Asus ROG Ally

[Raph4]

A Steam Deck rival coming soon

Asus AMD Ryzen 7 784U 780M (RC71L)
3.30 Ghz 16GB/64 Bit

Asus says its Steam Deck rival may be coming 'sooner than you expect'

Promises of an imminent launch appear alongside new rumours about the 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 APU at its heart.

www.pcgamer.com

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus/learn-about-rog-ally/pcmcat1678398541884.c

 

[AppleiDog]

Reminds of the alienware UFO

 

[Raph4]

first benchmark for the ROG Ally

ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. ROG Ally RC71L_NR2301L_000397027 - Geekbench

Benchmark results for an ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. ROG Ally RC71L_NR2301L_000397027 with a Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor.

browser.geekbench.com

 

[Raph4]

Asus reveal full specs and launch date.

• 7" 1080p 120Hz 7ms touch display with FreeSync
• Weight: 608g
• AMD Ryzen Z1 Series CPU
• RDNA 3 Graphics
• 512GB PCI Express 4.0 SSD
• 16GB RAM
• MicroSD slot for storage expansion
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Windows 11 operating system
• Haptic feedback
• Fingerprint sensor for unlocking

more information about the ROG Ally, including pricing details, on May 11.

Asus ROG Ally Specs Reveal A Powerful New Steam Deck Competitor

The Asus ROG Ally crams an impressive amount of hardware into a sleek shell.

www.gamespot.com

 

[kernow]

Goobdeck

 

[HellioN]

 

[Raph4]

the price

 

[NeoSneth]

windows. already gonna run games better just for that.

 

[AppleiDog]

True though you can install windows 11 on steamdeck. it does comes with 3 months xbox live gamepass. But I say most May have it and a bit like whats Microsofts deal with it. Also how is Asus customer service and the no touch pads is a no for me. I think the ufo aliemware did it better

 

[Lagduf]

windows. already gonna run games better just for that.

Yeah, be interesting to follow this one and see if they improve the UI and if it gets a large following like the deck.

 

[Lagduf]

Anyone planning to get one?

 

[SML]

windows. already gonna run games better just for that.

NEVEEEEEER!!!

 

[NeoSneth]

NEVEEEEEER!!!

do you shoot yourself in the foot before running a race too?

 

[Heinz]

I don't get it, build a pc instead...

 

[SML]

do you shoot yourself in the foot before running a race too?

Nah. My main desktop and laptop are on Windows 10 and 11. Just dreaming of a better future.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

I bought one and now am selling my Steam Deck. I'm impressed with it - but it is not ready for mass consumer use. You have to spend a long time to properly set it up and make sure you update all the crappy stuff (Asus Armory Crate) in the right order - and then it will work.

The SD Card reader will burn up your SD card so I ordered a $200 2TB SSD upgrade that supposedly is easy to swap out.

I'm really enjoying using the Ally, but I can't really recommend it to anyone unless you're willing to fuss with it a bunch to get it going. Once it all gets up and running I much prefer it to the Steam Deck due to its power (much better graphics and performance) and the fact that any game / software just runs on it (unlike the Steam Deck). It took about two seconds to slap FightCade on there. One thing I prefer on the Steam Deck is the left analog stick felt a bit more sturdy and better for action games compared to the Ally.

TLDR: Very expensive better version of the Steam Deck (especially if you do a 2TB HD upgrade)- just a bitch to get up and running and it has some minor flaws (SD Cards burning, analog sticks are meh).

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

…it has some minor flaws (SD Cards burning...

Hey whats up RBjakeSpecial. Thanks for sharing!

This seems like a fairly significant defect though. Is this issue due to a faulty batch of readers that we can desolder and replace? Or are these cards burning up due to poor cooling/component heat and will therefore occur no matter what? I am glad to see some big competitors jump into the handheld pc arena, but if the issue is the latter, Asus’s offering having a major component time bomb that potentially impacts all models right out of the gate is a little concerning. I wouldn’t mind being patient if it means the next iteration will have improved cooling, etc.

Update: Users are reporting that the SD reader itself is failing due to high internal heat. Either way, seems like an issue worth keeping an eye on since Asus’s hardware seems like a promising Steam Deck alternative for those who would prefer a Windows-based solution out-of-the-box:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ROGAlly/comments/14ig93c

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

Hey whats up RBjakeSpecial. Thanks for sharing!

This seems like a fairly significant defect though. Is this issue due to a faulty batch of readers that we can desolder and replace? Or are these cards burning up due to poor cooling/component heat and will therefore occur no matter what? I am glad to see some big competitors jump into the handheld pc arena, but if the issue is the latter, Asus’s offering having a major component time bomb that potentially impacts all models right out of the gate is a little concerning. I wouldn’t mind being patient if it means the next iteration will have improved cooling, etc.

Update: Users are reporting that the SD reader itself is failing due to high internal heat. Either way, seems like an issue worth keeping an eye on since Asus’s hardware seems like a promising Steam Deck alternative for those who would prefer a Windows-based solution out-of-the-box:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ROGAlly/comments/14ig93c

Yes! It's a big issue. The top of the system and hot air blowing out can get a bit hot at times. I just upgraded to a 2TB SSD (took about 5 minutes after watching a video, and then 2.5 hours of updating Windows, Armor Crate, MyAsus, Microsoft Windows Store - ugh). BUT now that that's all completed it's running really well and I am not worried about space anymore.

I think my favorite thing is the fact this is much more like a laptop. I have a docking station and now am using it just to surf the web. Putting things like FightCade or NetHack.. or anything that runs on windows where Steam Deck I would have to flip it into the Linux Desktop mode and figure out what the heck is going on.

I agree that a simple thing like the SD card getting overheated is a big issue. Additionally the Armor Crate program is AWFUL - seems really half baked and forced when you compare it to the Steam OS. That is kind of mitigated though cause you can just flip Steam into Big Picture mode and feels almost exactly like the Steam Deck - just with a lot more power.

So... I can't recommend the system to everyone - probably too much of a pain in the ass and just too kind of under cooked out of the box for the consumer market - but my buddy and I who have them are totally nuts about them. We're constantly tweaking things and enjoying the niche system.. but I predict this will be a complete commercial failure. I hope I'm wrong - but there's nothing about this that feels like it's ready for prime time.