A respectable Steam Deck rival
TheAsus ROG Allywas, in hindsight, inevitable.
Thus, here we have the Windows 11-based ROG Ally.
Physically, the ROG Ally impresses.
This is true even in the ROG Allys default Performance profile, let alone its Silent mode.
Personally, I dont find the lowered right stick position as intuitive as the Decks symmetrical controls layout.
Granted, I rarely felt downright uncomfortable holding the thing, and the sticks themselves are nimble and accurate.
The ROG Allys are lighter and clickier, without being overly sensitive to accidental inputs.
Overall, the ROG Ally is rather well-built.
Come on, Asus, its a portable computer!
Even the cheapest Steam Deck model isnt so miserly as to ship without a bundled hard case.
With the ROG Ally, itsan optional 25 extra.
What makes this omission extra-cynical is that the ROG Allydeservesprotecting, especially its 7in screen.
And this is one instance where the numbers dont lie, as it looks fantastic.
The anti-glare coating plays its part here, too.
Actually, theres one other concern.
Newer architecture, more cores and threads, higher clock speeds, more GPU compute units, the lot.
So, is it enough for Deck-beating performance, even at higher resolution?
First part yes, second part, ehhhhh not so much.
Dial it down to 720p, though, the ROG Ally reclaims the advantage.
And its not just the easily benchmarkable games listed above.
However, sometimesthat Steam Deck magickicks in, allowing it to keep up when on paper it arguably shouldnt.
Id say no, not really.
Thats great, especially if you want a cheap PC for desktop use as well as portable games machine.
Its installations getting stuck.
Its app windows switching between fullscreen and windowed mode without being asked to.
Its putting the ROG Ally to sleep when the power configs specifically tell it to stay awake.
Its bloatware, specifically Asus.
Theres also a SteamOS-style overlay, opened by a dedicated button just above the D-pad.
Again, its helpful, though it also lacks the ultra-responsiveness of the Steam Deck overlay.
It enjoys betterbattery life, too.
The Silent profile can help, sometimes.
Unfortunately, the ROG Ally can be picky about which fan profile it wants to use.
Waiting and changing it in-game would then utterly hobble performance, sending it down to the 20-25fps range.
I guess Silent only works on very low-resource games?
Storage, on the other hand, is a win for the newcomer.
Sure, I wouldnt consider it a total upgrade on the Steam Deck more like an alternative.
The best part of that, surely, is that its impossible to make a bad choice.
…It should come with a case, though.
This review is based on a retail unit provided by Asus.
