Is the ROG Ally worth it?

[@JhustineProvido]

Im a launch day Ally owner. Love it!

[@X862go]

Same

[@JhustineProvido]

P.S. my microsdcard reader died. I upgraded to 2TB 2230 ssd so it’s not that big of a deal. Still sucks that microsdcard reader is dead

[@zibsa843]

I’m really tempted to buy this, can you play RuneScape on it?

[@ezg8448]

The excellent quiet cooling system wasn't mention. At 20 watts the fan is virtually silent and you get 90+ mins of runtime on the Ally.

[@juniorelizondo4144]

Very true. It do be pretty quiet.

[@telsan4291]

What!? My ally is crazy loud since I’ve updated to the latest BIOS. Are you in the old BIOS or am I missing something as in the latest it doesn’t let you modify fan curves below 70% on custom profiles

[@MrTheRz]

what are your settings on 20w?

[@ozymandias4479]

what game u played on 20watts and get 90 minutes? mines get almost 90 minutoes on 15-16w

[@ezg8448]

Turn off CPU boost for to cut temps by almost 20 degrees. There are plenty of tutorials online and it's a safe method.

[@blacksamuraisoffendme]

Finally sold the deck and got the ally. Most underrated feature is the smaller size works great for me and my girl

[@superT3r]

That's what she said

[@X862go]

Currently loving my ally for the speakers and screen 😍 💕

[@mosthated8848]

Had mine since launch as well. Still love this thing. Also thanks to you.

[@AG-bp3ll]

I bought one of these expecting to return it and that screen and the ease of playing anything I want on Windows sold me. I haven't had the SD card issue but I also dropped a 2TB in it so storage isn't an issue.

[@azyuku]

This comment is already 1 month old and ive been thinking about getting one, how do you like it so far? Did it fry your sd card?

[@AG-bp3ll]

@azyuku SD card is still fine. I use it for emulators and media. The Ally has gotten better as Asus has updated it and I use it daily to play most of my PC games. It has been a solid device my use. I play a combination of Game Pass, Steam, and Epic games on it. I also dock it a bit and use it as a mini PC.

[@azyuku]

@@AG-bp3ll Would you recommend it?

[@AG-bp3ll]

@azyuku I would. The new Steam Deck OLED is cool too but the VRR and extra power on the Ally make it worth getting.

[@azyuku]

@@AG-bp3ll Alright thank you so much

[@andyandy6525]

I like this device. Great titles like spiderman, uncharted, Detroit, horizon, starfield- we can have great graphics experience with handheld with 13-17wt. I would buy ally 2 with fixed sd card and more battery definitely. 👍

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

SD card slot should be removed, add a second USB 4.0. Micro SD cards read really shouldn't be used for heavy gaming

[@markalonso98]

Was super anxious about getting my ally after seeing many mixed reviews but honestly it’s been one of the best things I’ve bought gaming wise! If you’re on the verge of getting it I’d say go for it!

[@AllyHollic]

Yea when it comes to tech you can't really go based off reviews you have to just jump in for yourself

[@stephendoerrer4464]

Yeah the mixed reviews worried me but it was just all the steam fanboys hating on windows!! Super powerful handheld gotta love the rsr!!

[@jaynosowsky9708]

I was worried about the SD card reader, then I've seen how easy it was to upgrade the ssd to 1TB..so that what I did!!! Now it's the best handheld out there in my opinion!!

[@stephendoerrer4464]

@@jaynosowsky9708 oh it is of now for sure.. games I played on my deck at 720 in medium settings I'm playing at medium to high settings with much better framerates with rsr on

[@RathalosEmperor]

I love windows but after buying the ally I like the steamdeck alot more. I'm looking forward to the legion go

[@Ryan-1337]

As a steam deck owner I can only imagine that the ally is absolutely worth it, the steam deck was a game changer for me. That Z1X apu is on another level!

[@prezy99]

It's really not i mean for power its better but for overall experience no...90% chance your sd card reader Will stop working on you permanently and updates can literally ruin your performance.. I Bought this on September 13th and my sd card reader stopped working on the 20th so you will be stuck with only upgrading your internal storage..read online about the sd card readers lots of people have had that problem..plus it is prone to stick drift....onexfly or Lenovo legion go are better options

[@luisgabrielmxm]

both is soo good, steam deck and ally worth it a lot

[@jayallen9198]

It’s not. It’s nothing like a steam deck. It’s a buggy mess still. I just returned mine. Upgrading to a SD OLED instead.

[@robopower5445]

@@jayallen9198what is buggy bro? I have no problems

[@latem1400]

​@@jayallen9198Really? Had a LCD SD, sold it and thinking now to get an Ally

[@fresco_dinero5155]

Ally is amazing. Playing AC mirage at ~60fps at 900p

[@dangerzone6481]

900p is clutch playing starfield at 900p medium settings over 30 fps its awesome

[@Chris-ih4hj]

Wait it came out already ?

[@fresco_dinero5155]

@@Chris-ih4hj yeah. And if ur not sure if u want the game, Ubisoft plus allows u to play it day 1

[@DREAM41510]

How long before they make it 4k.?

[@dangerzone6481]

@DREAM41510 without some sort of external GPU prolly quiet a few years

[@samsoulee]

As a Rog Ally user and a previous GPD user I'd say : I use it everyday and i'm always surprised at How beautiful the screen is and how powerful this APU is. (while being almost Silent at 15w) It made me realise that MAYBE, I don't need to buy a full fat desktop gaming pc anymore... just a handheld with an egpu ... (and i'm a hardcore gamer since the 80s)

[@samsoulee]

I will use it until a MUCH more powerful device that offers egpu support is out on the market (probably the 9**** serie of amd APU ?)

[@filt3rless]

I love mine as well, very well rounded package. Being able to dip down into the low 40's and 30's with LFC is perfect for the power of this device. Just curious, what GPD did you have and how would you say it compares to the Ally?

[@samsoulee]

@@filt3rless I had a gpd win max... Heavy, noisy, much less powerful... A older Gen handheld with many problems : rotated non vrr screen, screen halo that ran pretty hot too. On the plus side : thunderbolt 3 egpu support, many i/o 8 inch screen, full keyboard.

[@BiyondoBāsudei]

The only thing holding me back from getting the legion go is the size. It’s just too big. (That’s what she said) This one is perfect

[@djyungpro]

I love my Ally, get your unit guys. You wouldn't regret it.

[@TheRealJaCrispy]

I know people say that the SD card reader failure is not a big deal but to me it is. Its an extra avenue for storage. Even upgrading the SSD doesn't make it ok for an SD card reader to fail for a $699 device. The Legion Go just looks so much better for a handheld Windows device.

[@filt3rless]

Hey, I just released a video about the Go. One thing I noticed and is showing up more frequently now is there are problems when connecting an SSD to the USB-C ports and trying to play games. If you're using a powered HUB/Dock then the Go seems to be fine with external drives. But if you plan on taking an external drive with you to load files to/from the device, it might randomly disconnect.

[@celinek2690]

I believe the R8 production models and later have fixed the issues. It has been circulating around online. I own the R6 production model and it still works.

[@Droideka666]

Great honest video about the pros and cons of the ally specially freesync premium (so good that you used the proper name, it's much more than just VRR)! The pros for me make it my go to device since launch. Finished more games since getting it cause i can play anywhere in a minute it's ready to go! But i like that you didn't sugar coat the cons (my sd died but not ready to rma having too much fun to part with it just yet) and even threw a shout out to our brothers on steam deck and soon legion go! Handhelds unite! PS: i have that exact same kickstand cover and powerbank😁

[@SEVENTEENPOINT1]

They don't have a solution to the SD card issue so don't bother RMAing until they do.

[@filt3rless]

Appreciate it! :) It's my go to device right now as well, I really enjoy using it. Like you said, makes it easy to just pickup and play for half an hour. Even with a decent gaming setup, I prefer to grab the Ally as it's just quick and fun to use. If you're okay without the SD Card Reader I don't think I'd RMA it. I look at I still would have bought one without an SD Card Reader, and I've seen a lot of comments of something else not working properly after an RMA. So if everything else is working well, it could be worth just keeping it since they haven't really found a real fix yet.

[@Droideka666]

@@filt3rless yeah I'm fine without it, didn't really use it, just popped an old small one to transfer some files and no go. But I'll probably RMA in a year or two when there's a revision or a proper fix. 3 years warranty is awesome. Having too much fun to part with it anyway. Going through RE4 remake and it runs like a dream even with some advanced features turned on. Freesync ftw!

[@Droideka666]

@@SEVENTEENPOINT1 yeah figured I'd wait for a revision or proper fix and then do it.

[@ameliabuns4058]

What’s the difference between the premium and non premium?

[@FurbyParade226]

Quite honestly, I think it's absolutely *pathetic* that people are putting up with the SD reader issue & still suggesting people to purchase this product. It is not a matter of *if* but *when* it happens. Just happened to mine less than a week ago, & I barely even used it. I'm now using a high-speed multi-port hub for my SD card & even that is iffy (not sure if something happened to my 1TB card but, I may need to re-format if it continues). Granted, people are coming up with temporary fixes like a hub, dock with direct sd card reader attachment - and SD card extension that sits on top of the Ally through the USB-C port (used for charging). The problem is that these make the handheld NOT a handheld. And therefor make the product redundant to own. People bought this for portability. And all of these excuses like, "Just upgrade the SSD", is not something that people should have to expect after paying over $700. More like $900 for me, being that I bought a lot of attachments, case, SD cards, etc.. That would be like if you bought a PS5 or Xbox Series & the storage corrupted. They would be put in the ground over night. Not to mention ASUS have only commented ONCE on it IN LIKE..?... 6 MONTHS?? That is terrible. If I wanted a desktop I'd have saved my $700 & put towards a competent laptop or desktop. This is a HANDHELD. ASUS d*ckriders are terrible. Edit - And by d*ckriders, I'm not referring to Filterless. Just all the people that put up with things like this & act like it isn't an issue. This is the exact reason we keep getting half baked SHIT products.

[@riekeltzz654]

Ive rented one for a small amount in the month cant wait to play on it

[@matt82957]

This console is perfect. For a few hundreds more I would still prefer a Zephyrus g14 + dualshock 4 combo, but the Ally is amazing.

[@filt3rless]

I've had all 3 versions of the G14 and it's an amazing device, but the fans are LOUD. Much louder than the Ally. It's still a great laptop and one of my favorites, but just something to be aware of :)

[@volcalstone]

They're two different form factor all together. One is to be held and the other to be placed down. It's like trying to compare a phone and a tablet. 😊 I have both the Ally and my X16 and they serve different purposes.

[@ryanpersuadful]

I've no regrets getting the Ally, I've been playing so many more PC games and have even completed a couple on this device...The only negative for me really is the SD reader, I've had two SD cards stop working, although the SD card reader still works but I can't be asked to use as it as will fry another micro sd card... I like the device so much I've not even considered RMA! Keep up with the useful content Filterless....Thanks

[@sora4786]

I’ve used my ally since day one and have a 512gb sd card I had from my switch that i reformatted and still no issues yet (: loving the ally was never a pc gamer before this

[@ryanpersuadful]

@@sora4786 I must be unlucky with SD card reader, but it's a real issue as many folks have the same issue...a design flaw I'd say, can't see how they could remedy this without a redevelopment of the hardware... nevertheless I'm still happy with the Ally.

[@Digita1Hound]

Same here the only issues I've had are with the SD card. Would be an 5 out of 5 if the SD card issues where not a thing.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Are you running manual clocks and fan curves? They only thing you should be using the card for is really light weight gaming. PS2 and lower. The cards are not designed for constant read/write

[@ryanpersuadful]

​​@@fillerbunnyninjashark271​ yep, I did have manual fan curves to keep ally around 65c, I only used it for emulation, had my launchbox set-up on there...we have way to many people mentioning the same issue, in simple terms there wouldn't be much discussion on this subject it there wasn't an issue, as mentioned before I think this is a design flaw... I'm just cautious about using SD slot... I've moved my launchbox to 2tb internal SSD... think will mod to have 4tb 2280 drive soon 😉

[@risingdawn5259]

I've been cycling through handheld PCs since the 1165g7 chips, every few months I'd buy a newer chip. I've not needed to since the Ally. True it has more to do with the performance of the 7840u chips than the Ally specifically, but it's still done enough to fend off the competition

[@paracethamol4799]

Looking at the blue tape saying me that you are a true 3D printers user :)

[@Setzer777]

Ergonomics on the Deck are much better than the Ally and same for the battery life. I want something I can play on the go comfortably and the Ally just doesn't do those things well. Also the 512gb Steam Deck doesn't have reflection issues and performs better than the Ally outdoors.

[@Cristian-et5bg]

1: Does not preform better outdoors. 2: the battery life difference is 30 minutes so calm down. 3: buy a battery pack that sticks to the back of the ally like everyone did for the steam deck. 4: the ally is a LOT more powerful than SD 5: you can play gamepass games on ally too and stream games to literally increase battery life by hours

[@Cristian-et5bg]

Ally also has wayyy better sound and display. And it doesn’t have any reflection even playing outside. You clearly never touched an ally and are salty you spent all that money on a device that can’t run anything anymore

[@Setzer777]

@@Cristian-et5bg you're a 🤡

[@Phillyrider807]

I've had my ROG Ally since launch day and while my sd card reader still works it did fry my 1tb sd card i was using for a emulation build so now i only use it for small data transfers. If you can get pass the sd card issue this is a amazing device. But because of the sd card issues i can't recommend buying this at full price. But anyone that can grab a open box model for under 600 i can't recommend this enough. The screen/speakers and how light the device is are the main selling points of the Ally over the Steam deck imo.

[@Phillyrider807]

You thought you were saying something here? There's nothing wrong with the statement. I'm clearly letting people know there is a sd card issue and that it even fried my sd card. That didn't take away my enjoyment of the device. @@mepe6809

[@surrealbrain4227]

I already own a Steam Deck, so I plan to stick with it, but my nephew said he wants a gaming PC, so I figured I should keep an eye on the space.

[@pa-pyro2804]

I'm hoping the lenovo go is a step up from the ally. I'd like to get a handheld but with a little more horsepower and a little more screen but the ally may be an option

[@katieadams5860]

The legion go didn't have more power despite it having faster ram. And battery wasn't much better because Lenovo thought putting a 1440p screen was a good idea for a handheld. It still has benefits over the ally, but I think the ally is the best handheld

[@BodofLegend]

My only complaint about the comfort is the offset thumbsticks.. mainly the right thumbstick. If it were mirrored... it’d be perfect! On controllers this isn’t an issue, but on the ally or switch for instance.. it is sorta a problem. The modes should each have their own buttons so you don’t have to keep tapping. Those right now are my biggest gripes.

[@SEVENTEENPOINT1]

Short answer from me: Yes. Long answer: Yes, it is amazing and extremely convenient.

[@SOPHISTICATED_VIBES]

The less reflective the screen the worse the picture quality. The Ally is a beast by the way. 😎

[@Wuang_Mings]

Finally some one play stardew valley on this

[@julianp.2840]

Even with the dead sd card I love mine. I keep trying to return to my steam deck but always come back to the Ally.

[@jjayala]

I like this but am torn bewteen this and the lenovo legion go. Id say the go but those joycons scare me as im a longtime switch owner.

[@filt3rless]

Agreed, I wouldn't want them to feel loose at all. I had to put a piece of tape on a brand new Switch OLED of the right joycon being wiggly out of the box.

[@jcc4543]

​@@filt3rlessmine still intact and its been 1 year and 7 months plus its better cause if the joycons broke it is easy to replace than opening the unit just to replace a broken analog/or dpads

[@stephendoerrer4464]

Ally is king!!! People hate on windows for no reason! Love having the ability to play any game on any launcher not just on steam! Just wish the screen was a bit bigger... 😢😢

[@filt3rless]

The Ally is a great package for the price. Without the black bezels the screen would be 👌

[@RokuX51]

King for a few more weeks till the Go comes out

[@user-qy2wf2lt6v]

You can use it as your home PC as well.

[@dcjrsrt10]

Definitely love my ally day one owner havnt had any issues, it's been great not having to go to the mancave and exclude myself from my kids ans wife I can sit upstairs and chill and get my warzone and starfield on!

[@HeeyImJosh]

Just got my Ally today from a sale 399 not bad.

[@Jaxv3r]

I didn't have any problems with my Steam deck running games and them running on vertical mode, unless I run on windows and yes I did have a problem with that.

[@zbow1974]

"Is the ROG Ally worth it?" selective, for me no, i got rid of it and kept my steam deck, the ally is just to damn buggy and battery life is atrocious, the deck is way more stable and with the new patch way better, can be under and overclocked and still stable, better accessory options plus now you can put tiny versions of windows 11 on it that run great, gone are the buggy days of window installs.

[@chrisjovan664]

If you get one that works good. I don’t think anyone has said that about the steam deck which is responsible for the precedent that which the rog even exists. I’d rather pay for a product that actually has the research and service team backing it than a competitor that is offering marginal upgrades to suit privileged preferences. 140hz screen and 120 frames isn’t really that important when the majority of people are obsessed with a Nintendo switch that has been riding the retro 16 bit wave in most of it software products. This rog is not worth the minute upgrades or the headaches the and unreliable hardware. Thanks but no thanks.

[@howardhankins6216]

I decided to purchase me one i must say that I am really enjoying it

[@filt3rless]

Nice! Glad you like it :)

[@Darkuni]

I can't get past the terrible analog sticks. There is almost negligible resistance. I'm sure they can be replaced - but how many things can you "look the other way" for because "OMG THE SCREEN!!!!1111" :)

[@SnaccHBG]

Been using it since day 1. Besides sending it for quick repairs for the SD card reader, it's great! Been playing on it for almost every day.

[@stavroGR]

Best gadget i ever had!!!

[@zacthegamer6145]

Just upgraded mine with 4TB 2280 NVMe and downloading games while watching a movie on Netflix. Love my Ally! Definitely worth it.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Hope you partitioned a section for the windows os or you're going to need to wipe the entire drive wherever you have to reinstall Windows

[@JCDenton.]

@@fillerbunnyninjashark271you don't even have to do that. Run Macrium from your Rog Ally and connect your new SSD via docking. Macrium will clone your current SSD and all you have to do is install the new 2280. Power on and play like nothing happened.

[@TheReaper8619]

Loving mine atm. Quick r6 siege games at work. Battery lasts long enough for a good few games at higher settings.

[@joshuabray37]

It's funny, watching these reviews of the ROG Ally that (rightfully so) say that Windows 11 can be a negative, that it's less of a console experience (which is true). It was just a couple releases ago (the horrible Windows 8), where the whole point was to make it more of a console experience (to mimic the XBOX and tables)... The problem that MS had was, they SHOULD have released 2 versions of windows: One for consoles and tablets, and one for desktops and laptops. I mean, Macbooks run on MacOS, and iPads and iPhones run on IOS. If Apple can do it, why not MS?

[@loudgaming2012]

watching this on the ally

[@Googlepixel4a-g5s]

Yes is it amazing although the quality is this device feels totally cheap but the system itself powerful enough for a handheld PC!

[@boobalooba5786]

I think the Ally is the best system I have owned in the past 2 decades. This is what I wanted the Vita to be. No regrets and not being able to use the micro sd card reader is barely an annoyance as the m.2 SSD was incredibly easy to upgrade to 1TB which is more than enough for me. The Ally has replaced my Switch and PS5 and I barely use my computer now either. Highly recommended device for sure.

[@filt3rless]

Agreed, this ticks all the boxes of just being awesome. The looks, portability, sound, display, etc. Overall just a well rounded package at a good price. The only other systems I've had that remind me of the Ally is the Gameboy Advance SP and the PSP. This is just the type of device I've wanted for a LONG time.

[@RathalosEmperor]

You can't used the sd card reader?

[@filt3rless]

@@RathalosEmperor There is a real risk of damaging the SD Card if you do, and the reader in it is known to fail (mine included). So I don't think it's worth it as they're failing due to what seems like heat. And that level of heat has ruined peoples SD Cards. I think it's best to just get a bigger NVME, or use a cheaper SD Card you don't care about too much for things like emulation. Hope the info helps.

[@RathalosEmperor]

@@filt3rless good info and I did notice it gets really hot

[@DextertheMastiff]

Agreed I sold my PS5 earlier today after getting this.

[@Ktatatam]

Отличный обзор без лишней информации. Со всем согласен. Перешел со стим дек на асус. Крайне доволен производительностью.

[@oo--7714]

Just bought a used 2tb ally for £470, the worst thing about it is the bezel, and no trackpad for navigating windows but the rgb makes up for it ngl 😂.

[@SyeDouk]

Great content as always, had my ally for also 3 months and been loving it. Wondering if you have a plan to make a video on best settings/mods for Skyrim SE on ally

[@filt3rless]

I run medium settings 900p and changed the .ini file to allow FreeSync (so the frames can fluctuate). It's an awesome experience. I don't have a video on it, but this guy does the same thing to remove the 60FPS cap: kzbin.info/www/bejne/anPWXqKaeJ2Mnsk.

[@hs200085]

Absolutely worth it

[@KaayyC]

I had to return 4 units because they had issues :/ bumpers getting stuck and making loud clicks/grinding sounds and issues with the joysticks Great device performance wise and it felt comfortable to hold but I had to give up on it

[@filt3rless]

I don't blame you at all on that one. Hopefully we'll get an Ally 2 that is more polished. Also the Steam Deck 2 at some point could be really great. The handheld market seems to be ramping up a lot lately :)

[@Chad_Zerker]

Nice video, im considering buying one. What do you think about installijg windows 10 on the ally? Do you think you can test it out?

[@filt3rless]

I think I'd stick with 11 since it'll be supported longer and comes that way out of the box.

[@PandorusFightStick]

i love my rog, but lenovo legion go!!

[@UmVtCg]

Steam Deck OLED nullified a bunch of your arguments

[@BigJonahJ]

Just ordered mine, already eagerly awaiting its arrival lol

[@sinanko-no1lb]

Is SD card issue is still happening in new devices? Anyone had issue recently?

[@GreezyShots-]

Does anybody try the xbox headset wireless wit the rog ally? Was it good?

[@jeremiahmabry1752]

I've had mine 2 months with no issues at all. I use a sd card and just cloned a 2t ssd I've at zero issues. It's been a great device .

[@willyjum]

Doing tests on anti reflectivity like gamers would actually go outside.

[@JimIBobIJones]

Both the ROG ally and Steam deck have "semi-custom" chips from AMD. The Ally has a much bigger advantage in that it has later generation CPU and GPU. The steam deck languished for ages in development, and was hit by the chips shortage during COVID lockdowns: it is running much older generation of both CPU and GPU.

[@ultimategohan1551]

Eh gpu is barley older on the deck being rdna 2(ally is rdna 3, but thats really like rdna 2.5 lol) cpu however yeah, zen 2 is sorta antiquated as opposed to zen 4.

[@JimIBobIJones]

@@ultimategohan1551 hardly. Look at any benchmark, the steam deck is leagues behind the ally. The ally is 3k on timespy v.s. 1.7k for the steam deck. If you break down GPU scores, its 2.7k GPU score in timespy for the ROG ally vs. 1.6 for the deck. On both CPU and GPU the deck is nowhere close in performance.

[@godfreymassa1814]

Undecided if to get the rog ally or legion go or oled sd

[@JuniorKhalish]

What games were u playing in the beginning?

[@sagepirotess6312]

Cant reallly compare these. Deck is 12+ months old, and half the price. Its like comparing a desktop today vs laptops a year ago. And ally has no track record. In 12 months it will be forgotten by 2024 xmas and whatever new device is out. And you cant stop, sleep games on ally vs deck.

[@gyver47]

Second 😂

[@filt3rless]

🤣

[@glovedcop69]

Great review! 👍👍

[@jaynosowsky9708]

If anyone wondering which handheld to buy.... its the rog ally!!! It beats them all, you get everything the other have and more ...at a cheaper price!!! Like V V R AND FREE SYNC!! Super smooth game play and no screen tearing!!

[@filt3rless]

VRR and really amazing sound are some key selling points 👍 And the lighter weight/portability is important and another area it does well in.

[@jaynosowsky9708]

@filt3rless why pay more for less?? Lol SD card problem is easy to fix. ..installed a 1 tb ssd the first day I got it!!! Don't need the SD card reader now!! Lol and it's still cheaper...even after fixing the only issue..lol

[@geraldonunez1183]

Exactly is windows. Thats a good enought reason for you to buy the steam deck over the rog ally. The steam deck is an amazing device. Had mine for a whole year now with no issues. The rog ally is a nice powerful machine but the OS is dog shit.

[@joeymercado6542]

What's the best settings for smoothness on game

[@Dan_Vice]

My SD card slot just died. Sent it to RMA and unfortunately there hasn't been a solution yet. They will replace the Mobo and as long as I use the slot it will get faulty in a few months.

[@Alex_Power]

This was a spot on review covering all the benefits and flaws. Windows in my Ally crashed and I had to reinstall it as the files corrupted. This seemed to be a Windows 11 issue

[@filt3rless]

Thanks! And I'd agree that sounds like a windows issue to me as well.

[@gmoney0987]

Maybe I missed it, but does it have a quick resume feature? I honestly love that feature on the deck and my switch.

[@ctnative203]

No

[@Droideka666]

If you set it to hibernate it works 90% of the time like quick resume. Just takes a couple of seconds longer. Sleep on windows is not good!

[@son0fsocal]

I was about to pull the trigger and get this, but I discovered how AWSOME Steam is, I’m holding off , I want to see if the legion Go is better.

[@ph-ftw8273]

was gonna return mine but i end up buying xg mobile...now im inlove lol

[@filt3rless]

I've thought about getting one of these as well! The new update supposedly fixed a lot of the connection issues that were present for the last couple months.

[@ph-ftw8273]

i dont deal with that isue at all anymore before was realy bad. was using g helper but now im back to Ac and i cant wait for bios update on the 12

[@filt3rless]

@@ph-ftw8273 Sweet! So glad it's fixed and working properly. Hopefully the BIOS update improves it even more :). Which XG Mobile did you buy?

[@ph-ftw8273]

@@filt3rless im using 4090 i sold my old one. i used to have 6850m xt aNd fotnite goes to 145-175 epic cold war 150-170 uktra tracing off. now that im using 4090 it added 80-90 fps on both games. i shouldnt sold my other cos rightnow i heard its hard to get them 6850m

[@ph-ftw8273]

having XG mobile with ally make you dont care any new handheld releases.

[@akmalamni]

If I were to nitpick, I would agree that Windows have its quirks and downsides. Multiple posts on social media of people complaining when a Windows update just janked their Ally. I wish it's more refined and user-friendly, especially for people who just wants to game on it. Not to mention the background resource needed is also a bit heavy A handheld build for handhelds would be a big win for windows handhelds

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Smaller hands would definitely have a problem playing games that require using all 4 shoulders at the same time with the face buttons....

[@itsquiwi8780]

ay remove and blur the bottom stickers they show private stuff about your ally that would make it very easy to attack

[@ForsakenFenix]

Sadly I have to return mine, constant crashing just in windows, even after a fresh install. I just ordered the Legion Go, I'm hoping Lenovo has better QA testing than Asus did with the Ally I got 14 days (from the day I receive it) to test it out, as long as it doesn't crash like the Ally did, I'll probably keep it.

[@lucianowod]

Lenovo and QA is an oxymoron. 😆

[@mykeb1557]

Everyone with a Ally should set overclock power settings from aggressive - disabled . It may save you’re sd from frying too. Day 1 it sounded like a jet plane on idle even. Now it’s quiet & seems to last longer.

[@lucianowod]

did you notice FPS decreases on any intensive titles/games? Also 1 Month later is your SD Card still good?

[@mykeb1557]

@@lucianowod I cannot tell a difference in performance at all, other than my temps are night/day better. SD seems healthy. My icons (all sd games) disappeared on desktop once but a reboot fixed it. Zero issues related to sd slot personally.

[@Shaunymac10]

What are you talking about updates every 2 days? No theres not literally making up nonsense to bash the rog ally for no reason

[@filt3rless]

I said "It seems like there is an update every few days" - And you concluded that I'm telling people it updates every 2 days? That's an interesting way of interpreting it. The point is there are a lot of updates on the Ally between MyAsus, AC and Windows. For someone new to the device that is thinking about buying one, it's and important topic. I love the Ally, more than any other device I've owned (of all time). However, the setup is going to be aggravating for someone who isn't used to Windows and it's nowhere near the simplicity and spaced out update schedule of the Steam Deck.

[@Shaunymac10]

@@filt3rless Alright fair enough I misunderstood. I also agree it would seem a little difficult for someone not used to this type of tech or just desktops/laptops in general.

[@cheesepincher2166]

Anyone able to confirm if the new Forza Motorsport runs on the Ally? Thanks

[@volcalstone]

Awesome video! I know you didn't touch on this but having an XGM is a game changer vs other handhelds out there. If the price I right it's a great desktop replacement if you don't need desktop power. This is why I love my Ally as I know I could easily make it a way more powerful device in just 30 secs. The only con for me really is that I wish they would've made a bigger size around 8.5" as I appreciate a larger screen now at my age. 😅 Back then 7" would be perfect, in all scenarios. 😂

[@Scatner]

you should like legion go if you like bigger screens :)

[@My_In-Ear_Monitor_Fetish]

i have 2 gaming devices one big and one small screen

[@Nodm8]

Had nothing but software and hardware issues even though I babied it so I got a refund and have ordered a oled steam deck

[@filt3rless]

You will like the OLED. I have an OLED and it's great. Battery life is on another level compared to all the other handhelds.

[@Nodm8]

@@filt3rless I'm keen. I already own an OG steam deck and I really enjoy it and I've heard nothing but positives about the OLED so it was an easy cop.

[@nelzillaz]

Bought the Ally to practice combos in Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 7 on my work breaks/lunches and been LOVING it! Playing Cyberpunk and Elden Ring on my bed till I get sleepy has also been great! I love this thing so much! Can't wait to eventually upgrade the ssd and try out some emulation

[@noedimas]

I have had the sd card issue and can't seem to get it to work at all, mine isn't registering and don't know what to do

[@filt3rless]

Hey, unfortunately it's most likely a hardware failure. If you can live without the SD Card, I wouldn't send it for RMA. I don't think they've fixed the core problem, so you'd be without your device for a while and possibly get it back with some other issue. If you're in the return window then you could do that. Also I don't agree with or think it's okay what Asus did with the SD Card issue, but I decided the device it worth it to me without one. I even returned the Legion Go I bought because the Ally is just more enjoyable to play games on and feels more polished overall.

[@noedimas]

@@filt3rless thanks for the reply man, so far I have really enjoyed the Ally. I was only going to use the sd for emulators. I will contact Asus and see what options they can give me. Thanks again bro.

[@aks473]

Ally has it's own nuances like position of sd card slot is a major design flaw, some games doesn't detect it's controllers and works only in mouse keyboard format, Windows updates are waiting whenever i pick it up urrrgh... But i still love it. It does so many things right and also keep the engineer in me intrigued. Connect a dock and connect that to a 4k tv + xbox controller .. boom it's a different beast altogether. ROG team has done really good job in bringing all these components together as a product at this price. Not easy.

[@BertVisser-es5ev]

Can you play xbox cloud gaming and ps remote play on the ally?? 🔥

[@kevindsmith10000]

I bought one last night to replace my lcd steam deck. So far I love it.

[@MS-iy6uj]

Whats weird is that i play more on my Ally than my gaming laptop that runs a 3070 smh

[@filt3rless]

Same, it’s more “fun” as strange as that sounds 👍

[@GamePlay_7860]

how easy is it to setup emulators on Ally?

[@filt3rless]

EmuDeck should be coming to windows soon which should make it pretty easy.

[@everythinggucci3692]

nice video man

[@zizhenggan3169]

The ROG Ally is the true killer.

[@cirmothe9]

I really hope they find a permanent solution for the microsd problem.

[@tobizockt4710]

Ist ein tolles Stück Technik, aber hatte schon Probleme bei einem Gerät mit den Trigger Tasten , LT und musste es einmal tauschen. Bisschen hochwertige Controller Teile wäre wünschenswert gewesen.

[@contagonist_8834]

700 get

[@ItzaJerm]

just got mine in. exactly the thing i needed to chilling with the bros.

[@JCDenton.]

Love the Ally. As an original steam deck adopter the Ally fits everything I could want. Even Windows. I know alot of people want a custom OS but having windows allows me to tweak things I couldn't otherwise in a locked down OS but I always have been comfortable with windows so no big deal.

[@CaptainEffort]

...are you saying that Windows is less locked down than Linux?

[@Haveltooth]

Had mine since launch, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

[@Asfanboy1]

Can it make phone calls?