I was wrong about the ASUS ROG Ally...

After having the ASUS ROG Ally for about 5 months, there are some things that I've loved about it and there are some things that I hate about it. As time goes on though, one thing is evident: the chipset is a beast at playing some more graphically intensive games.
The more the handheld scene gets pushed forward, the more competition will evolve in the space.
I'm sure excited for what's to come.
Hi friends! If you're interested in purchasing anything that I mentioned in the video then here are some affiliate links:
🔥ASUS ROG Ally: howl.me/cmq8cfkGuDx
🔥ASUS ROG Ally (Amazon): amzn.to/48NY6c4
3rd Party Docks:
🔥JSAUX Docking Station: amzn.to/3EyFAIJ
🔥JSAUX Omnicase 2: amzn.to/3JksBMW
🔥iVoler Docking Station: amzn.to/3khmRKN
SSD:
🔥SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB: amzn.to/3JnQQtH
microSD Cards:
🔥Samsung 512 GB A2: amzn.to/3KFXXPs
🔥SanDisk 1TB A2: amzn.to/3lXjx7Y
Handheld Wireless Keyboards:
🔥Rii K06 Mini Bluetooth Keyboard: amzn.to/468HKuH
🔥Gimibox Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard: amzn.to/46p0JRZ
🔥Rii X8 Portable 2.4GHz Wireless Keyboard: amzn.to/3PgQ5GJ
65W Power Banks:
🔥Baseus Power Bank 20000mAh: amzn.to/3CBfByL
🔥UGREEN Power Bank 25000mAh: amzn.to/3qQyMSG
🔥Anker Portable Charger 24,000mAh: amzn.to/3Pmej2m
If you use these links to purchase anything, I may get a commission from the sale. It helps support the channel at no extra cost to you, so thank you!
Timestamps:
Intro: 00:00
ROG Ally After Updates: 00:27
Difference in Performance Experience: 01:25
Battery Life: 02:22
MicroSD Card Flaw: 02:59
Screen: 03:31
Ergonomics: 04:19
Lack of Track Pads: 04:41
Back Buttons: 05:22
65w Charger Dock: 05:45
eGPU: 06:22
Speakers and Audio: 07:35
Button Layout: 08:33
Concerns with the Future: 10:58
Third-Party Docks: 12:26
Emulation: 13:05
Who is this for?: 14:26
Twitch: / baldlyrudy
Twitter: / baldlyrudy
Instagram: / baldlyrudy
Check out my favorites on Amazon: www.amazon.com/shop/baldlyrudy
Like the Music in the Video? Check out more here: share.epidemicsound.com/8zqvhz
Like, Comment, and Subscribe!
Thanks for watching!
Business Inquiries: [e-mail]
#ASUSROGAlly #PCHandHeld #PCGaming #PC

[@baldlyrudy]

Hi friends! If you're interested in purchasing anything that I mentioned in the video then here are some affiliate links: 🔥ASUS ROG Ally: www.baldlyrudy.com/BBROGAlly 3rd Party Docks: 🔥JSAUX Docking Station: amzn.to/3EyFAIJ 🔥JSAUX Omnicase 2: amzn.to/3JksBMW 🔥iVoler Docking Station: amzn.to/3khmRKN SSD: 🔥SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB: amzn.to/3JnQQtH microSD Cards: 🔥Samsung 512 GB A2: amzn.to/3KFXXPs 🔥SanDisk 1TB A2: amzn.to/3lXjx7Y Handheld Wireless Keyboards: 🔥Rii K06 Mini Bluetooth Keyboard: amzn.to/468HKuH 🔥Gimibox Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard: amzn.to/46p0JRZ 🔥Rii X8 Portable 2.4GHz Wireless Keyboard: amzn.to/3PgQ5GJ 65W Power Banks: 🔥Baseus Power Bank 20000mAh: amzn.to/3CBfByL 🔥UGREEN Power Bank 25000mAh: amzn.to/3qQyMSG 🔥Anker Portable Charger 24,000mAh: amzn.to/3Pmej2m If you use these links to purchase anything, I may get a commission from the sale. It helps support the channel at no extra cost to you, so thank you!

[@tshirtnorge4561]

apperantly Asus came out with a R8 and R9 revision or something that fixes the SDcard problem.

[@baldlyrudy]

@tshirtnorge4561 that's interesting. I wasn't aware of that.

[@wmon77]

I have it and it's just bug after bug. Big disappointment. COD crashes constantly. Junk!

[@ADOS_DSGB]

I play mostly triple A games, I prefer the power of the Ally.

[@beartackle]

I use Steam and other online retailers, so I prefer the options of the Ally.

[@aktrazer]

I've had an Ally for 3 months now and love it for traveling in airports and such. Went hands on with a SD but I'm in your camp, I don't use the trackpads, so those being gone is moot. The dead zones are crap but there's an 'anti deadzone' feature they added in one of the recent bios updates (in Armoury Crate) that helps a ton.

[@theStoryofLuca]

How do you feel about dead zones now? Tried a test unit a month ago and in desktop mode the cursor was basically unmanageable. I’m scared it’d be the same in games, but people say that the deadzone is visible only in desktop mode.

[@aktrazer]

@@theStoryofLuca I'd say I only notice it in desktop mode with the cursor which I try to avoid at all costs. If I need more than basic inputs to play games I connect to a keyboard and mouse. Anti dead zone in AC works great in conjunction with in game anti dead zone config (I primarily play MW3 and BF2042).

[@LemonRush7777]

@@aktrazer Sounds like a trackpad would really help here.

[@cizko84]

How does it do with xbox games

[@dw90546]

@@cizko84 just fine. I've been playing Fallout76 from Xbox Game Pass and it works great.

[@Quiqueleal85]

the thing that does it for me is the support for xbox gamepass natively. amd the game that pushed me to get an Ally was Remnant 2… personally i love everything build wise on the steam deck way better than the ally. dpad, buttons, trackpad… etc. if the steam deck had a bit more punch and native gamepass id get that for sure! no questions asked

[@JohnnyNewport]

For that left button you need to loosen the left screw on the shell. It tends to tighten and causes friction with the other near by button.

[@baldlyrudy]

I'm going to try that out. Thank you! It's been bugging me for months and I basically just got used to it. I thought it was a manufacturing issue.

[@JohnnyNewport]

@@baldlyrudySame, but i play Overwatch a lot and that button is crucial lol Also note that hard shells cases are out if the question it will just make it even tighter.

[@Dastardly_Duo]

@@baldlyrudy did it work

[@baldlyrudy]

@@Dastardly_Duo it did!

[@marcusroberts6837]

I’d recommend the skull & co grip case as it gives you more grip on the back of the device and has made a huge difference for me.

[@baldlyrudy]

Nice! I'll check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@jessica49arrow]

Does it add any significant weight to it?

[@Harvey2Tall]

@@jessica49arrow nope

[@josemisiego]

Dead zone has been fixed in the latest armor crate software update. There is an option under settings/configure/gamepadmode, choose the stick you want and you have 3 options to adjust dead zone, outer threshold and the NEW option Anti-Dead zone. Adjust that last option and you will not have dead zone anymore

[@baldlyrudy]

Awesomeness! Thanks.

[@Javiilin]

Hey great review, I’ve been really enjoying my rog ally once firmware, bios and driver updates really made it come to form. The stock dpad is quite atrocious in my eyes as a fighting game player but luckily there are files to 3D print a custom dpad for the Ally with a ball pivot with an option for a cross style dpad and its been great for 2D games as a whole. I really recommend it if you find the stock dpad unsatisfactory.

[@baldlyrudy]

That's awesome. First, I'd need to get a 3D Printer. Is there one you recommend?

[@Javiilin]

@@baldlyrudyI didn’t 3D print myself rather ordered a resin print of the models on etsy, so I don’t have any insight on that unfortunately

[@baldlyrudy]

@Javiilin gotcha. No worries. I'll see what I can find. I appreciate the heads up though.

[@Vampir1c]

Hey! Would you mind linking the custom dpad that you mentioned?

[@X862go]

Same it's speakers 🔊 are something special 😅

[@HKM-1701]

Love my Ally, started using it as a laptop replacement hooked up to a dock with all the standard peripherals.

[@emanuelcarmona9930]

Just ordered a dock! Excited to be able to connect it to monitors when I want too. Would love the mobile graphics card at some point

[@ivayloi736]

Right after launch there was issue with the dead zone on my unit, but testing now with latest updates, I think ROG Ally is now very close to Xbox controller. Everything is on default. Note that I'm testing with open source Quake port, I know exactly how it reads the joystick data and what kind of software dead zone it's using to filter out "noise". Other games may not play well with this joystick, but it's very clear from the Windows cursor that this is no longer an issue, at least on my device.

[@clintk4691]

I've been loving my Ally. Had it about 5 months now and the updates have made it great. It plays at least 80% of my library and the remaining it can run but I have my tower if I want something to look pretty. Sure the battery life sucks and I got a 26,000mah battery bank to carry around with it but 4-8 hours of play time and an hour to charge means I'm never out of juice.

[@h1ko393]

This is exactly what I’ve done. The only con I found was battery wise tbh for a handheld but that screen was too beautiful and extra frames too.

[@jordyaranda24]

If u don’t mind Can you send me the link to the charger bank you have, I’ve been looking for a good one for my ally as well Lol.

[@daionusdrwg11]

They ask from the comment section of an app owned by a company named, Google...

[@KayronTho]

@@jordyaranda24the one from Jsaux is nice if you got the modcase to go with it.

[@derikdang8829]

Hi Rudy, Have you try playing game with the latest "update" from Asus? I heard it fixed quite some issues with the console. Best and Thank you for the review.

[@joshjeggs]

The dead zone is to counter stick drift. Or more accurately cover it up when it occurs

[@CrimsonRegalia]

If you play at home; streaming from a computer to either the Deck or Ally actually works pretty well and you don't hafta worry as much about battery

[@joshsmyth130]

I honestly loved that they added the XG mobile port, if only it means that maybe more people will look at getting it in the future to ensentivise new models, extending the life of both the ally and the laptops that can use it, like the x16 flow that I use.

[@carlosharrison7616]

Just snagged one from Best Buy Black Friday sale! By far the purchase of the year!

[@LC-ig5hp]

I loved Emudeck on the Steam Deck and thought it was absolutely amazing but its just not the same on the Ally but its still in a test phase so that kind of explains why its a bit iffy and buggy. I personally think Retrobat is the way to go if using the ALLY for emulation in my opinion as it seems to work pretty much flawlessly in comparison as always opinions are subjective

[@baldlyrudy]

Oooooo. I'll definitely check that out. I'm always up for trying new things with these devices. I appreciate it.

[@SebastienBarrau]

I had a steam deck for 3 months and before getting the ally I thought I would miss the touchpad because I used the a lot on the steam deck (running windows) but honestly the joystick works fine enough as a mouse on the ally.

[@baldlyrudy]

Yeah. The way I see if, if you want to use a game that needs a mouse and keyboard, then you're better off with a desktop and not a handheld.

[@JhustineProvido]

I'm a day 1 Ally owner. Still can't put it down it's November already.

[@antoniohernandez7171]

I just got my legion go and man.. it has so many issues

[@JhustineProvido]

@@antoniohernandez7171 Ally is imperfect too but It’s alright

[@JakeBritton94]

Do you still think the asus rog ally has the best screen (besides switch) even with the steam deck oled?

[@johnrod1]

How do you get games? Buy them? Or are they free?

[@KevanWalter]

Personally I absolutely love my Ally it's basically replaced most of my other gaming machines. Sure I'll go to the tower or Playstation when I want to get my big experiences like Spider-Man or anything competitive but for basically everything else I seem to keep reaching for the Ally.

[@oscarmaradiaga5967]

Just finally saw a great video for me to go ahead and purchase this

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks man. Hope you enjoy it. It's on sale for Black Friday too.

[@lucianowod]

Great video. Subscribed! Go Ally!

[@baldlyrudy]

Eyyy! Thanks! Much appreciated. 🙌

[@tr4pkeedyoungking677]

I just got the ally and its a beast.

[@baldlyrudy]

Heck yeah dude. I don't have to worry much with it.

[@robertwendal5894]

I have the steam deck but I've played with both Ally and Legion go, Legion go will be my next handheld, honestly more for a tablet PC though, the grips are as good as the steam decks. I am 6'4" so I do have large hands so I'm not sure if legion will be comfortable for smaller hands. However you can hook up a controller and put the kick stand out and game.

[@baldlyrudy]

The Legion Go is a big boy. I've been playing on it and it is definitely big.

[@richardseville8122]

Where can I buy that C64 tshirt? Great vid btw.

[@tobyreinhardt9022]

Great review my dude

[@wj625]

The A button doesn’t work in windows unless you hard change the controller mode to gamepad from desktop seems to be my fix. Love my ROG ally and love EmuDeck!

[@casteli1]

I have both devices and in my opinion i feel that the deck is a better device to live with on a everyday basis, it's not that the ally is bad it's just that windows is clunky as heck for a handheld.

[@oceanswithnoend]

Great video 💯

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! Much appreciated.

[@Hatecrewdethrol]

The steam deck is just so *comfortable* to use. You can tell Valve really tested using it, and not just in terms of hardware/performance, they really did a good job making something that is easy to hold and feels natural to use. I wasn't expecting to use the trackpads much, if at all, but honestly the lack of trackpads would now be a dealbreaker for me. You don't always need them, but when you do it's so nice to have them. Not to mention being on desktop mode or playing strategy games they're literally essential

[@PandorusFightStick]

i had an ally until sd card fried and insurance paid out, so got the LLG and it is amazing and playing games at 1200p. example playing Tiny tinas wonderland Low settings at 1200p getting 55 - 75 fps without rsr

[@kalexmm]

Just wanna point out that you CAN connect the egpu to a laptop/desktop, as it has both rog xg mobile and usb c connector.

[@BigKurzMD]

I use a $20 USB C dock with HDMI out and PD on my LG OLED and its been a great experience. It automatically outputs to my TV. Then when i connect my xbox controller via BT and hit the XBOX buttons, it opens Steam Big Picture mode for me. Functionally its the same as when i would dock the Steam Deck.

[@XionSteel]

Ye, i have always seen the Rog Ally as something you need to get if you are a AAA player. As for me, i dont really like to play AAA games since they all feel kind of same-ey with some exceptions but i really am more into the AA and indie scene for games which the Steamdeck is great for. I also use it as a portable steam machine that i just hook up to a monitor when i go to work on slow days so i really dont need things like good speakers or a detailed AF screen, it just works for me. 😊 I have already gotten used to the linux desktop if i need to do anything custom on it and i learned at some point that you can install anything on the os that you can on windows, as long as you add its install file to steam to allow it to make a windows directory for it. Honestly is making me consider switching to linux if im forced to leave windows 10. TLDR - the Rog is great for the people that want a dedicated (non laptop) win11 desktop or a AAA play machine, its just not for me since i neither need a pc nor a AAA game player. 👍

[@portanrayken3814]

same here i cant remember the last time i enjoyed AAA game i mostly play indie games and i own both devices but i use the steam deck way more as the battery stay for longer and the performance is irrelevant for the games i play

[@t33mtech59]

Wait so if you got a 3080FE PC, wouldn't you be able to just stream while at home to your deck or ally if your wifi is goodnuff? Serious question bc I haven't bought yet. My use case was stream at home and use the native hardware only during business trips

[@baldlyrudy]

Yup. That's definitely a use case scenario. I'm assuming you're talking about streaming using Steam Link.

[@FennecTECH]

ChimeraOS on ally is getting good.

[@Sammy10100]

I like the rog ally and the legion go. I'm happy with both

[@1324spud]

Picked one up for 480 open box at best buy. Most likely going to keep it at this price.

[@baldlyrudy]

$480 is a steal dude.

[@jjayala]

I had the worst best buy open box experience the other day via one of these. But the little I was able to tinker with it before I inevitably said this device is doomed I liked what it showed me. Upon returning I said f it and exchanged on a new one as they are on sale rn and my local best buy gave me a new free back up charger for my new device for free and I liked that. I'm not a techie. I expected loads of issues. Not really having any yet and I'm loving what it's capable of doing. We shall see.

[@OranguBANG]

@@baldlyrudy best buy has it on sale 499 brand new

[@BigKurzMD]

Comfort was an issue for me so i totally get it. The new SKull & Co grip case is pretty awesome and is much better

[@liquidsnake6879]

Ouch an hour on a new battery? That's horrifying, is the battery easy to replace?

[@rrorge]

you can use the rog dock on laptops, just the selection is limited to 2 models at the moment

[@baldlyrudy]

Nice! I wasn't aware of that and appreciate the heads up. That's still tough for me to recommend. I just don't like proprietary connectors.

[@rrorge]

@@baldlyrudy absolutely agree, personally I like what GPD did with their e-gpu

[@stetsonclark8348]

Does the ROG Ally come preloaded with any roms or emulators? As someone who's just getting into PC gaming I'm having a hard time figuring everything out as far as figuring out what emulator I need for whatever rom I'm trying to play

[@baldlyrudy]

Nope. It's basically like getting a Windows computer. EmuDeck is probably the best place to go for so the emulators. As far as ROMs, Google is your friend.

[@stetsonclark8348]

@@baldlyrudy I have and found roms. My problem is getting the roms onto the emulator

[@briansmith3134]

You can use the mg mobile egpu on any Asus flow series laptop it's not tied only to the ally. Any Asus product that has the port works and to my knowledge us the flow x13 and 16.

[@baldlyrudy]

Yup. It's a very Apple move for ASUS to do.

[@user-ek7om5lw3d]

Can i do playstation games without having a ps? Im so confused on the rog ally

[@gabrielcayton3261]

I've been gaming much more on my Ally because BG3, Starfield, Dead Space, Callisto Protocol, and CP2077 run so much better on the Ally versus having to turn everything down on my Steam Deck (which I absolutely love).

[@baldlyrudy]

Yeah. I love both of them, but I definitely wanted a bit more performance in some of the games (Baldur's Gate 3 specifically). The ROG Ally delivered.

[@gouravpreetsingh]

How would you compare it with the new Lenovo Legion Go and which one would you recommend?

[@baldlyrudy]

Working on that. My unit got delayed from Best Buy. I got it a few days ago.

[@monkeymonk4976]

I’d say the ALLY is currently better if you can get over the know Hardware defects. Just due to the software, but once the Legion Go has some updates. It would come down to preference, with the Legion Go having a slight edge (depending on what you’re lookin for in a handheld PC).

[@gouravpreetsingh]

@@baldlyrudy okay subscribed and waiting for the comparison, great review!

[@gerardoaguilera8307]

Now that the Steam Deck OLED is out, would you still say the same for games like BG3?

[@baldlyrudy]

The Steam Deck OLED is great, but the better performance is definitely on the Ally. The OLED is great in every other front though. Comfort, battery, ergonomics...they're all better on the OLED.

[@daveytrump6516]

Really confused why you didn't explain what the problem is going on the tv screen with the ally????.

[@ixilancerixi3195]

I'm debating buying one. I see Best Buy has an early discount at $620 right now. Do you think they'll lower the price more on actual Black Friday/ Cyber Monday?

[@ronetswaminathan1602]

Even if they do, they got price match.

[@fightnight14]

I see it go for $599 on BF week

[@baldlyrudy]

Worth it.

[@crazylegz21010]

My bestbuy has the open box one in excellent condition for 520 im going to buy it

[@MrHuck]

@@crazylegz21010 My store has an open box too. Hmmm? Already got a Steamdeck.

[@AB-zm4mj]

Hi. I saw the ROG ally in best buy today (i didnt know it existed, only heard about steam deck and the ones i saw were SUPER expensive) I only play pc and switch lite now (i stopped playing any other consoles) i also never really go anywhere so always plays at home. Do you think it worth getting ROG ally? (I mostly play open world RPG like RDR2, RDR, horizon zero dawn, GTAs and such)... My pc is a gaming computer but its about 4 or so years old now...

[@baldlyrudy]

Hey there! The ROG Ally is in terms of power for a PC handheld. Expect to play modern AAA titles on low to medium settings and expect 45-50 FPS on average. Even with 720p and running FSR 2.0. in terms of power, I'd recommend the ROG Ally. In terms of comfort and ease of use, the Steam Deck is the way to go. Here's a video going over the Steam Deck OLED: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnyohneais-desk

[@WhosTired]

Then upgrade ur pc first with that money before getting a steam deck or ally. Letter that year will come ally 2. So weit for it

[@j.y.]

Thanks for the honest review.

[@baldlyrudy]

You're welcome!

[@redchicken4310]

Should I get it for the $620 sale and also get a dock to connect it to a monitor? Or is the dock not worth it?

[@baldlyrudy]

Definitely worth it, IMO. It's one of the most powerful handhelds out to date.

[@unknown_model]

How do you cross play saved BG3? Did you have to buy separate games for each device?

[@baldlyrudy]

Yes and no. Cross Save between ROG Ally, Steam Deck, and PC was easy, as it was all through Steam Cloud. My wife wanted to play on PS5, so I got another copy there. If I want to, I can play my save file on PS5. The save files are through Larian's servers.

[@unknown_model]

@@baldlyrudy That’s what I thought… Thanks, bro. Cheers to your wife ☺️

[@battlepowered]

That dead zone you’re referring to is only in auto mode for the game pad. Switch to game pad mode.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! I'll try that out. 👍

[@user-og3qi4gl1g]

Well about the XG mobile eGPU, they can be use on more ROG product in future. The 1st XG mobile came out is bundle with X13, not specific only for Ally itsrlf

[@baldlyrudy]

Yeah. I get that. It just seems like an Apple move. ASUS is trying to keep users attached to their hardware and I'm not a fan of that.

[@AlexanderPosipanko]

@@baldlyrudy The only problem is that Thunderbolt bottlenecks modern GPUs really badly. Back when Asus made the flow it made sense, but now I wish they would include Oculink instead.

[@SunnyDeLite]

My left trackpad allows me to quickly swap between controller configurations in my emulators and you can use the right one for simple menuing in games that benefit.

[@baldlyrudy]

That's awesome! I've never thought of using the trackpad for that. The SD seems like the perfect handheld emulation machine.

[@SunnyDeLite]

@@baldlyrudy yeah it really is! I have a full gaming tower so triple a games get played there. It made it so I’m not carrying multiple handhelds which is a positive as well. Love the videos !!

[@baldlyrudy]

@SunnyDeLite thanks! 🙌

[@SamuraiMerrick]

If you have a great gaming PC already, the best possible solution is to use moonlight (assuming you have an Nvidia GPU) on your steam-deck or ROG Ally. I do this, my wife does this, your PC can push 800p ultra gaming at 60-120 fps to your device. Your battery will last 5-6 hours plus this way vs 2 hours or less. If your home network is modern you will not have any input latency or issues.

[@tagg8233]

You don't even need Nvidia, you can use Sunshine compaitbility layer

[@SamuraiMerrick]

@@tagg8233 I’ll have to look into that, thanks.

[@deusbeowulf6039]

I don’t know how many people would be able to justify a $700 streaming device when most have a laptop and phone already.

[@SamuraiMerrick]

@@deusbeowulf6039 that’s completely okay too, if you have a device you enjoy streaming on. But a lot of the people buying Steam Decks already game on PC or consoles. Might as well remote play.

[@deusbeowulf6039]

@@SamuraiMerrick I guess that is what I am confused about. Why spend $600 on a remote device that is meant to run games natively?? You can use a controller with a laptop or controller/grip type device for your phone that would have similar ergonomics to the steam deck. Some TV's can even stream games from a PC or Console now. Crap, you might be able to stream a game from your fridge in a few years. I mean, you can use the steam deck for whatever you want (eww), it's your money, but it seems like it would be a glorified streaming device costing a premium when you could probably just play most of those games natively without the streaming lag and extra bandwidth on your ISP.

[@RAV3NxGUARD]

"Tiny Indie" Made me chuckle 😆 good video

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks dude!

[@switchunboxing]

What’s wrong with docking the Ally? Loving your shots btw!!! I can’t usually say that on a video like this.

[@SwitchDude]

trackpads give you a competitive edge when playing fast paced FPS games

[@baldlyrudy]

Agreed!

[@maimaibiri9045]

Man, I was really looking forward to this back then, but that egpu limitation they was the biggest turn off, and after that sd card issue came up, I was like nope, I could careless of the sd card, but the egpu was the biggest downside for me, its just a steamdeck on white casing with windows os, really hope they wont do that on ally 2, of all the big pc components manufacturer asus was my top pick, but after owning one of those asus chakram mouse( replaced the clicker 3x that came with it, I had to use my old razer mouse that works just fine, didnt really think they would f up the sd slot on the ally) I was like man why, I am just surprised non of the other competitor joined the handheld battle, imagine a razer, gygabyte or msi, and even the shitty ones like acer and hp, if ally drops below 500 tho, maybe I might think about it again.

[@trevyn1016]

11:28 the irony of this being published at the literal exact time Valve announces their Steamdeck hardware refresh.

[@baldlyrudy]

It was published a few hours afterwards and I literally laughed out loud when I saw it.

[@trevyn1016]

@@baldlyrudy haha the coincidence is crazy. Great video btw, I actually came here because there are crazy deals on the Ally right now due to the Deck OLED announcement and I wanted a long time frame review to help with my decision.

[@blackfalcon53]

BG3 also works great streamed to the steam deck from PC. I have a 3080 too and get a locked 60fps with way less battery usage.

[@switchunboxing]

Wow you mentioned dead zone. No one else has! That’s way dif than steam deck? You’re the one who has me out here researching the Ally lol. I love the form factor and the fact it looks cool vs the steam deck that looks like a Sega Nomad. New OLED is intriguing though. But I hear steam deck struggles playing Palia. Might be better on Ally as it’s a PC

[@markentwistle9970]

I don't play fighters so cant comment on the dpad for those. But with everything else I think the dpad is excellent. I've had a Steam Deck (dpad was dreadful on diagonals), Logitech G Cloud (worst dpad ever), all Switch models, a variety of Anbernic and Miyoo devies, as well as all current gen consoles. The dpad on the Rog Ally is one of the best when it comes to handhelds.

[@baldlyrudy]

IDK. For me the overall feel of the Miyoo Mini Plus D-Pad felt great! The reason why I love the D-Pad on the 8BitDo Ultimate Controller is because of how pivotal the directions are. They are well defined and diagonals are great. The D-Pad on the Steam Deck leaves a ton to be desired. I'd take the Ally's over the Steam Deck's any day of the week.

[@Bopyable]

There’s two major things for me that separates the steam deck from the ally. One is not being able to play certain games with anti cheat because Linux doesn’t support it, and the fact I can hook up a eGPU to my ally and turn it essentially into a very solid desktop. I have both the OLED Deck and ally, and I’ve come to the conclusion that overall for what I want, the ally is better. There’s definitely things the deck does better at, but the ally is just too good for me to not use

[@h1ko393]

I LOVE my Ally. I’ve been playing nier automata and it looks and runs superb! I did buy a portable charger, the only one true downside I’ve come across for the Ally. The Ally 2 will be a thing of legends. As long as ASUS doesn’t get in its own way.

[@jmcmillen19]

If Asus would make a version of the xg mobile connection that just has extra ports or heck make one that is an external gpu dock because not everyone wants or needs a high performance gpu but could use more ports at times. I am still shocked Asus hasn't looked into this

[@YT-glockstreamer]

I love it only thing i gotta do is upgrade the ssd 500 cant hold most of my games

[@aurawastaken7251]

I mean, if you're gonna use the ally to play baldur's gate so you get better graphics despite being restricted to a plug, you might as well just use remote play from your computer to your deck. you'll have more fps and battery and no need for the ally.

[@markdavenportjr5129]

Nice and because its a Windows Device I will totally buy the Ally this winter over the steam deck. Just looking at other videos on how to install Windows on that thing just seemed like a pain in the ass. ;(

[@BatHabit]

I love my rog ally, i just set to 4gb vram, 720p & manual fan 25w only.. i can play all games smooth like silica 😋👍

[@dastimRETRO]

Great video!! I bought one from Best Buy for $450. Unfortunately all it came with was an envelope, no box or charger. The LB button was also non functional and sticking. Just an FYI, when you remove the back plate, there are two foam squares under the Left and Right triggers. If they become dislodged in the slightest bit, it causes the RB and LB buttons to stick. Just push them in place and that should fix it! 😁 Also for the “A” button not working, go into software commander and set the controller to “gamepad” instead of auto. For whatever reason, the software looses focus with the emulation software and switches back to desktop mode without warning. It took me awhile to figure it out, but no issues since! 😁 Awesome review, I can’t agree more about the steam deck UI! The user experience is way better, especially the battery life. However, with the power the Ally offers at full TDP, it’s worth it.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thank you! I'm going to have to check that out in the LB button. I was taken aback because the RB button works flawlessly. The issue I had with EmuDeck for Windows wasn't fixed with the GamePad controller mode. I was following Retro Game Corps instructions as well as EmuDecks. Also, yes. The Steam OS is fantastic for a user experience. It's the best I've experienced in the handheld PC space.

[@vinn7944]

I never understood how people can play one game more then once. I LOVE games. I play each game on the highest difficulty from the beginning. I'm mentioning that because maybe that has something to do with it. But I cannot replay any game once it's done. The hardest games I've passed were cod world at war and halo 2. I will not be replaying those. EVER. but so glad I did.

[@kaiichinose9590]

Update video please: as of yesterday steam deck Oled releases Nov 16th. Lots of good things happening.

[@baldlyrudy]

Can't wait to get one in my hands.

[@kaiichinose9590]

@@baldlyrudy Yeup you and I both. I think maybe in another year the windows handhelds will be better and hopefully a hand held version of windows more optimized. And I still prefer the ally over my legion go. 1080 is the sweet spot for handheld. 1080 p for less intensive titles and 900 p for all else. The 1600p portrait doesn’t have a lot of options yet and some games no matter what are blurry. Dave the diver is terrible on the legion go.

[@htoomyatlin123]

This against the new steam deck oled that was just announced would be nice to see

[@baldlyrudy]

Agreed! First I'd have to get my hands on a Steam Deck OLED. 😅

[@cs-ge5kx]

I just got one but might return it back because it just to many thing u have to do to it to play way to many updates and I hate dealing with windows and am a first time handheld player

[@baldlyrudy]

There's are some settings to streamline the boot up sequence so you'll head straight into the Armoury Crate app.

[@MichaelLochowitz]

Did you try the specific adjustment called “Anti-Deadzone” in AC? I set mine to 10% and it feels pretty good.

[@baldlyrudy]

I did. I set it all the way down and it still operated the way that it did in the video while playing Baldur's Gate 3. Is it just my unit?

[@WillySou]

@@baldlyrudy you have to set Anti-deadzone all the way up to get it working. Not down. If something with the new Armory crate updates the deadzone is inexistent. You have to turn Anti-deadzone to about 20 or so.

[@tonyvenditto7687]

You mentioned about possibly then releasing a sequel to this like a number 2 dragon maybe the end of 2024 or 2025 they might release a new handheld to kind of compete with the Legion go

[@baldlyrudy]

That would be awesome! I think the Legion Go is super interesting and adds to the PC mobile space competition.

[@michaelwhog5836]

I play and strategy game with the pads from xcom, dawn or war, steel division to command and conquer. Total war is a bit mush though.

[@mattm7798]

Tried both and if you are playing AAA 3d graphics pushing games, the ally is better. IIRC at 15 watts the steam deck might be a hair better but at 25, the ally is top notch. But having played both, the steam deck is SO much more comfortable to hold for extended periods of time, and for a hand held, that is among the most important considerations.

[@baldlyrudy]

Yup. Pretty much. Also the OS on the SD is so user friendly. The UI is simple, but you can tweak and change things if needed.

[@unkown34x33]

Yep... Lol double trackpads are a must! Valve nailed it. Specially for desktop modes

[@nitik.thakur]

Should i get it ? I dont own pc and just wanna have some games daily found 500 for open box alley

[@bearart9918]

Hopefully next year they’ll bring better option or new console

[@o_krush67]

I looked at these a bunch and honestly ended up just getting Geforce Now and running on my Galaxy book 2 pro. A little heavier but better battery and screen.....I do not need super portable and I carry my laptop with me most places (work related)

[@FairyGoddessLunaMoon]

They should make the specs of handheld better even if cost become higher

[@hitbm4755]

Glad you mentioned the dead-zones, I think I will try my best to hold out for the Legion GO to come to South Africa. Apparently it also has slight dead-zone issues. EDIT: So and update, I ended up buying the ROG Ally Extreme (Extreme is very important to look out for in the name), and I do not experience this deadzone issues as much; in addition, another reviewer showed how much worse the Legion GO's deadzones are. I am enjoying the device thus far and my Dolby Atmos doesn't crackle, but rather gives amazing 3D sound. I should mention even as refined as the ROG Ally is thus far, you need to be a "tech savy person" as youtuber Cyber Dopamine mentions. Thankfully, I know the qwerks of AMD pretty well.

[@josemisiego]

Dead zone has been fixed with the latest patch. There is an option on armor crate under settings to configured dead zone. Asus fixed it with software and it works for me.

[@hitbm4755]

@@josemisiego that's good news! I have slight of a deadzone, but not extremely bad. Like I can finish with a podium in Shift Unleashed 2. But, I might check the deadzone issues later.

[@Jfx187]

The deadzone was fixed well before this video was released which tells me this guy is several updates behind the latest. Other things he mentioned are also already fixed.

[@josemisiego]

@@hitbm4755 in armor crate look for an option under settings/configure controller called “anti-dead zone” game changer for me! I was about to return the console and once that update came through, now it is perfect for me

[@fonejacker0]

Anti-dead zone in Armoury crate fixes deadzones?

[@baldlyrudy]

It didn't. 🫠

[@jeffreygravener8047]

I assume your back on the steam deck now since the OLED was released??

[@baldlyrudy]

Not for BG3. But I do have the OLED. Currently working on a video.

[@junjunpyotv7600]

I just dont want my main gaming laptop to be burdened by heavy AAA games after i spent 9 hours working on it with complex stuff and video editing (and yes , i mostly play baldur's gate 3 too lol) you think this would work if i just wanted to play and extra 1-2 hrs a day? I really dont care about the feel and the buttons i just dont want to adjust my graphics that much. Thanks!

[@baldlyrudy]

It'll definitely give you closer to one hour then two when it comes to AAA games like Baldur's Gate 3. You've gotta mess a bit with the settings to get the most playtime possible, but it can be done.

[@junjunpyotv7600]

@@baldlyrudy amazing - thanks so much 👊🏻

[@shagstars]

Sold my steamdeck after bios lock when I upped the ram to 6400 now I have 6400mhz stock

[@greenphilosophy9177]

After listening to about a dozen plus reviews on the ROG Ally, Baldy's was one of the most useful

[@baldlyrudy]

Heeeey. Thanks! 🙌

[@akumous]

I am interested in your next video when you speak on steam deck oled.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! I'm interested in getting one and sharing my thoughts.

[@mosthated8848]

I love mine Rog but, SD reader went out I'm so pissed now I have to RMA this thing it's my daily driver.

[@alexkovacs11]

What is the game name at the start of the video? Thx

[@baldlyrudy]

Disco Elysium. I absolutely love it.

[@alexkovacs11]

Thank you!

[@RodJustRealtor]

Waiting for my Z1 Extreme Ally! Can't wait for Windows 11, my Steam Deck has been a nightmare! Non steam launchers continually break, I fix, reinstall and they break again. Dock never works as it should, from resolution issues to my Series X controller not being mapped, it's a cluster F. STEAM games I purchased from the STEAM store, that are "supposed to work"...don't. Gears of war 5 is my fav multiplayer game and yup, it doesn't work anymore. I WANT TO LOVE IT, it's so great in so many ways, but the OS and skin are just way to beta IMO

[@LutherFlannery]

Why do you not specify whether you're talking about the Ally Z1 or the Ally Z1 Extreme?

[@baldlyrudy]

Oooof. Very valid point. It's the Z1 Extreme. Apologies.

[@theStoryofLuca]

Did they patch the dead zone??

[@baldlyrudy]

Apparently. There's a setting for it in the latest patch.