours of gameplay per cost, which has extra to do with the inefficiency of Windows than the ROG Ally’s battery dimension or the vitality consumption of my video games. There’s merely a whole lot of overhead to run a game on Windows, which is a disgrace.

I used to be happier with the indisputable fact that I might play the system for a number of hours at a time with out my palms or arms feeling fatigued. The system’s angled form made resting the system on my thighs whereas curled up on the sofa really feel as pure as holding it in entrance of me. The system’s 1.34-pound weight makes it really feel appreciably lighter than the Steam Deck, which is available in at 1.47 kilos. In handheld gaming, each tenth of a pound counts and may make the distinction between placing the system down since you need to and pausing your game session out of necessity.

The ROG Ally’s Z1 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM (reminiscence), 4GB of VRAM (video reminiscence), and 512GB of storage provides the handheld sufficient overhead to future-proof it for a number of years. The actuality is enjoying a handheld PC will at all times be limiting as a result of there’s solely a lot area for elements and cooling. That mentioned, it’s potential to play lots of the newest video games at excessive settings for those who’re okay with limiting your battery life or conserving it plugged into an influence supply all the time.

The ASUS ROG Ally software program

Every a part of the ROG Ally’s expertise that ASUS had direct management over is a grand slam. It’s the platonic preferrred of a contemporary handheld gaming system, and I’m gobsmacked that the firm bought a lot proper on the first technology of a product. We’re speaking authentic iPhone ranges of {hardware} polish, and the design group ought to really feel happy with the {hardware}’s efficiency, given its extremely affordable value.

Unfortunately, the system is hamstrung by Windows, the dominant working system for PC gaming—and computer systems normally. It’s laudable that ASUS designed its Armoury Crate software program to make gaming on the ROG Ally potential, however there’s no denying the system runs on a general-purpose working system. Both the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch boot immediately into software program explicitly designed for video games which are optimized for optimum efficiency. There aren’t any pointless background duties draining energy and sources—the streamlined techniques can obtain and play video games, that’s it.

There are issues ASUS can’t handle or repair due to Windows, even when the versatile working system opens the door to turning the ROG Ally into an emulation powerhouse for nostalgic avid gamers who need to relive their childhood alongside enjoying the newest PC video games as they arrive out. But the occasional awkwardness of navigating an working system designed for conventional peripherals somewhat than analog sticks and buttons was a reminder of the ROG Ally’s important limitation.

ASUS’ choices to handle this difficulty are restricted. It might develop its personal working system like Valve’s SteamOS, however that might take a number of years and untold sources to accomplish with very restricted upside. it might store the software program round to different handheld PC makers, however that might mitigate its market benefit. The firm might accomplice with Valve to launch the system with SteamOS put in. However, that’d require them to get the working system up and working on custom-designed {hardware} and disallow avid gamers from enjoying titles on Xbox Game Pass or comparable streaming providers.

The ASUS ROG Ally vs. Valve’s Steam Deck

Many handheld PC avid gamers will probably be deciding between the Steam Deck and a Windows-based handheld for his or her transportable gaming; actually, there’s no proper or incorrect selection. The Steam Deck has worse tech specs—most notably a sub-1080P show—and a much bigger chassis, however the streamlined nature of SteamOS makes it simpler to decide up and play. The ROG Ally is svelter and extra highly effective, however you’ve to take care of the complexities of Windows and its fixed extra energy drain. If you’re a severe PC gamer, go with the ROG Ally; for those who’re extra informal, the Steam Deck is the more sensible choice. If you need to play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, nicely, get the Nintendo Switch OLED.

Final ideas

The motive I maintain harping on the downsides of Windows is that the ASUS ROG Ally is a virtually good piece of {hardware}. It’s higher than all of its mainstream direct rivals and undercuts boutique handheld PC makers on value to the level of absurdity. Let me be clear: If you need to play PC video games on the go, that is your best choice by a protracted shot. But choosing up the ASUS ROG Ally means coping with the compromises of constructing a game console working general-purpose software program. ASUS has achieved all it will probably to make the consumer expertise as seamless as potential, but it surely’s laborious not to take into consideration the grand slam the firm might have had if it had full management over the {hardware} and software program expertise.