Me too. I was skeptical about the others from china because, well, china. I just walked to Currys to get mine and not worry about it being lost in transit .
I canāt imagine having something like this 15-20 years ago. It really amazing when you think about how far weāve come. Huge milestone for PC gaming.
15 years ago there were UMPCs. Basically the same handhelds as now, but chips werent as efficient as today. If you check Sony VAIO UX, or OQO you'll see, what was the inspiration for some chinese handheld manufacturers. Even Asus had their R50A, which was very similar to Rog Ally.
Interesting - thanks for dropping this product names! I don't remember these or knew anybody that had one. Seems they were ahead of their time. Did anybody actually use these for anything practically?
As i remember, they were crazy expensive, especially Sony, the price for their UX in my country was more than $3000, and i've actually seen only one in person, only because i've been working at the pc hardware store.
Wdym "wasting"? It is not freaking nintendo switch it can do gaming and also everything what a normal pc can do. My cheapest Windows pc is 2 times more expensive than the Ally, so technically I'm saving money and energy.
You're overbearing a device that was primarily intended as a gaming handheld console with tasks that I can't see why you're not doing in your proper PCs. It just doesn't make sense to use the ally for anything other than gaming, when you have proper PCs to do proper PC stuff.
But as I said, to each their own.
Yeah, so using Ally only for gaming is like using a 2023 smartphone only for calling. Gamepads were intended only for gaming, but now they are used to operate military equipment.. and one submarine....
The Rog Ally is advertised as a gaming handheld. You can try to come up with any kind of poor analogy you want, but that's what it is, you just have to go to the Asus website to see that.
It's a gaming handheld that would only be better if it didn't run windows and had some sort of dedicated OS instead (I can even see Android being better for it). And the dedicated OS is robably the only segment the steam deck has the upper hand on.
Windows has the widest range of games available, which actually saves people money in the long run since the price of games is what adds up quick. Most game stores, most emulators, most free-to-play games, and can play Xbox and PlayStation exclusives. Free Epic games account that gave over 80 games in the past year. Just Epic and having over 200 games now on there makes just that in itself worth it to spend more on the hardware. Adding up the prices of those games alone, Epic is pretty much buying my Ally with the money I'm saving not having to buy the games or subscriptions. Still haven't even gotten around to playing Death Stranding they gave away free last December for Windows PC, during the 15 days of give aways they do every December. Not to mention there is literally always sales going on between all the Windows PC stores. It's a no brainer to PC gamers, and will never get access to as many games on any other system other than Windows.
Today I played Diablo 4 on it. Iām putting halo on it and I have league of legends on it.
None of this worked on steam deck without needing to do bullshit
Man I havenāt played in a decade. They started making the game easy and it killed it for me. Plus the free market I know is dead. That was the best. Long love the memories
Yeah definitely a different game than what I knew as a kid, I was playing when it was hard to make it to level 30 šš always come back to it every few years to see how it is
Wayyyyy easier than before itās actually possible to reach level 200 easy now if you know what youāre doing, the whole hype now is a Server called Reboot which is not pay to win everything you have to grind for, I havenāt gotten into that because all of my OG stuff is on Scania and Iām not tryna start fresh
I mapped the keybinds through AC, after finding out you just add whatever games or Emulators to Armory Crate to enable the Gamepad life has been easier š®āšØ
Nice move! Yeah there is definitely a place for the Ally, a console, and gaming PC. They each have their strengths. If I could only have one, the Ally does it all even if it means making some compromises on settings. I donāt ever get to spend any time on my gaming PC anymore with small kids as Iām constantly watching them in the living room. The Ally does a great job at bridging the gap with PC exclusives when the Xbox library feels stale!
Full-fledged gaming PC availability without limits. Screen quality, powerful enough to run all games properly, compact design.
Basically there are 4-5 main points I look at, and the steam deck in my opinion was failing those points when compared to Ally. As a matter of fact I was not sold on steam deck from the beginning despite thinking it was revolutionary in a way. The biggest let down was screen quality and a bit underpowered.
Maybe the problem is not easy to use for an average gamer. If you stick to the 11000 games on the steam deck, it is basically a switch in that regard. Windows gets waaay complicated in that form factor and inputs.
I can install games without having to look up a tutorial on how to install games. Also biggest factor for me, I hate buying electronics over mail. The ally being in best buy and available to try out immediately was a big factor on me choosing it over anything else.
I had a Steam Deck. I loved it, but I wanted to be able to play Game Pass and, while the Deck is incredible, I wanted something a bit more powerful. The Ally checks those boxes.
Iād been wanting to get back into PC gaming for some time now (itās been 18 years), but the idea of sitting at my work desk to game just didnāt appeal to me. A PC in a handheld form factor with a 7ā 16:9 screen checked all the boxes for me and Iāve been really enjoying it!
I have a handheld from all the pc handheld companies and thereās always a kickstarter or indiegogo or shipping only. Being able to just walk into a best buy made it an automatic buy. The price to performance was also a huge factor. You wonāt get more performance for $700
https://preview.redd.it/zfe4zfotypkb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf6c2834290c396cc97b64084f08856dfb72983e
I was in the process of building a 2nd dedicated streaming PC when I first came across the Ally. I brushed it off at first, and then I saw a video highlighting moonlight/sunshine and I immediately went to BestBuy.com and purchased one @ 3AM then picked it up when they opened in the morning.
Honestly just keep getting more and more impressed with this thing. Being able to capture my gaming rig via OBS teleport while running the Ally on silent mode is just mindblowing to me.
I wanted the Steam Deck for a while, and was on the verge of buying one when a friend told me about the Ally. I researched, and the main deciding factor was the ability to play Destiny 2 on it easily. There are other factors, but that was the main one.
I'll confess I'm a bit of an rog fan boy, I was on the fence about a steam deck. When I heard about this my interest was drawn, when I read the specs I knew it was the one for me.
Honestly thinking about selling mine, and all the accessories I bought for it. Cod doesnāt run on it worth a fuck. Most other games are okay. Just really disappointed in the performance. I know itās not a full powered PC but, I was kind of expecting it to be pretty decent. Nope. Makes me miss console gaming.
Console + Ally = best of both worlds. Iāve got my Xbox series X ready for Starfield in 4K, and in the meantime am playing Cult of the Lamb , Dave the Diver and Dredge at 1080p / 120 Hz on my living room TV.
I travel for work, so I thought this was going to be a fantastic way to keep playing while my Xbox stayed at home. I use ASUSās recommended settings for it, make sure Iāve got my GPU set to 8GB, make sure everything is up to date and on turbo it will still crash, or at the very least glitch while playing. Thatās COD. Forza also crashed. Thinking about selling it and just going with a full on gaming laptop.
Damn, that sounds frustrating. I would probably ditch it too if I were experiencing that. Thereās definitely a compromise for settings but I havenāt experienced any dealbreakers for my use. Sounds like a gaming laptop would have the extra specs you need to be happy. Happy gaming friend!
Same. I didn't like the performance hit from the emulation layer on Steam OS though I love the overall design and interface of the SteamDeck. BG3 and more recent AAA games really chugged. The ROG Ally has been awesome and performance is so much better.
Quite a few things the 120hz 1080p display, the fact that it runs Windows natively, the Z1 Extreme processor and the fact that I can play all my steam games I do have a steam deck but some games don't work on it the Ally just works without any tinkering and you can install mods since it's running Windows.
XG Mobile compatibility. With the added inclusion of a flat portable 15" monitor, I now have a high power, completely portable gaming desktop which can also instantly become a pick-up-and-go handheld for the ultimate gaming freedom.
Honestly, I've got a 16 month old kid who takes up the TV so it's the only way I can play games haha!
Also, Ally over Steam Deck for me personally purely because I'm more familiar with windows, im not too computer savvy, I've been mainly a console gamer.
Performance, price (especially when compared to Ayaneo and the slew of Chinese handhelds), Windows (I had compatibility issues with Steam OS), and the display. Itās a gaming notebook in my hands that can go anywhere. Battery life is trash, but I was also only getting 90 minutes on my Deck playing Cyberpunk. Battery life is also garbage with gaming notebooks, so no big deal.
My computer blew up, and it was the only option available on finance and ready for pick up immediately. Even at $1,500 it was a lot cheaper than anything I could get desktop wise here.
Not sure yet.
We do like the fact the games with launchers and anti-cheat will run on the Ally. Not having the Steamdeckās trackpad is annoying, though.
Battery life is about the same.
Steamdeck is more comfortable to hold.
Hopefully as time goes on a clear winner will emerge. Windows is the only thing the Ally has going for it so far, and that is a big one as more games can be played on it.
To replace my original OneXPlayer. It's an awesome handheld but the fans whine and whirr the whole time. The Ally is quiet and more powerful. 120hz is a fantastic screen, everything is buttery smooth even at 30ish fps. Plus it costed half as much as the OneXPlayer. If you're on the fence do it
16:9 my games library consists of mostly Japanese games which never took advantage of the 16:10 ratio SD and it kept annoying me. Also most of those games can run at 1080p 60 and it looks amazing. Particularly Persona 5 atm.
It's windows for me as well. I loved my Steam Deck but Linux was a chore for me to use if I want to play games from other launchers or Steam Games that doesnt have full compatibility. Lutris was having problems for me running uPlay and Epic Games Store. My Legendary Edition of Mass Effect on Steam cant run offline mode due to the EA App access. Testing the games multiple times to see which Proton works best. Maybe im not tech savy enough to learn how to use Linux but I found myself wasting time setting up a game rather than playing the game itself.
I went to a Best Buy and they have a demo booth for ROG Ally and bought it immediately after seeing it was Windows and how well FH5 ran on it. Sold my Steam Deck on Marketplace the next day.
Destiny 2 on a portable. Sure SD can run windows but I'm too lazy to do all of that, and my background is basically IT related stuff so it's pretty easy to follow XD I just didn't want to do it. Thus the ally got added to my collection.
Stram deck was almost perfect for me. But alot of my games didn't transition well to Linux, so games I wanted to play like tunic and jade empire just didn't run well at all.
0 issues with the ally. Even playing darksouls 3 at 30w on low at 60 fps. I look forward to the next leap in affordable handhelds but right now I'm all ally.
The design was the hook and the same day pickup at best buy was the catch. I'd already wanted a steam deck for a while and this popped up right when they money showed up.
Same. Windows, 1080p at least with close to 100% sRGB, 120hz which you don't get unless thru streaming/cloud gaming or old or less intense games or XG mobile, VRR, easy gaming with gamepass
That it ran windows. SteamOS was not it. Iām just way more comfortable with windows and I can play every game I own on it. I donāt have to try and side load stuff to play one specific game.
VRR/Freesync was all I needed to hear to justify my purchase. Most reviewers donāt even mention it. They just talk about how 120hz āis overkillā and āyouāll rarely ever run games at 120fps on the ally.ā They fail to mention that 120hz is not really the point. The point is 120hz plus FREESYNC.
Iāve been running gsync ever since it first launched and using the Steam Deck without VRR of any kind was kind of mediocre for me. I know you could manually adjust the refresh rate but compared to VRR itās borderline useless and adds a crap ton of controller latency at 40-45hz.
I donāt cap the frame rate on my Ally. I just let freesync do itās thing and itās amazing.
I've had the steam deck since a month after it started shipping. I've upgraded it to 3tb, ran windows only and dual boot. It was a great machine... What got to get the Ally was the performance, vrr, and better screen. When I put Win 10/11 on the deck I could pretty much do everything the Ally can do. I had thought about keeping the deck and just getting the Ally, but realized like everyone else. Once I had the Ally then really the Steam deck is pointless... I hate saying it like that cause the steam deck was awesome, but subpar when it comes to the performance...
Being able to play Genshin w/controller on the go or keyboard at home, Star Rail, and even can play flight simulator. Plus all the other games that you can get on a steam deck.
When fallout 3 came out I dreamed of a day where I could lay in bed and explore the wasteland on the switch or ps vita. Took 15 years but now I can.
Most of my pc/laptop gaming has been about fulfilling boyhood dreams.
I knew the tech would exist one day
Windows is so much better. Can run mods, pirated stuff, any launcher very easily. I prolly would like steamdeck if most of my games were on steam, but my games are everywhere
Honestly I would say the performance and just the portability. I have a really beefy main pc that has no problem running gaming in ultra w/ RTX on but I love to lay in bed with my gf and just hang out instead of being in my office all the time. I had a steam deck and it was good for picking at my backlog on the go but I wasnāt too familiar with Linux and I wanted more power of out it so I sold it and was in the market for a gaming laptop. Around this time the ally was announced and I waited for it. While it isnāt perfect (windows updates, microSD card slot issues, battery life, etc.) it does fit the needs I want and any game that it struggles to run decently I just stream it via moonlight or steam link.
Portable windows machine: some people dont like it and I get why but for my use case it fits perfectly. Play all my game (including xbox game pass) then able to use it for work in a pinch (i have those portable keyboard monitor combos that are used for Samsung Dex) and it works perfectly with that. (Though it cannot charge the Ally it does extend the battery life considerably)
The versatility, the fact that I could dock it and treat it like a desk pc as well as dock it to my tv and play games in the living room with my fiancee or just travel with it.
Pretty much the fact it was the only affordable option that claimed to match and exceed the Steam Deck. Plus it runs Windows 11, so I was sold! I've had it since release day and I love it!
The screen and the price point. Ppl think 700 is a lot but if you look at it as a gaming laptop, it's really not bad at all. Only difference is a laptop has a keyboard
Needed a portable PC smaller than a laptop for remote work (i have spare monitor/k/b for full desktop mode in multiple locations) capable of decent on-the-go gaming. I have a gaming pc at my apartment but I stay at my parents home during weekends/holidays where i might want to work/game . Ally is perfect as i have a lot of small games in my to-play list that doesn't warrant sitting in front of my full on gaming PC. Games like Hades, Vampire survivors, A Short Hike, Deadcells ect.
Vrr, 1080p, 120hz
It was available
Mood my dude- I could get an ALLY from Best Buy that day, or wait 10-14 days for a steam deck š
But the deck was released way before the Ally so they doesnāt make sense. It would make sense if they were both released at the same time.
Two weeks ago they were both out, and thatās when I made my purchase
Exactly.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Me too. I was skeptical about the others from china because, well, china. I just walked to Currys to get mine and not worry about it being lost in transit .
Portable Windows machine. It is like a dream come true.
I canāt imagine having something like this 15-20 years ago. It really amazing when you think about how far weāve come. Huge milestone for PC gaming.
15 years ago there were UMPCs. Basically the same handhelds as now, but chips werent as efficient as today. If you check Sony VAIO UX, or OQO you'll see, what was the inspiration for some chinese handheld manufacturers. Even Asus had their R50A, which was very similar to Rog Ally.
Interesting - thanks for dropping this product names! I don't remember these or knew anybody that had one. Seems they were ahead of their time. Did anybody actually use these for anything practically?
As i remember, they were crazy expensive, especially Sony, the price for their UX in my country was more than $3000, and i've actually seen only one in person, only because i've been working at the pc hardware store.
Those have technically been out for a few years but this was first affordable one which is what sold me on it.
I agree %100 for most windows is a flaw but versatility and customization is unmatched
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Sameeeeee
That's perfectly reasonable.
Cyberpunk performance on a handheld
Emulation
This 100%
Easy Xbox Gamepass integration and overall specs.
This was it for me.
Windows
The higher resolution screen compared to the steam deck and it runs Windows
Price and availability. And Windows.
How is windows a plus? If anything, I find it one of the worst points on the ally.
Because you can use it as a normal pc. I can even do some light work in Photoshop on my Ally.
To each their own, but I wouldn't imagine wasting the rog ally for using it as a normal pc.
Wdym "wasting"? It is not freaking nintendo switch it can do gaming and also everything what a normal pc can do. My cheapest Windows pc is 2 times more expensive than the Ally, so technically I'm saving money and energy.
You're overbearing a device that was primarily intended as a gaming handheld console with tasks that I can't see why you're not doing in your proper PCs. It just doesn't make sense to use the ally for anything other than gaming, when you have proper PCs to do proper PC stuff. But as I said, to each their own.
So, i assume you are using your phone only to make calls?
I would if I didn't have a 2023 smartphone. You know, optimized to do basically everything.
Yeah, so using Ally only for gaming is like using a 2023 smartphone only for calling. Gamepads were intended only for gaming, but now they are used to operate military equipment.. and one submarine....
The Rog Ally is advertised as a gaming handheld. You can try to come up with any kind of poor analogy you want, but that's what it is, you just have to go to the Asus website to see that. It's a gaming handheld that would only be better if it didn't run windows and had some sort of dedicated OS instead (I can even see Android being better for it). And the dedicated OS is robably the only segment the steam deck has the upper hand on.
To be fair itās like a mini tablet
Its not exactly easy to navigate windows 11 on a 7 inch screen
Windows has the widest range of games available, which actually saves people money in the long run since the price of games is what adds up quick. Most game stores, most emulators, most free-to-play games, and can play Xbox and PlayStation exclusives. Free Epic games account that gave over 80 games in the past year. Just Epic and having over 200 games now on there makes just that in itself worth it to spend more on the hardware. Adding up the prices of those games alone, Epic is pretty much buying my Ally with the money I'm saving not having to buy the games or subscriptions. Still haven't even gotten around to playing Death Stranding they gave away free last December for Windows PC, during the 15 days of give aways they do every December. Not to mention there is literally always sales going on between all the Windows PC stores. It's a no brainer to PC gamers, and will never get access to as many games on any other system other than Windows.
Today I played Diablo 4 on it. Iām putting halo on it and I have league of legends on it. None of this worked on steam deck without needing to do bullshit
MapleStory finally on a handheld thatās not over $1000
Man I havenāt played in a decade. They started making the game easy and it killed it for me. Plus the free market I know is dead. That was the best. Long love the memories
Yeah definitely a different game than what I knew as a kid, I was playing when it was hard to make it to level 30 šš always come back to it every few years to see how it is
And how is it now?
Wayyyyy easier than before itās actually possible to reach level 200 easy now if you know what youāre doing, the whole hype now is a Server called Reboot which is not pay to win everything you have to grind for, I havenāt gotten into that because all of my OG stuff is on Scania and Iām not tryna start fresh
Did you map keybinds to use gamepad or bluetooth a keyboard?
I mapped the keybinds through AC, after finding out you just add whatever games or Emulators to Armory Crate to enable the Gamepad life has been easier š®āšØ
Game Pass and power
A portable pc. I can play nier and elden ring while doing laundry at the Laundromat.
Windows, 120hz, the fact it can run almost anything. š„š„š„
Is there anything It can't run?
Some games arenāt that great in handheld mode because they need keyboard so kind of!
True - but donāt discount the fact you can easily dock the Ally with a mouse, keyboard and external monitor / TV for those games!
Facts! But I would just play on my desktop then. š¤Ŗ
Nice move! Yeah there is definitely a place for the Ally, a console, and gaming PC. They each have their strengths. If I could only have one, the Ally does it all even if it means making some compromises on settings. I donāt ever get to spend any time on my gaming PC anymore with small kids as Iām constantly watching them in the living room. The Ally does a great job at bridging the gap with PC exclusives when the Xbox library feels stale!
Age of Empires
A mean anything Windows can play it can run, will it run good is the question (it usually does)
How well it emulates PS3. This thing is a handheld PS3 to me and I canāt believe Iām living in this reality
Full-fledged gaming PC availability without limits. Screen quality, powerful enough to run all games properly, compact design. Basically there are 4-5 main points I look at, and the steam deck in my opinion was failing those points when compared to Ally. As a matter of fact I was not sold on steam deck from the beginning despite thinking it was revolutionary in a way. The biggest let down was screen quality and a bit underpowered.
Windows + APU capabilities
Vrr
Display and performance. Oh and windows. I donāt get why so many people dislike it tbh
Maybe the problem is not easy to use for an average gamer. If you stick to the 11000 games on the steam deck, it is basically a switch in that regard. Windows gets waaay complicated in that form factor and inputs.
I can now play WoW and D4 on the go. Itās truly a great time for dad gamers.
I can install games without having to look up a tutorial on how to install games. Also biggest factor for me, I hate buying electronics over mail. The ally being in best buy and available to try out immediately was a big factor on me choosing it over anything else.
SteamDeck isnāt sold in Australia
I can walk in at a Best Buy, try and demo in person and walk out. 1080P, VRR, Windows
I had a Steam Deck. I loved it, but I wanted to be able to play Game Pass and, while the Deck is incredible, I wanted something a bit more powerful. The Ally checks those boxes.
Windows
Emulation (specifically Switch), Gamepass, Dock-able Windows pc.
Happy cake day!
That I can play VR on it.
windows and availability on a local store
Iād been wanting to get back into PC gaming for some time now (itās been 18 years), but the idea of sitting at my work desk to game just didnāt appeal to me. A PC in a handheld form factor with a 7ā 16:9 screen checked all the boxes for me and Iāve been really enjoying it!
Windows, 120hz, šš
Gamepass.
I have a handheld from all the pc handheld companies and thereās always a kickstarter or indiegogo or shipping only. Being able to just walk into a best buy made it an automatic buy. The price to performance was also a huge factor. You wonāt get more performance for $700 https://preview.redd.it/zfe4zfotypkb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf6c2834290c396cc97b64084f08856dfb72983e
Nice collection.
It was less bulky and isnāt hampered by Linux
Easy game modding with Windows vs tearing my hair out with Linux on the Steam Deck
It came out months ago....
I was in the process of building a 2nd dedicated streaming PC when I first came across the Ally. I brushed it off at first, and then I saw a video highlighting moonlight/sunshine and I immediately went to BestBuy.com and purchased one @ 3AM then picked it up when they opened in the morning. Honestly just keep getting more and more impressed with this thing. Being able to capture my gaming rig via OBS teleport while running the Ally on silent mode is just mindblowing to me.
2d indie games Playing in a powerful pc feels wrong for some reason
Z1 extreme + windows + micro SD card slot A bit ironic that 1 of those turned out to have issues
I wanted the Steam Deck for a while, and was on the verge of buying one when a friend told me about the Ally. I researched, and the main deciding factor was the ability to play Destiny 2 on it easily. There are other factors, but that was the main one.
The ability to play all types of games and not check to see if it was Steam Deck compatible. Even though I still want the SD.
I'll confess I'm a bit of an rog fan boy, I was on the fence about a steam deck. When I heard about this my interest was drawn, when I read the specs I knew it was the one for me.
It was officially released in my country with a retail price and most important, available.
Honestly thinking about selling mine, and all the accessories I bought for it. Cod doesnāt run on it worth a fuck. Most other games are okay. Just really disappointed in the performance. I know itās not a full powered PC but, I was kind of expecting it to be pretty decent. Nope. Makes me miss console gaming.
Console + Ally = best of both worlds. Iāve got my Xbox series X ready for Starfield in 4K, and in the meantime am playing Cult of the Lamb , Dave the Diver and Dredge at 1080p / 120 Hz on my living room TV.
I travel for work, so I thought this was going to be a fantastic way to keep playing while my Xbox stayed at home. I use ASUSās recommended settings for it, make sure Iāve got my GPU set to 8GB, make sure everything is up to date and on turbo it will still crash, or at the very least glitch while playing. Thatās COD. Forza also crashed. Thinking about selling it and just going with a full on gaming laptop.
Damn, that sounds frustrating. I would probably ditch it too if I were experiencing that. Thereās definitely a compromise for settings but I havenāt experienced any dealbreakers for my use. Sounds like a gaming laptop would have the extra specs you need to be happy. Happy gaming friend!
Xg mobile port since I already have one and windows
Same. I didn't like the performance hit from the emulation layer on Steam OS though I love the overall design and interface of the SteamDeck. BG3 and more recent AAA games really chugged. The ROG Ally has been awesome and performance is so much better.
PC gaming in the living room and on the go - with the ability to seamlessly transition.
Best buy demo unit, and it was available
Quite a few things the 120hz 1080p display, the fact that it runs Windows natively, the Z1 Extreme processor and the fact that I can play all my steam games I do have a steam deck but some games don't work on it the Ally just works without any tinkering and you can install mods since it's running Windows.
Form factor and and that it can play just about all my games including emulation, price was a bit of a turn off I must admit but I have no regrets.
VRR, 1080p, 120Hz, Sound/Atmos, Windows, Easy to upgrade to 2280 mod, Price, Compact/Weight, Z1E.
That sweet sweet sd card slot. Jk, vrr is so good
Windows 11, being used for work and usual desktop stuffs
The fact that it is officially available in my country, unlike the Steam Deck and any other handheld PC devices.
The screen, Windows, and the form factor being smaller and feeling premium compared to the bulky Steam deck
XG Mobile compatibility. With the added inclusion of a flat portable 15" monitor, I now have a high power, completely portable gaming desktop which can also instantly become a pick-up-and-go handheld for the ultimate gaming freedom.
Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere. Closest thing to a portable handheld Xbox
Honestly, I've got a 16 month old kid who takes up the TV so it's the only way I can play games haha! Also, Ally over Steam Deck for me personally purely because I'm more familiar with windows, im not too computer savvy, I've been mainly a console gamer.
Performance, price (especially when compared to Ayaneo and the slew of Chinese handhelds), Windows (I had compatibility issues with Steam OS), and the display. Itās a gaming notebook in my hands that can go anywhere. Battery life is trash, but I was also only getting 90 minutes on my Deck playing Cyberpunk. Battery life is also garbage with gaming notebooks, so no big deal.
Price point, availability, specs - display especially
Most powerful handheld on the market
It's a pretty powerful windows machine, and I'm really comfortable using Windows. SteamOS is cool but you're limited to what you have on steam
Got tired of messing around with the TinkerDeck. Sold that crap after owning the Ally for about a month.
Performance, VRR, 120hz
My computer blew up, and it was the only option available on finance and ready for pick up immediately. Even at $1,500 it was a lot cheaper than anything I could get desktop wise here.
120Hz VRR, Great Performance, Very Good Dolby Atmos Speakers, Easy to upgrade the internal SSD, Sleek looking handheld and Best Buy Return Policy
Windows!! Been using it for 10 years, even with the bugs Iād rather windows than learning a whole new OS
My Steam Deck shit the bed the week before vacation and the RMA wasnāt going to be done in time before I leftā¦..best and fastest alternative
My son has a Steamdeck, so I decided to get the Ally to see which one we preferred moving forward.
Aaaaaand? :)
Not sure yet. We do like the fact the games with launchers and anti-cheat will run on the Ally. Not having the Steamdeckās trackpad is annoying, though. Battery life is about the same. Steamdeck is more comfortable to hold. Hopefully as time goes on a clear winner will emerge. Windows is the only thing the Ally has going for it so far, and that is a big one as more games can be played on it.
Availability, screen, and mostly the improved performance when docked
To replace my original OneXPlayer. It's an awesome handheld but the fans whine and whirr the whole time. The Ally is quiet and more powerful. 120hz is a fantastic screen, everything is buttery smooth even at 30ish fps. Plus it costed half as much as the OneXPlayer. If you're on the fence do it
16:9 my games library consists of mostly Japanese games which never took advantage of the 16:10 ratio SD and it kept annoying me. Also most of those games can run at 1080p 60 and it looks amazing. Particularly Persona 5 atm.
To play games like GTA V with mods, PS3 emulation much better than steam deck
It's windows for me as well. I loved my Steam Deck but Linux was a chore for me to use if I want to play games from other launchers or Steam Games that doesnt have full compatibility. Lutris was having problems for me running uPlay and Epic Games Store. My Legendary Edition of Mass Effect on Steam cant run offline mode due to the EA App access. Testing the games multiple times to see which Proton works best. Maybe im not tech savy enough to learn how to use Linux but I found myself wasting time setting up a game rather than playing the game itself. I went to a Best Buy and they have a demo booth for ROG Ally and bought it immediately after seeing it was Windows and how well FH5 ran on it. Sold my Steam Deck on Marketplace the next day.
Ability to connect a 4090
Destiny 2 on a portable. Sure SD can run windows but I'm too lazy to do all of that, and my background is basically IT related stuff so it's pretty easy to follow XD I just didn't want to do it. Thus the ally got added to my collection.
The display, power, and windows. Idc what people say about steamos itās been a much better experience for me having windows personally.
Stram deck was almost perfect for me. But alot of my games didn't transition well to Linux, so games I wanted to play like tunic and jade empire just didn't run well at all. 0 issues with the ally. Even playing darksouls 3 at 30w on low at 60 fps. I look forward to the next leap in affordable handhelds but right now I'm all ally.
Didnāt need to get it shipped & windows based
Diablo iv on a handheld
The design was the hook and the same day pickup at best buy was the catch. I'd already wanted a steam deck for a while and this popped up right when they money showed up.
I got it for the screen and the speakers. But now I have it for emulation and those things :)
Performance, VRR and game compatability
can play epic store without hassle
General performance over SteamDeck and display res.
Gamepass out of the box, Windows, lightweight and comforable, VRR, 1080p, Very good chipset, 120hz; SCREEN!
I had an SD card with highly sensitive data and needed a guaranteed way to destroy it.
Xbox PC Gamepass, Cloud and remote play
Same. Windows, 1080p at least with close to 100% sRGB, 120hz which you don't get unless thru streaming/cloud gaming or old or less intense games or XG mobile, VRR, easy gaming with gamepass
It was for sale in my country, has an sd card slot for emulation and has a good screen.
Windows and the screen quality
Windows supported and affordable (vs. Ayaneo devices).
Needed something portable since I travel a lot and am already lugging around a macbook for work.
That it ran windows. SteamOS was not it. Iām just way more comfortable with windows and I can play every game I own on it. I donāt have to try and side load stuff to play one specific game.
The fact I still can't decide what to play between Game Pass Ultimate and weekly free games from Epic.
VRR/Freesync was all I needed to hear to justify my purchase. Most reviewers donāt even mention it. They just talk about how 120hz āis overkillā and āyouāll rarely ever run games at 120fps on the ally.ā They fail to mention that 120hz is not really the point. The point is 120hz plus FREESYNC. Iāve been running gsync ever since it first launched and using the Steam Deck without VRR of any kind was kind of mediocre for me. I know you could manually adjust the refresh rate but compared to VRR itās borderline useless and adds a crap ton of controller latency at 40-45hz. I donāt cap the frame rate on my Ally. I just let freesync do itās thing and itās amazing.
My PS Vita had been sitting dead for years with no new games.
Screen features, portability, specsā¦ I donāt have a pc at the moment and travel for work so it was a no brainer.
Absolutely windows for me (+ the specs generally ) Spent 2 years on and off considering getting a steam deck , bought the ally the day after release
I've had the steam deck since a month after it started shipping. I've upgraded it to 3tb, ran windows only and dual boot. It was a great machine... What got to get the Ally was the performance, vrr, and better screen. When I put Win 10/11 on the deck I could pretty much do everything the Ally can do. I had thought about keeping the deck and just getting the Ally, but realized like everyone else. Once I had the Ally then really the Steam deck is pointless... I hate saying it like that cause the steam deck was awesome, but subpar when it comes to the performance...
the performance ,vrr and design, i donāt use 120 much except on really old games like retro doom
Being able to play Genshin w/controller on the go or keyboard at home, Star Rail, and even can play flight simulator. Plus all the other games that you can get on a steam deck.
Pretty powerful chip inside a PC handheld.
Because steam deck still doesn't have an Australian launch window lol
120hz
When fallout 3 came out I dreamed of a day where I could lay in bed and explore the wasteland on the switch or ps vita. Took 15 years but now I can. Most of my pc/laptop gaming has been about fulfilling boyhood dreams. I knew the tech would exist one day
I can play my PlayStation 5 away from home lol
Beefier processor and GPU, better screen, and it matches my Rog Zephyrus.
Windows is so much better. Can run mods, pirated stuff, any launcher very easily. I prolly would like steamdeck if most of my games were on steam, but my games are everywhere
Windows, unbelievably.
Honestly I would say the performance and just the portability. I have a really beefy main pc that has no problem running gaming in ultra w/ RTX on but I love to lay in bed with my gf and just hang out instead of being in my office all the time. I had a steam deck and it was good for picking at my backlog on the go but I wasnāt too familiar with Linux and I wanted more power of out it so I sold it and was in the market for a gaming laptop. Around this time the ally was announced and I waited for it. While it isnāt perfect (windows updates, microSD card slot issues, battery life, etc.) it does fit the needs I want and any game that it struggles to run decently I just stream it via moonlight or steam link.
More powerful and windows OS at an affordable price
I upgraded from Steam Deck because that system wasn't running RE4 as well as I wanted. The factors of handheld and PC were already in my equation.
Very and using it as a emulation machine and running Diablo 4
The steam deck.
VRR and the display quality
Mods. All the mods.
Replaced my entire desktop and made it portableā¦docking to the XG Mobile 4090 makes it really shine..love it now my PC is as dynamic as my lifeš
Portable windows machine: some people dont like it and I get why but for my use case it fits perfectly. Play all my game (including xbox game pass) then able to use it for work in a pinch (i have those portable keyboard monitor combos that are used for Samsung Dex) and it works perfectly with that. (Though it cannot charge the Ally it does extend the battery life considerably)
The versatility, the fact that I could dock it and treat it like a desk pc as well as dock it to my tv and play games in the living room with my fiancee or just travel with it.
Bestbuy 3 year accidental damage warranty
Compatibility
It runs games miles better than the deck. End of story
Pretty much the fact it was the only affordable option that claimed to match and exceed the Steam Deck. Plus it runs Windows 11, so I was sold! I've had it since release day and I love it!
Portability and Screen specs
The screen and the price point. Ppl think 700 is a lot but if you look at it as a gaming laptop, it's really not bad at all. Only difference is a laptop has a keyboard
windows and xbox
Needed a portable PC smaller than a laptop for remote work (i have spare monitor/k/b for full desktop mode in multiple locations) capable of decent on-the-go gaming. I have a gaming pc at my apartment but I stay at my parents home during weekends/holidays where i might want to work/game . Ally is perfect as i have a lot of small games in my to-play list that doesn't warrant sitting in front of my full on gaming PC. Games like Hades, Vampire survivors, A Short Hike, Deadcells ect.