Review of ASUS ROG Ally: a little ROG on the periphery

Our Verdict

Consoles like the Switch and its walled garden ecosystem demand uniformity, but the ASUS ROG Ally is a confusing console, with launchers, updates, system settings, and graphic settings constantly getting in the way of the action. It’s powerful and gorgeous, but with such a poor battery life, it doesn't offer handheld gamers much over playing a PC except portability.

Reasons to buy

• Gorgeous screen and refresh rate
• Feels great to hold
• Impressively fast performance

Reasons to avoid

• Disappointing battery life
• Windows is clunky to use handheld

The portable device industry is expanding right now, and even if the Nintendo Switch has its fans, two distinct segments are starting to emerge. Devices like the Playdate, Ambernic RG35XX, and Miyoo Mini are ideal for play and travel because of their small size and entertaining design. At the other end of the market is the Steam Deck, a premium portable that is primarily meant for usage at home and offers a handy method to access your Steam library.

The ROG Ally, a gaming gadget that is firmly in the powerful corner of the best portable gaming consoles camp, is then introduced by PC and phone maker ASUS. According to ASUS, the ROG Ally is a "Steam Deck OLED killer," and its lofty specifications try to support this assertion. But whereas the Steam Deck (naturally) concentrates on the best Steam Deck games, the ASUS ROG Ally is a full-fledged Windows device, along with all the potential issues and complications that come with it.

With its elegant 7-inch 1920x1080 display, 120Hz refresh rate, and ergonomic handles, the ASUS ROG Ally is a powerful compact Windows computer. There are a few issues with this emphasis on power, and the ROG's real design is a touch rough around the edges (sorry).

Features

The ROG Ally is available from ASUS in two distinct SKUs, which range somewhat in terms of power and cost. The 7-inch IPS screen with 1080p 120hz resolution, 512GB of internal memory, 16GB LPDDR5 onboard memory, and a 40WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion battery are all included in both devices. Nevertheless, the more costly device ($699.99) comes with the AMD Ryzen Z1 extreme CPU, while the less expensive unit ($599.99) has an AMD Ryzen Z1 processor.

The difference between the standard Ryzen Z1 and the Ryzen Z1 extreme isn't that great, despite the superlative moniker. Rather, games using the more costly model have a higher chance of maintaining a 60 frames per second. The $699 SKU employs 12 CUs up to 2.7 GHz and 8.6 teraflops, whilst the normal model uses 4 CUs up to 2.5 GHz and 2.8 teraflops. Both models share the same AMD Radeon graphics card. If you're serious about gaming, it seems virtually insignificant to contemplate the basic choice given the price.

But the most costly Steam Deck ($649.99) is topped by the more expensive device, while the entry-level model undercuts it. We've been testing the $699 variant of the ASUS ROG Ally, and we can confirm that if you're already planning to spend this much money on the device, you should definitely go with the more costly model if you want your gaming framerates to be more consistent.

Design

If you have a Switch instead of a Steam Deck, you may make a visually significant jump. The vibrant 7-inch IPS-level screen of the ASUS ROG Ally produces bright and detailed visuals for games that are on par with, if not more spectacular than, the conventional Nintendo Switch. Additionally, with a potential 1080p above the Deck's 800p, it is crisper than both the Steam Deck and the Switch.

The form aspect of the ROG Ally is one feature I enjoy. It's a hefty device, measuring around 22 mm in thickness, with the Switch OLED measuring 14 mm. The buttons and analog stick make the device considerably thicker. That being said, I'm not as pleased of the ROG Ally's slightly over 600g weight. Considering how much power ASUS puts into the gadget, the weight isn't too awful, but it's unfortunate given how comfy the rest of the device is.

The analog sticks have a lovely RGB ring around them that illuminates as you play; it's a completely needless touch, but my magpie brain can't get enough of it. The sticks are grippy and comfy for extended workouts, with a rubber-like feel to them. The device's buttons have a clicky, plastic feel to them, and they seem a little tiny in relation to its size. Longer gaming periods would seem more natural with even a little increase in size.

There's a D-Pad on the left side as well, although it looks more like the Xbox controller's disc-shaped D-Pad than the Steam Deck's distinct D-Pad. Though I doubt many are purchasing the ROG Ally to play fighting games competitively, you'll miss it much in Street Fighter 6. The D-Pad performs well for its intended purpose and doesn't click too readily, which is crucial when using it to make precise motions like switching weapons.

The ROG Ally feels fantastic in the hand as a whole. The shoulder buttons protrude sufficiently to be comfortable to lay your fingertips on while still having a pleasant click, and the face buttons stand out beautifully. Additionally, the device's rear has a little slant that my hands easily curled around, and it has two extra buttons in case you need them. Like me, you could have cramping after extended gaming sessions, but other than that, not much can be grumbled about. Of course, I would want it to be lighter and more comfortable, but ultimately, this is a portable computer.

Although the ASUS ROG Ally's performance is impressive, most games won't run at 1080p 60 frames per second since even the highest-end ROG Ally may not be able to do that. In my experiments, the framerate of less demanding games like Casette Beasts wobbled, and I had to force titles like Control, Deathloop, and Sea of Thieves down to 720 in order to maintain a steady 60 frames per second.

The ASUS ROG Ally, when used as a Windows portable, provides a little inconsistent gaming experience since I have to spend a lot of time in menus adjusting the graphics and framerates in order to have a consistent outcome. Since I spend nearly as much time modifying settings as I do playing games, I really miss the consistency of something like the Nintendo Switch.

The Armory Crate Launcher, which is included with the ASUS ROG Ally, is a handy location that gathers all of your Steam, Xbox, and hard drive games into one menu, ready to start. Alternatively, you may select to utilize the Windows desktop to host a variety of launchers.

The option to download Xbox games directly rather than using Xbox GamePass Ultimate cloud streaming is a significant advantage of the Steam Deck over its competitor. Having the ability to download and play GamePass titles directly from the device is a huge benefit, particularly for games that are lengthier, like Persona 4 or Sea of Thieves. Cloud saves make switching between the Xbox and the ROG Ally simple, but you could find that you need more internal memory than the 512GB that the ROG Ally has to provide shortly.

Unfortunately, Steam games aren't nearly that easy. While the Steam Deck pushes game developers to make their titles "Deck Verified" in order to get the coveted authentication badge, the ROG Ally lacks a comparable optimization procedure. Switching between games may be a bit of a wild west experience, and changing launchers or settings often is a hassle.

In addition, it is necessary to use the Windows desktop mode, which is really annoying on the ROG Ally. Even though the 7" screen has ten-point touch capabilities, using the little screen with your fingers to select text fields or use the on-screen keyboard is unavoidably quite tedious. Additionally, you must continuously switch between the two since you can only unlock the device with a touchscreen input before using the buttons to play games.

The ROG is neither a great desktop computer nor a handy portable console, but it can be used as a desktop computer by plugging in a dock or external device to utilize a keyboard and mouse. The ROG has a USB-C connector on top for charging, and next to it is a bigger socket that allows you to add an external GPU that is proprietary to boost the ROG Ally's performance and essentially transform it into a powerful gaming computer.

This second gadget, which ASUS refers to as the ROG XG Mobile, has an RTX 3080 that dramatically increases the ROG's capabilities at the expense of portability. In terms of price, the ROG XG Mobile is also rather expensive at around $1400, so at this point, purchasing a separate desktop PC for gaming is definitely preferable. Furthermore, it disproves the notion that the ROG Ally is a portable device, and because that is how it is advertised, that is how we are evaluating it.

Effectivity

Easy installation and launch of games that aren't accessible on the Steam Deck and its Linux operating system is one advantage of the Windows architecture over the Steam Deck. You may play Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Genshin Impact with the ROG Ally. It is totally up to you whether or not the few titles and native Xbox game support are enticing, but the ROG Ally is at least making a name for itself in the market.

Particularly Remedy's Control runs horribly without any significant setting adjustments, and other games like Biomutant also need significant downscaling before they can be made playable. if it's hardly a deal breaker, keep in mind that optimization is half the fight, even if the ROG Ally could seem more potent on paper given the amount of work most games go through to become Deck Verified.

Now, the ROG Ally's terrible battery life is one way it really demonstrates its PC origins. I understand that you have actual authority over this, and the gadget can only hold so much. Still, I consider myself really fortunate to obtain an hour of battery life while playing high-end games. There's no justification for the Steam Deck's lack of improvement, despite what many claim. This results in a portable console that is almost totally dependent on a power source. This is a gadget that belongs in the living room and bedroom, therefore I would never consider bringing it outside to play games.

The ASUS ROG Ally overheats as well. Really hot, really. Playing games with increased intensity or extending play sessions causes the device's back to become very hot to the touch. There are fans inside to cool it, but the more they work, the louder they become, which makes your favorite graphics powerhouse really uncomfortable to play with on high settings.

I enjoy the ROG Ally, but it's very difficult to determine who this gadget is for when you can purchase a secondhand Xbox Series S for less than $200 and a Steam Deck for less than $500. Perhaps, if you're itching to play certain games like Fortnite that are shut out of the Steam Deck, but it's definitely not worth the money or the hassles.

Screen tearing, stuttering, windows and launchers shutting or freezing, updates, and even the BIOS menus starting and requesting that I connect the device into the mains to do necessary maintenance are all frequent interruptions to my time spent with the ASUS ROG Ally.

The ASUS ROG Ally has an Elton John vibe about it. A stunning show that may be the greatest at what it does, but an erratic diva most of the time. Simple games like Powerwash Simulator seem really amazing on that bright screen, but I've had to take my Switch back many times due to the hassle of getting everything to work.

The ROG Ally could be the ideal gadget for you if you play a lot of PC games on Steam and Xbox and have a lot of patience. Navigating the Windows system is not any easier than using a PC. Additionally, this is a very clever and practical approach to combine many game libraries, something that isn't presently achievable with the majority of other portable devices. The ROG Ally excels in a fairly narrow range of tasks that it is designed to do.

But as a handheld, I'm rather dissatisfied with the Ally. I don't have the patience to change every game's performance, framerate, screen resolution, and a plethora of other settings. I plead for the consistency of the Switch gaming experience all the time, but all I get is obstacles that take up valuable gaming time. This is not a console you want to carry about due to its size, heat issues, noisy fans, and absurdly short battery life.

With its aggressive approach to the mobile gaming market, the ASUS ROG Ally is undoubtedly challenging the Steam Deck. Xbox games are fantastic to play on the move, and having access to such a large game collection is fantastic. Additionally, certain games look wonderful on that stunning 7" display, which has a 120hz refresh rate and a brilliant 1080p screen that makes them pop off the screen.

To get the best gameplay experience, you will probably not play games at their highest settings for the most of your gaming sessions; instead, you will probably play at 720p or lower. This raises the question, "Should this even be a handheld device?" along with a bewildering user interface, persistent problems with the Windows infrastructure, the sheer amount of tweaking required to get most games operating, and a dismal battery life. Whether it's worth your money is a question only you can answer, but for the time being, I hope this is ASUS' first move toward a promising future.

See our guide to the top portable gaming consoles if you're not sure whether the ROG Ally is right for you.