How did you get oblivion running??? First game I tried and the mapping is all over the place, tried desktop and gamepad mode, tried editing buttons through armory but nothing
@@Vulpasafter getting it, what I can say is regret wasting 700$ for this junk. Yes, sure it is much stronger than steam deck, but if you are planning to play emulation (except PS 3) and lot of indie game (and few supported triple A) + have great battery life, steam deck is still the king. (even all those chinese console (at least it has more juice than ally) and ally still cannot beat it). Windows is the culprit btw. Playing the same game, set all to the minimum on ally, the performance is the same but ally use 4-6 more watts (worse if playing AAA and still get the same performance to SD until I crank it to 25 watt which at this point consider you play plugged) than SD thus less battery life. RAM usage ? Ally basically (windows) takes your 32% RAM away (which left you with 8GB RAM (4 GB taken by GPU), play game left me with 4-5 GB. Steam deck ? Playing the same game only takes 4 GB (and that is + system RAM) (and I set GPU RAM to 4GB too), left me with 8GB RAM.
As a truck driver who currently lives in a situation where i dont have the space for consoles and pcs this thing is a godsend. Havent gamed in at least 4 to 5 years so its nice to get back into gaming
Got this for myself, because it was something I can pick up locally, and take back to the store if I wish to return it, without having to ship anything. I had planned to just test it out and send it back before the return window closed, but it's impressed me enough that now I'm going to buy the protection plan for it. I'm glad I found this video. Made me feel much better about the fomo I was feeling for the Steam Deck.
@Dubcity5 Oh, dang! Good to know about being able to extend it. I've been bracing myself for having to buy a 3 year plan, but if I can get the 1 year and have some time before going all the way, that'd be so nice.
Both devices are great so don't feel any FOMO. The Steam Deck has it's strengths, but if you don't mind playing what I call "plugged in portable", the Ally is just a powerhouse.
Really appreciate the update. I always value real world usage over focused "review time" usage even when good reviewers like yourself try to do what you can to simulate how you would realistically use it.
@@fillerbunnyninjashark271it still overrides it. When I did it it got rid of my manual 2 and even through the curve looked like the one I had saved for manual 1 it was way louder.
I really wanted to get the Ally but it seems to be hit or miss with some people having a lot of issues while others have no issues at all. I'm just not willing to spend $700 on a device with so many reported problems right now.
I had the same thought, but with Best Buy having a 15 day return policy, I bit the bullet and bought one. Figure if I can't get it running exactly how I want it to within the first week, I would just return it and get a refund. After 2 days I was moving the 1TB SSD from my Deck to the Ally, and as of mid last week, the Deck has been sold and I'm fully on the Ally. My SD card slot has fried, but I just upgraded to a 2TB SSD so I don't have to worry about that anymore.
Definitely a hit or miss, I love this device so much but I returned mine. I went through 3 devices and all three had the same hardware issue, I really wanted it to work for me but I'll wait longer down the road so hopefully the newer models will be built better.
I love the Ally, Especially since I fitted a Multiport with 100Watt charging support, It opens the Ally's restrictive lack of ports. Now have 2TB internal storage, 4TB external SSD, HDMI output 60Htz, two free USB type A 3.1 ports.
Nice update vid Taki. I agree with all of your points, especially the VRR screen, that's a real game changer for me! Going through my Steam queue on the Ally has been a blast. I saw you had Stray in your vid...I recently finished that on the Ally. What a great before bed every night experience!! Looking forward to more of your reviews and yes, if Asus sticks with this platform, an 8xxx Ally with some tweaks would be sweet.
I loved the speakers too, surprisingly good especially with Atmos. Nice video and reminds me of why I love the device, I hope they keep supporting and upgrading it.
There's also something awesome about the Ally : the bypass charging feature :) Basically when you plug it in with a 65W or higher wattage charger you will draw power from the charger itself and the battery is fully protected. This means you can safely use it as a normal console, plug it in to charge, put it on turbo, connect it to a TV and enjoy :) Absolutely love this feature
Im glad you’re enjoying it. I have had such a struggle using this thing since I got it on day one. Constant bugs and crashes. 80% of my time felt like i was TS’ing. For a casual player, this is not for you. I think the deck is better for a lot of people because of the consolized UI. Windows 11 is garbage in a handheld form factor. They need time to make a handheld ui for windows asap. At one point due to my constant crashes because of some amd driver bug, i had to reimage and now it’s at a good place. This was a result of the rog XG mobile constantly getting rid of functionality and forced me to reimage. What a nightmare. It’s a great system no doubt when things all work seamlessly, but if you’re not into fixing windows 11 constantly do not buy this. It’s a headache.
I also love my ROG Ally, and I have a steam deck as well as a couple of smaller handhelds. The Windows has been great for compatibility and makes installing mods way easier.
I really wish the ROG Ally had trackpads. I use a Steamdeck and it doesn't need the trackpads as much as Windows handhelds do. Using gamepads or external mouses to navigate the system is too much of a hassle when you use it on the go like myself.
For me, I wanted to play a old mmo that’s Windows based on a private server and didn’t want to build a pc for that. In came Rog Ally and it works flawlessly for my use case plus I’m wanting to try Starfield on it when it releases
@@coloredwhite It'll run. Gamers tend to overemphasize anything and everything. It won't run $4000 PC grade at 100FPS+ in ultra graphics settings at 2k/4k but it'll run just fine on 720p/1080p between 30-60fps on my handheld just like every other AAA title has so far on this.
The brightness & fan noise at night issue is very relevant. I like that you're focusing on such a human story instead of just droning on about tech specs.
I think it's all about all the needs everyone has about gaming and what kind of game everyone wants to play on that console. I have a lack of time to play cause of my work and my family needs, so like you I will prefer to buy this console. The updates of course are something apart and it's only a matter of time to fix most of the issues this console has. Excellent video, you helped me a lot by giving me the reasons I was looking to buy the rog ally, Thanks.
It's still bound to Windows though. Microsoft could always push an incompatible update that may break this device someday. Or does Ally use a custom windows version managsd by ASUS?
My Ally is also two month old now. It has been working great and better in my experience, very similar to my SD. Each updates it’s getting better. Maybe I’m also learnt a few tricks to play with it too. The games I have been playing are mostly in my steam library, I only used 10 to 15w most of the time and the performance has been great so far. Battery life seems to be on par with my SD, because I usually play for an hour and a half both devices anyway, so no noticeable diffidence for me. I think people are exaggerating the fan noise with the new bios for some reason.
I got this after a lot of thought, it's much better than I expected. If you don't mind a little fan noise and set custom curves, while playing harder to run games mine stays around 75c-80c the SD card I have is a 500GB Samsung that's supposed to be rated for 85c so no problems yet.
I would recommend updating the BIOS to 323. It fixes the issue where the max TDP in turbo mode is 25W if you're using PD through a 3rd party dock (for SOME DOCKS it worked, anyway. Not the one I have unfortunately, I'm still stuck at 25W max but I dont really game on it while docked all that much so its fine) and some bug fixes were address over the last few updates including an issue I used to have with the RGB lights not turning off when I put my system to sleep. What was really weird is sometimes I'd actually turn the RGB lights completely off in the settings, but they would not turn off, and would always stay on if the system was only in sleep mode. Now it does turn off when asleep and I can turn them off in settings.
If these higher power portable devices had a quick hot swappable battery would be reason for me to get it. So instead I got a 64gb Steam Deck and a 1TB Corsair MP600 SSD and it took a bit getting use to (I'm a Windows user) but turned out great after a couple days. Spent $880 AUD on it plus the upgrade and can't complain. The Ally is $1299 here down under that's if you can get it from JB Hifi. I'm happy with the Steam Deck since I already got a 5800X+RTX3070 pc to game PC games on if I need the eye candy and high frame rate.
8:28 450 Gb is a "small ssd"? I have like 5 games on my PC and this is about this size. Do you need more? =) If you install more that 3 games in means you won't play any of those =) I have about 20 games on my Switch and I just grind in Etrian Odyssey
I just got an Ally a few days ago and so far I love it. The only issue that I had was it fried a microSD card after trying to install Elden Ring on it. Yes I had everything updated to the new fan curves.
Good thing Asus recently acknowledge the SD Card issue and "fixed" it by issuing a software update with louder fan curves 🎉 For real though, Asus has the worst customer support + quality control these days lmao. They make great devices if you have money to burn. Not as much if you care about longevity and reliability.
I don't even think that this is even a passable or acceptable mistake. A device that destroys your other hardware... That's scandalous. I remember how Samsung got blasted because their S7 Edges blew up.
I cloned an SSD for the first time a couple of months ago . That was the easiest and most pain free install I've ever done. I booted right back into my same Windows and only had to resize my partition. That's the only way I'll do an SSD upgrade from here on out
it's nice seeing you mention the micro SD card reader issues as not that many large channels seem to really bother with updated reviews, let alone mentioning those issues after the initial review of the review units mine literary started having SD card reader issues after a month of use and the reader would just stop functioning after 10~20 min of gaming (heat), but would seemingly "work" just fine if you just leave windows on idle and check if the reader / SD card is still visible under "My Computer" currently waiting for the RMA to send back my device 😅
Just recently got one and not gonna lie I love it, it’s crazy how it’s so much power in a handheld and I tried playing game while docked with mouse and keyboard and it felt amazing
@@Maxxwell-07the ally is worth the purchase, you don't need a beastly gaming laptop if you have the ally it plays anything just fine on high settings and there's tons of tweaks, this is coming from a guy who buys high end gaming laptops every other year I love my ally no issues with it what so ever.
I don't let my Ally sleep, i just go straight to hibernate. That seems to be good and has been a decent enough solution that some games can wake from hibernate and play.
I work construction, early mornings and late afternoons. This console goes with me, I sometimes hop on before work but always lunch and in bed/on the porch at home. I haven't found a game that it won't run well. Skyrim is a go-to. I, with it, had a single usb so bad! Also, it runs really well updated at 15w.
Great video! I'm glad to hear about the pain of upgrading the storage, I hope Asus will address that, perhaps starting with a 2tb drive from day on is an option
Price/performance, Ally is it. My SD card reader failed and I sent it to ASUS. Had my unit back a bit over a week later. They installed a new motherboard. I was pissed at first, but while the Ally was gone, I used my Ayaneo 2S and slowly came to realize that the Ally's VRR screen is amazing. I think the next device to have it will be the ONE X Fly. I don't think I will buy another device without VRR.
I’m hoping to get an Ally before the end of the year, and I am so excited. Everything I see about it just confirms my decision. It’s pricey, but it’s going to replace gaming on my laptop, Switch, and mobile.
Stick with Lenovo Legion go. Way much better idea and not going to fry your sd card. Its combine of switch , deck and amly. The only reason i dont have ally yet is because of critical issues of software and issue with stick. For 700pounds i do expect to have a proper product but this one its not there yet.. also stronget by performance and have better picture quality.
Quick update for everyone: I did buy Rog Ally, and i didnt regret it at all. The VRR and the weight, screen is absolutely amazing. I really love the design. SD card issue its not for everyone, but its a general issue i do agree. Legion go its great however the system is instable , fps id the same as the legion go. I do think legion get better overtime, but fps mode for me its prett useless. Spec the same, the lenovo 16gb its 7500mhz the rog ally 16gb is 6600mhz so its a bit better but because the resolution its more, its will be more pixaleted for the same specs so ppl will play with less resolution already. For high res games stuttering on legion go. Price wise excatly same when they new so its not ablut the pricing. It was a hard decision but will see and wait 2 months for legion go about the reviews and see how it goess if i gef that one as well
Mine killed my brand new $130 sd card, took up a day of my time troubleshooting and trying to fix it, doesn't have track pads so it makes a lot of the games I like play on handhelds basically unplayable, and it doesn't have the suspend / resume function that makes a handheld such a perfect gaming companion (being able to just grab the deck and hit the power button and instantly be playing where you left off, and when youre done just sleep it and know if you pick it back up in a day or 2 your battery won't be completely dead is something every handheld I own from here out MUST have, same with track pads - no exceptions) So I sold it. Steam deck is still king imo. If you only really play console type controller games that need a little more juice to run good, then sure I see the appeal for the ally. If your a PC gamer, the steam deck is just the better device. Im just going to mod the shit out of my deck. I already have the full atomic purple jsaux shell with the fan vents, I bought extremerates chameleon purple full shell simply to get the button kit to put in with the jsaux shell. I have my monoblock wave 2 on preorder, and Im on the waitlist for deckhd although your recent review has me wondering if i should just get another 512 replacement screen from ifixit. Even with the stock thermal solution with TG kryosheet and the jsaux vented backplate (in a fairly chilly ambient) I am seeing meaningful performance gains without throttling @ 20w TDP, 6400M/T on the ram, 4Ghz on the CPU, and 2Ghz on the igpu and a -50 UV across the board and Cryoutilities obviously. Im excited to see if monoblock wave 2 has all of the issues from the first one sorted out so that it actually brings better cooling performance and maybe I can push the deck APU even further.
Really wanted to get the Ally but all the issues with the sd card, battery life, and analog stick held me back. Then all of a sudden, the Legion Go gets announced.
honestly i think it would be just about near perfect if it had a full M.2... lack of trackpad or any mouse (non joystick) is ... bleh. After using it for awhile i found my palm hurts due to the corners. It is lighter though which is a plus. Still i am interested in seeing if the GPD win 4 (2023) will fix some of these.
I owned the original GPD Win 4 and own the Ally. I agree with everything you’ve said. My issue with the GPD is that it gets too warm and I didn’t like the QC on the sliding mechanism. There was scratches forming on the back after just a few days of use.
@Madblaster6 thank you! I returned my ally but may buy it again. It's so hard finding the right handheld lol. I've heard the 2023 one's fan is good? Idk. Honestly the ally got warm for me to the touch. Still though thank you for your thoughts!
Returned my Ally too, got an Ayaneo 2s , I’ve been lucky and had no problems so far, plus with ayaspace 2, the software offering has gone from 0-100, it’s great and fulfils every need I have, the screen is nicer to look at than the rog ally , but has no VRR which I don’t mind as I lock my fps to 40 or 60. I’ve ordered a 2023 gpd win 4, and the g1 egpu, I know I don’t need them, but it looks like an amazing combo so far. Be sure when you’re browsing that you take into account the customer service/RMA process, as with many of these China headquartered companies, it’s hit and miss if you’ll receive good support…. To be honest ASUS’ customer support is trash in my experience anyway.
@@Nookie94 Regarding ROG support, yeah the base support is unfortunately pretty bad. If you get a bad product you are usually SOL. I have had almost nothing but bad experiences with there support team. BUT i have had good experience with other support teams from China so far. So i think it kinda just depends. I have heard GPD support being bad but honestly, i dont know if its a one off or more constant. I am very interested to see what your experience with the GPD win 4 will be. IF Mad's previous experience will be accurate to this new model or not.
@@robertsharp1511 ill make sure I come back to this and leave some comments, I agree, I contacted ayaneo’s support and have been lucky with my interactions with them so far.
Had mine for 2 weeks now and yeah, i'm like you Taki, haven't put it down since! One thing I do have an issue with is the deadzones on the analogue sticks. It seems to be a software issue as setting anti deadzones in Steam resolve the issue. Would love a fix for this from ASUS though.
returned my Ally. Love the concept but didn’t want to deal with SD card issues. Mine also had a weird hitch in the left stick… there was friction in moving it whereas the right one was perfect. It’s definitely the best overall iteration of a Windows gaming handheld and it’s 90% there IMO but with a few improvements it could be even better. On battery size…I’m not sure this is something that can be overcome anytime soon. If the battery size is increased then that just means more bulk/weight. The only other option is for efficiency to go way up or power to go way down. The former is the onus of the AMD which Asus cannot control and the latter isn’t feasible with playing modern titles.
I love my ROG Ally. Just need to say that first. But. I ended up with the SD Card reader issue. RMA’d and waited 3.5 weeks to get it back. Got it back and now I have the left joystick issue where it will only go up or down. I love the device but boy am I having bad luck with it.
have been loving this device and be able to run Ncaa Revamped (ncaa 2014) through RCPS3 has been amazing. When my crappy acer predator gaming laptop struggled to play it. Still love my steam deck for more console like setup, but being able to play certain online games was one of my main problems with steam deck.
Awesome and amazing video. The ally even with its little flaws is such a treat to use. I believe some of its issues are windows issues and not generally the ally. My actual desktop pc has that issue when it wakes itself up from sleep every once in awhile. So with the ally i click the menu button to put it to sleep or power off when not in use , i dont use the sleep function from the windows start menu. That should help with your night issue. Also i just turn off the rgb lights unless im in a lofi chill mood or something.
I love my ROG. I playing very frequently. But my only gripe is that my right analog x-axis went completely out and I only had the device for 3 months. That my only gripe so far
I upgraded to 323 and after having the device sound like a jet engine and get super hot just from turning it on, I downgraded to 319. I start in performance mode so there was no reason for the temps to shoot to 60 when all it was doing was starting Armory Crate, I literally turned off all background programs on startup except for AC. I was playing super simple games that get around 85 frames at 7 watts and with bios 323 the fan was coming on, quite loud, with temps around 55 degrees. The same game with at same 7 watt setting and 85 fps on bios 319 would get temps around 41 degrees with no fan. The update wasn't worth it.
Since getting the Ally, I’ve had to fix the gamepad not responding (there was an update that failed and took a while for me to see), my entire device bricking (I was running proton vpn with a permanent kill switch, the device updated, my pin wouldn’t work but I couldn’t set a new pin and sign in bc proton was preventing all internet even when off, so I had to go into recovery mode and recover from a snapshot), my left analogue stick stopped working left and right and would only go up and down (the physical stick just broke randomly and I had to order the part online, take apart the ally, and replace to fix). It’s also just generally buggy and annoying to deal with. While I’m actually playing the games though, it’s really fun. For me, it’s worth it, but I am a software engineer and didn’t have too much of a problem fixing bullshit when it comes up. I’d imagine this device could be very frustrating for a lot of people, especially if you lose the device lottery.
We can only wait and see if asus cares that much about keeping up with their hardware. It sounds like the biggest issues could be addressed with redesigns, and an OS that can properly use the hardware.
The last thing the Ally needs is a different OS! Windows is the only reason many people bought it. And seeing as the SD card issue has so many varying factors, I don't think it's hardware.
@@jollyrancherchick It needs work, and the OS it needs, needs to be made for it, even if that means Microsoft makes a version of windows that works with it properly.
would love an Ally but the regional pricing here in the UK is pretty rough (and i've heard its much worse in other countries!). The difference between the highest tier Steam Deck and the Ally in the US is $50 but in the UK its £130. Hard to justify the purchase for myself. The Steam Deck still seems like the better option for those not living in NA.
You can now get Cert. Refurb. Steam Decks starting at 320$ and the lowest tier model is all you need, quite easy and cheap to upgrade the ssd to a 1tb rn, it's really the best valued handheld pc
Switch 2 In 2024? That's cool. I'll wait 3 years for the Switch 2 Lite. I now prefer getting the smallest version of the handheld like DS Lite, PSP 2K, Vita 2K, and Switch Lite. Back in the day, I always got the original design. But ever since getting my PS4 slim, I prefer whatever is the smallest and cheapest one. That first gen usually has issues too. You wait for the revisions. I know Nintendo has never prioritized on raw power dating back to the Wii. But I'm hoping it's at least as powerful as Steam Deck without being as large. I want to finally play FF7 Remake and I hope it comes for the Switch 2. Can Sony please enter the handheld market again? I don't want the Project Q shit. I want a real dedicated handheld that can compete with the Deck, Ally, and next Switch. I already have too much invested on my PSN and Nintendo Online accounts, so I'll always get a Sony and Nintendo handheld no matter how good, bad, or expensive they will be. A hacked Switch 2 would be awesome. Might be capable emulating PS3.
I wonder what would happen if they silently updated or well downdated the ROG ally so that the SD card slot was completely removed? Like new models don't have an SD card slot whatsoever on them. Another thing I was thinking was you can buy extender cables for an SD card usually it's to plug a full size SD card into a micro SD card slot and then you could just slap that to the back of the ally somewhere where there's less heat and that probably wouldn't damage your SD card.
@@bland9876 Personal preference but you're talking about using extender cables and shit? That sounds tragic. There's a very high chance your reader will be smoked using this device. Just upgrade the internal SSD and be done with it.
@@bland9876 Because the SD card reader is too close to the VRM section of the motherboard! The reader stands a very good chance of being cooked. People aren't just reporting their SD cards being fried, the readers are malfunctioning too!
Oh taki 🤦♂️... you had a decently rough time! I will say the newest bios 323 fixes those led light issues as well as other quality of life improvements. Love the vid as always 👍
Pro tip, wrap it in a tea towel before going to sleep. 1. It can wake up without waking u up. 2. If it accidentally gets knocked on the floor it now has protection padding!
I'm about to send mine in for repair of the burned out SD card reader. I was going to just let it go and upgrade the internal SSD, but id rather have everything on the device functional, especially since it's not that old (I preordered it so had it since day 1 of release). I still cycle between using the Ally and the Steam Deck,...both have their pros and cons. Also just got a Switch Lite, loving it so far except how pricey Nintendo keeps their games.
I can't put mine down either no issues to report and the SD card works great once I got a card that wasent a counterfeit (amazon!). Octopath Traveler 2 is so great on this handheld. I have updated to the latest version of everything and although the fan is SLIGHTLY faster, I play at such low wattages I can't hear it. Update it - theres reasons and theres also new SD card reader drivers you will want.
ally has been my daily driver, i installed mariadb, our corporate apps, snap a portable monitor in my bag. if i need to work, i have a decent pc that can run all corporate software easily, and if not, it's just a playtime. never use laptop ever since again.
Same here .... Right one was faulty like yours then after month use.... Now my left joystick start show sign of drift as the game character start move slowly without touching .... The joystick are not really robust for heavy used ..... Better get external controller if you plan to used the devices long time or simply mod with Hals joystick
My ROG Ally was a floor model from Best Buy (for 560 bucks I couldn't say no) so mine was likely used extensively, and by a lot of people. Thankfully, my sticks are fine, and I use the heck out of my Ally. Maybe you just got a bad one. I don't really see this as a widespread issue within the community, no offense or anything. It's time to use that warranty.
Somehow some people are lowkey saying "Oh its great ! Its amazing ! Oh yeah it just fried my sdcard.. but its AWESOME nonetheless !" wtf thats a BIG issue pal, and i saw at least 3 people with that "minor inconvenience" by scrolling just a little bit
Don’t mess with SD cards then. I never knew why people want to open up devices and add new stuff in… 8tb for a handheld? Use it how it was factory made. At that point just buy a PC then if you aren’t satisfied with the specs.
Ally seems very good for a first gen device. I hope it did well enough for Asus to commit significant resources for a second generation device that take into account all the user feedback.
I saw nothing better in the Rog Ally that the Steam Deck couldn’t do I saw street fighter 6 playing laggy if you don’t have the Rog Ally plugged where the Steam Deck doesn’t need to be plugged played just great you only can use on Xbox account once you register it you can’t switch accounts which sucks the only good thing I got from this was the free 3 months ultimate game pass that I get to have I returned the Rog Ally back and happy with my Steam Deck it beats the Rog Ally
@@stevestars2966 he’s upset cause he saw it saying Steam Deck is better then the Rog Ally you know how kids are he only has the Rog Ally never got the Steam Deck
I really like the way it looks. I wish I could have gotten a steam deck in white, my hands are too shaky to put on a skin well enough for it to look not awful.
The perfect handheld would be = - A steamdeck or wii u gamepad matte black color good big rubber ergonomic grips all diffrent colored buttons and triggers - good R1 L1 buttons, infact all quality buttons dpad normal hallefect joysticks with no rgb colors! maybe even gamecube style diffrent sized colored buttons! - mobile chip inside that runs risc v (no arm or windows cuz they have royality fees which makes everyone who uses it pay % amount to arm or x86 intel money sucking companies, we need gaming open free Operating system architect = risc v can be that) and all games that are on it optimized for the software/native to it. - No fan inside the handheld ( can be achieved through mobile chip that is really efficient and produces no heat) - If the mobile chip is specialized for gaming only meaning no hdmi out no usb c type out no media decoders or other things only fast Cpu and Gpu to run all games locked 120 hz and wifi chip good enough to suppport 10 players online matches. - Symmetrical button/ joystick layout like steamdeck or wii u gamepad with joysticks beeing the main place/on top and all games focused to be playable with both joysticks(left joystick movement and left joystuck button for run, right joystick for camera and right joystick button for jump/talk/grab) - Magsafe like charging port or a zip case with build in charger so you only put the handheld in the case and it charges automatically.
"Ally is one of the only devices outside of the deck that has the ability to be very quiet for a lot of what it can do" Taki, have you EVER seriously tested any of the devices you present us here? Have you ever played on the aokzoe?? I can literally play up to 15-18ish watts at lowest fan speed (30%) which is literally silent without the device getting too hot.
![This can play what the Steam Deck CAN'T [Asus ROG Ally]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/crSfiGBPGeo/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm still waiting for the ultimate Windows handheld. Hopefully, ROG keeps going with this product line
Would you recommend the cheapest Windows-based handheld that can handle adequate 360 emulation? Or is Ally the only option?
How did you get oblivion running??? First game I tried and the mapping is all over the place, tried desktop and gamepad mode, tried editing buttons through armory but nothing
OLED 165 HZ
@@Vulpas honestly, just get yourself the base or 256GB Deck. Absolutely blows away anything Windows-based for $200+ less
@@Vulpasafter getting it, what I can say is regret wasting 700$ for this junk.
Yes, sure it is much stronger than steam deck, but if you are planning to play emulation (except PS 3) and lot of indie game (and few supported triple A) + have great battery life, steam deck is still the king. (even all those chinese console (at least it has more juice than ally) and ally still cannot beat it). Windows is the culprit btw. Playing the same game, set all to the minimum on ally, the performance is the same but ally use 4-6 more watts (worse if playing AAA and still get the same performance to SD until I crank it to 25 watt which at this point consider you play plugged) than SD thus less battery life. RAM usage ? Ally basically (windows) takes your 32% RAM away (which left you with 8GB RAM (4 GB taken by GPU), play game left me with 4-5 GB. Steam deck ? Playing the same game only takes 4 GB (and that is + system RAM) (and I set GPU RAM to 4GB too), left me with 8GB RAM.
As a truck driver who currently lives in a situation where i dont have the space for consoles and pcs this thing is a godsend. Havent gamed in at least 4 to 5 years so its nice to get back into gaming
But why I wanna buy this cuz I’m going for my cdl lol 😂
That’s wassup Brodie welcome to the gaming life
@@Flock13 why what?
This is awesome to hear! Great to see tech bridging the gap in your case. Very neat!
Yep and most TA's and Flying J's ect....have WIFI!
Got this for myself, because it was something I can pick up locally, and take back to the store if I wish to return it, without having to ship anything. I had planned to just test it out and send it back before the return window closed, but it's impressed me enough that now I'm going to buy the protection plan for it. I'm glad I found this video. Made me feel much better about the fomo I was feeling for the Steam Deck.
I literally went for it the same way you did and ended up keeping it and getting a year extra protection with the ability to extend it later if I want
@Dubcity5 Oh, dang! Good to know about being able to extend it. I've been bracing myself for having to buy a 3 year plan, but if I can get the 1 year and have some time before going all the way, that'd be so nice.
Both devices are great so don't feel any FOMO. The Steam Deck has it's strengths, but if you don't mind playing what I call "plugged in portable", the Ally is just a powerhouse.
Literally me
Really appreciate the update. I always value real world usage over focused "review time" usage even when good reviewers like yourself try to do what you can to simulate how you would realistically use it.
The new minimum brightness level in bios 323 might get you to update it and just use a manual fan curve
I really hated how bright the min brightness was. I tend to play with very dark screens. (my night vision is great) so bright screens hurt x.x
Just make sure to set manual fan curve prior to bios updated
@@fillerbunnyninjashark271it still overrides it. When I did it it got rid of my manual 2 and even through the curve looked like the one I had saved for manual 1 it was way louder.
@@fillerbunnyninjashark271why before updating bios?
@@joeschmoe5009 because they won't let you lower it below 74% power around 60°c and you don't need that much fan power around that temp
I really wanted to get the Ally but it seems to be hit or miss with some people having a lot of issues while others have no issues at all. I'm just not willing to spend $700 on a device with so many reported problems right now.
100% this. Plus it's Asus so i worry about long term support and customer service.
I had the same thought, but with Best Buy having a 15 day return policy, I bit the bullet and bought one. Figure if I can't get it running exactly how I want it to within the first week, I would just return it and get a refund. After 2 days I was moving the 1TB SSD from my Deck to the Ally, and as of mid last week, the Deck has been sold and I'm fully on the Ally. My SD card slot has fried, but I just upgraded to a 2TB SSD so I don't have to worry about that anymore.
Me too. I’ve actually been waiting for the fixes before shelling out that amount.
Definitely a hit or miss, I love this device so much but I returned mine. I went through 3 devices and all three had the same hardware issue, I really wanted it to work for me but I'll wait longer down the road so hopefully the newer models will be built better.
Buy onexfly the only one descent device with 7840u.
I love the Ally, Especially since I fitted a Multiport with 100Watt charging support, It opens the Ally's restrictive lack of ports.
Now have 2TB internal storage, 4TB external SSD, HDMI output 60Htz, two free USB type A 3.1 ports.
The newest firmware might be worth you checking out, a lot of us are seeing a performance improvement at 15w compared to earlier firmware
And it allows even lower screen brightness
I just use windows 10. Lot less headaches Windows 11 has.
But it’s sooo loud :(
Battery life?
1 month after owning my ally I sent mine in for repair due to overheating and damaging the sd reader.
Nice update vid Taki. I agree with all of your points, especially the VRR screen, that's a real game changer for me! Going through my Steam queue on the Ally has been a blast. I saw you had Stray in your vid...I recently finished that on the Ally. What a great before bed every night experience!! Looking forward to more of your reviews and yes, if Asus sticks with this platform, an 8xxx Ally with some tweaks would be sweet.
I loved the speakers too, surprisingly good especially with Atmos. Nice video and reminds me of why I love the device, I hope they keep supporting and upgrading it.
It's a beast! Cannot get enough of it! Even hooked it to a TV via a docking... AMAZING!
There's also something awesome about the Ally : the bypass charging feature :) Basically when you plug it in with a 65W or higher wattage charger you will draw power from the charger itself and the battery is fully protected. This means you can safely use it as a normal console, plug it in to charge, put it on turbo, connect it to a TV and enjoy :) Absolutely love this feature
Im glad you’re enjoying it. I have had such a struggle using this thing since I got it on day one. Constant bugs and crashes. 80% of my time felt like i was TS’ing. For a casual player, this is not for you. I think the deck is better for a lot of people because of the consolized UI. Windows 11 is garbage in a handheld form factor. They need time to make a handheld ui for windows asap.
At one point due to my constant crashes because of some amd driver bug, i had to reimage and now it’s at a good place. This was a result of the rog XG mobile constantly getting rid of functionality and forced me to reimage. What a nightmare.
It’s a great system no doubt when things all work seamlessly, but if you’re not into fixing windows 11 constantly do not buy this. It’s a headache.
I also love my ROG Ally, and I have a steam deck as well as a couple of smaller handhelds. The Windows has been great for compatibility and makes installing mods way easier.
The Windows.
@@PayneWewtonall the windows?
@@PayneWewton yeah that’s what happens when I make adjustments mid sentence
I really wish the ROG Ally had trackpads. I use a Steamdeck and it doesn't need the trackpads as much as Windows handhelds do. Using gamepads or external mouses to navigate the system is too much of a hassle when you use it on the go like myself.
I have no issues using the touch screen or right analog
Yeah the trackpads are a must.
@@fillerbunnyninjashark271sure you can use touchscreen and right analog but it isn't as good as using trackpads which are essentially a mouse.
@@GameTimeWhy touch screen can do in a second what it takes a touch pad to do in seconds
Gpdwin4 are also a trackpad and aya neo kun
For me, I wanted to play a old mmo that’s Windows based on a private server and didn’t want to build a pc for that. In came Rog Ally and it works flawlessly for my use case plus I’m wanting to try Starfield on it when it releases
Man I wanna play starfield too.. I wonder how it will run lol
what mmo?
Man good luck with Starfield, I doubt you'll get it running anywhere near playable but update if you have
@@miyukinosaki2392 FFXI
@@coloredwhite It'll run. Gamers tend to overemphasize anything and everything. It won't run $4000 PC grade at 100FPS+ in ultra graphics settings at 2k/4k but it'll run just fine on 720p/1080p between 30-60fps on my handheld just like every other AAA title has so far on this.
The brightness & fan noise at night issue is very relevant. I like that you're focusing on such a human story instead of just droning on about tech specs.
Thanks for the update taki
I've had my ally for a week now, I love it to death... Portable fallout is a thing now and I love it (writing this comment on my ally too)
I think it's all about all the needs everyone has about gaming and what kind of game everyone wants to play on that console. I have a lack of time to play cause of my work and my family needs, so like you I will prefer to buy this console. The updates of course are something apart and it's only a matter of time to fix most of the issues this console has. Excellent video, you helped me a lot by giving me the reasons I was looking to buy the rog ally, Thanks.
It's still bound to Windows though. Microsoft could always push an incompatible update that may break this device someday.
Or does Ally use a custom windows version managsd by ASUS?
My Ally is also two month old now. It has been working great and better in my experience, very similar to my SD. Each updates it’s getting better. Maybe I’m also learnt a few tricks to play with it too. The games I have been playing are mostly in my steam library, I only used 10 to 15w most of the time and the performance has been great so far. Battery life seems to be on par with my SD, because I usually play for an hour and a half both devices anyway, so no noticeable diffidence for me. I think people are exaggerating the fan noise with the new bios for some reason.
I got this after a lot of thought, it's much better than I expected. If you don't mind a little fan noise and set custom curves, while playing harder to run games mine stays around 75c-80c the SD card I have is a 500GB Samsung that's supposed to be rated for 85c so no problems yet.
Is your SD slot bricked ? Thinking in getting a high temps SD
7:03 same. Updated that first bios version and haven't since. Been working great and last I checked the sd card slot is still working great.
I got mine on release date as well and I don't stop using it. Use it as my PC as well while docked. Love it!
I would recommend updating the BIOS to 323. It fixes the issue where the max TDP in turbo mode is 25W if you're using PD through a 3rd party dock (for SOME DOCKS it worked, anyway. Not the one I have unfortunately, I'm still stuck at 25W max but I dont really game on it while docked all that much so its fine) and some bug fixes were address over the last few updates including an issue I used to have with the RGB lights not turning off when I put my system to sleep. What was really weird is sometimes I'd actually turn the RGB lights completely off in the settings, but they would not turn off, and would always stay on if the system was only in sleep mode. Now it does turn off when asleep and I can turn them off in settings.
If these higher power portable devices had a quick hot swappable battery would be reason for me to get it. So instead I got a 64gb Steam Deck and a 1TB Corsair MP600 SSD and it took a bit getting use to (I'm a Windows user) but turned out great after a couple days. Spent $880 AUD on it plus the upgrade and can't complain. The Ally is $1299 here down under that's if you can get it from JB Hifi. I'm happy with the Steam Deck since I already got a 5800X+RTX3070 pc to game PC games on if I need the eye candy and high frame rate.
Damn, that's like £450. I have a Deck and 1TB drive coming for £324
8:28 450 Gb is a "small ssd"? I have like 5 games on my PC and this is about this size. Do you need more? =) If you install more that 3 games in means you won't play any of those =)
I have about 20 games on my Switch and I just grind in Etrian Odyssey
Same! I’m so happy with it. Just blown away by performance. Just wishing for some 3rd party case/shell options to improve ergonomics.
Top notch Sir, Much obliged for the review.
I just got an Ally a few days ago and so far I love it. The only issue that I had was it fried a microSD card after trying to install Elden Ring on it. Yes I had everything updated to the new fan curves.
Good thing Asus recently acknowledge the SD Card issue and "fixed" it by issuing a software update with louder fan curves 🎉 For real though, Asus has the worst customer support + quality control these days lmao. They make great devices if you have money to burn. Not as much if you care about longevity and reliability.
I don't even think that this is even a passable or acceptable mistake. A device that destroys your other hardware... That's scandalous. I remember how Samsung got blasted because their S7 Edges blew up.
You can buy rubber ring things for the sticks! Works perfectly to stop the ring and sticks from damaging
Hey Taki I keep seeing this awesome yellow cable in your videos. What brand is it and where can I get one?
It's linked in the description. It's called Phantom C from Shargeek.
You legend thank you for asking this - been wanting that cable for months 😂
I cloned an SSD for the first time a couple of months ago . That was the easiest and most pain free install I've ever done. I booted right back into my same Windows and only had to resize my partition. That's the only way I'll do an SSD upgrade from here on out
Thanks for the shoutout! 😎 This is a perfect use for our XR Glasses and a great way to upgrade the nighttime ROG Ally experience.
it's nice seeing you mention the micro SD card reader issues as not that many large channels seem to really bother with updated reviews, let alone mentioning those issues after the initial review of the review units
mine literary started having SD card reader issues after a month of use and the reader would just stop functioning after 10~20 min of gaming (heat), but would seemingly "work" just fine if you just leave windows on idle and check if the reader / SD card is still visible under "My Computer"
currently waiting for the RMA to send back my device 😅
literary
How long did the RMA take and did you still have issues after that?
Just recently got one and not gonna lie I love it, it’s crazy how it’s so much power in a handheld and I tried playing game while docked with mouse and keyboard and it felt amazing
Wow cool. But some said it's not as immersive as the laptop due to size, is that true to u?
@@hillsongbest3818 if you want size then doc it to a monitor
If it's docked you're 100% going to be using it with an external monitor or TV @@hillsongbest3818
There is nothing out there that comes close to this beauty. It does everything so well!!
I am still on the fence with the Ally, but I find new love of my steam deck after discovering batocera builds !
There is no reason to go for an Ally if you have the deck. I would buy a decent gaming laptop for a bit more money then the Ally.
@@Maxxwell-07the ally is worth the purchase, you don't need a beastly gaming laptop if you have the ally it plays anything just fine on high settings and there's tons of tweaks, this is coming from a guy who buys high end gaming laptops every other year I love my ally no issues with it what so ever.
I don't let my Ally sleep, i just go straight to hibernate. That seems to be good and has been a decent enough solution that some games can wake from hibernate and play.
I work construction, early mornings and late afternoons.
This console goes with me, I sometimes hop on before work but always lunch and in bed/on the porch at home.
I haven't found a game that it won't run well.
Skyrim is a go-to.
I, with it, had a single usb so bad!
Also, it runs really well updated at 15w.
Great video! I'm glad to hear about the pain of upgrading the storage, I hope Asus will address that, perhaps starting with a 2tb drive from day on is an option
Price/performance, Ally is it. My SD card reader failed and I sent it to ASUS. Had my unit back a bit over a week later. They installed a new motherboard. I was pissed at first, but while the Ally was gone, I used my Ayaneo 2S and slowly came to realize that the Ally's VRR screen is amazing. I think the next device to have it will be the ONE X Fly. I don't think I will buy another device without VRR.
I have 2 toddlers and this is the perfect device for dads 😉
I freakin love my ROG Ally. got it since Day 1
Are there any problems with it?
@@JohnGregoryGarza sd card reader is toast on mine. Aside from that no
@@JhustineProvido mlb the show doesn’t work on steam deck cause game pass needs internet connection to work on the deck so I was hoping to get the rog
I’m hoping to get an Ally before the end of the year, and I am so excited. Everything I see about it just confirms my decision. It’s pricey, but it’s going to replace gaming on my laptop, Switch, and mobile.
Stick with Lenovo Legion go. Way much better idea and not going to fry your sd card. Its combine of switch , deck and amly. The only reason i dont have ally yet is because of critical issues of software and issue with stick. For 700pounds i do expect to have a proper product but this one its not there yet.. also stronget by performance and have better picture quality.
Quick update for everyone: I did buy Rog Ally, and i didnt regret it at all. The VRR and the weight, screen is absolutely amazing. I really love the design. SD card issue its not for everyone, but its a general issue i do agree. Legion go its great however the system is instable , fps id the same as the legion go. I do think legion get better overtime, but fps mode for me its prett useless. Spec the same, the lenovo 16gb its 7500mhz the rog ally 16gb is 6600mhz so its a bit better but because the resolution its more, its will be more pixaleted for the same specs so ppl will play with less resolution already. For high res games stuttering on legion go. Price wise excatly same when they new so its not ablut the pricing. It was a hard decision but will see and wait 2 months for legion go about the reviews and see how it goess if i gef that one as well
Mine killed my brand new $130 sd card, took up a day of my time troubleshooting and trying to fix it, doesn't have track pads so it makes a lot of the games I like play on handhelds basically unplayable, and it doesn't have the suspend / resume function that makes a handheld such a perfect gaming companion (being able to just grab the deck and hit the power button and instantly be playing where you left off, and when youre done just sleep it and know if you pick it back up in a day or 2 your battery won't be completely dead is something every handheld I own from here out MUST have, same with track pads - no exceptions) So I sold it. Steam deck is still king imo. If you only really play console type controller games that need a little more juice to run good, then sure I see the appeal for the ally. If your a PC gamer, the steam deck is just the better device. Im just going to mod the shit out of my deck. I already have the full atomic purple jsaux shell with the fan vents, I bought extremerates chameleon purple full shell simply to get the button kit to put in with the jsaux shell. I have my monoblock wave 2 on preorder, and Im on the waitlist for deckhd although your recent review has me wondering if i should just get another 512 replacement screen from ifixit.
Even with the stock thermal solution with TG kryosheet and the jsaux vented backplate (in a fairly chilly ambient) I am seeing meaningful performance gains without throttling @ 20w TDP, 6400M/T on the ram, 4Ghz on the CPU, and 2Ghz on the igpu and a -50 UV across the board and Cryoutilities obviously. Im excited to see if monoblock wave 2 has all of the issues from the first one sorted out so that it actually brings better cooling performance and maybe I can push the deck APU even further.
Really wanted to get the Ally but all the issues with the sd card, battery life, and analog stick held me back. Then all of a sudden, the Legion Go gets announced.
VRR sold me on the Ally. It's a critiical feature for a handheld PC where performance isn't always going to be perfect.
honestly i think it would be just about near perfect if it had a full M.2... lack of trackpad or any mouse (non joystick) is ... bleh. After using it for awhile i found my palm hurts due to the corners. It is lighter though which is a plus. Still i am interested in seeing if the GPD win 4 (2023) will fix some of these.
I owned the original GPD Win 4 and own the Ally. I agree with everything you’ve said. My issue with the GPD is that it gets too warm and I didn’t like the QC on the sliding mechanism. There was scratches forming on the back after just a few days of use.
@Madblaster6 thank you! I returned my ally but may buy it again. It's so hard finding the right handheld lol.
I've heard the 2023 one's fan is good? Idk. Honestly the ally got warm for me to the touch.
Still though thank you for your thoughts!
Returned my Ally too, got an Ayaneo 2s , I’ve been lucky and had no problems so far, plus with ayaspace 2, the software offering has gone from 0-100, it’s great and fulfils every need I have, the screen is nicer to look at than the rog ally , but has no VRR which I don’t mind as I lock my fps to 40 or 60. I’ve ordered a 2023 gpd win 4, and the g1 egpu, I know I don’t need them, but it looks like an amazing combo so far. Be sure when you’re browsing that you take into account the customer service/RMA process, as with many of these China headquartered companies, it’s hit and miss if you’ll receive good support…. To be honest ASUS’ customer support is trash in my experience anyway.
@@Nookie94 Regarding ROG support, yeah the base support is unfortunately pretty bad. If you get a bad product you are usually SOL. I have had almost nothing but bad experiences with there support team. BUT i have had good experience with other support teams from China so far. So i think it kinda just depends. I have heard GPD support being bad but honestly, i dont know if its a one off or more constant.
I am very interested to see what your experience with the GPD win 4 will be. IF Mad's previous experience will be accurate to this new model or not.
@@robertsharp1511 ill make sure I come back to this and leave some comments, I agree, I contacted ayaneo’s support and have been lucky with my interactions with them so far.
Had mine for 2 weeks now and yeah, i'm like you Taki, haven't put it down since! One thing I do have an issue with is the deadzones on the analogue sticks. It seems to be a software issue as setting anti deadzones in Steam resolve the issue. Would love a fix for this from ASUS though.
It has to be a software issue, since they're hall effect they shouldn't have a dead zone at all.
@@taylon5200 The OEM sticks are not hall effect. The triggers are.
Ive used my RP3+ everyday since Christmas. Last night outside hooked up to a projector playing 2player Metal Slug.
returned my Ally. Love the concept but didn’t want to deal with SD card issues. Mine also had a weird hitch in the left stick… there was friction in moving it whereas the right one was perfect. It’s definitely the best overall iteration of a Windows gaming handheld and it’s 90% there IMO but with a few improvements it could be even better.
On battery size…I’m not sure this is something that can be overcome anytime soon. If the battery size is increased then that just means more bulk/weight. The only other option is for efficiency to go way up or power to go way down. The former is the onus of the AMD which Asus cannot control and the latter isn’t feasible with playing modern titles.
500giga is enough. I have over 5 games in my library. No need for sd
I love my ROG Ally. Just need to say that first. But. I ended up with the SD Card reader issue. RMA’d and waited 3.5 weeks to get it back. Got it back and now I have the left joystick issue where it will only go up or down. I love the device but boy am I having bad luck with it.
I was literally watching your last rog ally video when this popped up!
have been loving this device and be able to run Ncaa Revamped (ncaa 2014) through RCPS3 has been amazing. When my crappy acer predator gaming laptop struggled to play it. Still love my steam deck for more console like setup, but being able to play certain online games was one of my main problems with steam deck.
Love my ally. The cooling on these little device is amazing. Never throttled that cpu
Just burns out the micro SD card instead 😂
@@starcitizen890j5 design flaw on that sd card placement. The fans only cover the cpu which is an oversight from ASUS. Unfortunate
@@starcitizen890j5you can prevent it easily by disabling agressive turbo boost in windows and limiting fps in games
Awesome and amazing video. The ally even with its little flaws is such a treat to use. I believe some of its issues are windows issues and not generally the ally. My actual desktop pc has that issue when it wakes itself up from sleep every once in awhile. So with the ally i click the menu button to put it to sleep or power off when not in use , i dont use the sleep function from the windows start menu. That should help with your night issue. Also i just turn off the rgb lights unless im in a lofi chill mood or something.
I love my ROG. I playing very frequently. But my only gripe is that my right analog x-axis went completely out and I only had the device for 3 months. That my only gripe so far
I would upgrade the bios, the ally is a bit louder in turbo mode but the added performance from 10-20watts is very noticeable.
I upgraded to 323 and after having the device sound like a jet engine and get super hot just from turning it on, I downgraded to 319. I start in performance mode so there was no reason for the temps to shoot to 60 when all it was doing was starting Armory Crate, I literally turned off all background programs on startup except for AC. I was playing super simple games that get around 85 frames at 7 watts and with bios 323 the fan was coming on, quite loud, with temps around 55 degrees. The same game with at same 7 watt setting and 85 fps on bios 319 would get temps around 41 degrees with no fan. The update wasn't worth it.
Since getting the Ally, I’ve had to fix the gamepad not responding (there was an update that failed and took a while for me to see), my entire device bricking (I was running proton vpn with a permanent kill switch, the device updated, my pin wouldn’t work but I couldn’t set a new pin and sign in bc proton was preventing all internet even when off, so I had to go into recovery mode and recover from a snapshot), my left analogue stick stopped working left and right and would only go up and down (the physical stick just broke randomly and I had to order the part online, take apart the ally, and replace to fix). It’s also just generally buggy and annoying to deal with. While I’m actually playing the games though, it’s really fun. For me, it’s worth it, but I am a software engineer and didn’t have too much of a problem fixing bullshit when it comes up. I’d imagine this device could be very frustrating for a lot of people, especially if you lose the device lottery.
Love these later on reviews.
We can only wait and see if asus cares that much about keeping up with their hardware. It sounds like the biggest issues could be addressed with redesigns, and an OS that can properly use the hardware.
The last thing the Ally needs is a different OS! Windows is the only reason many people bought it. And seeing as the SD card issue has so many varying factors, I don't think it's hardware.
@@jollyrancherchick It needs work, and the OS it needs, needs to be made for it, even if that means Microsoft makes a version of windows that works with it properly.
@@jollyrancherchickOf course it's hardware. The SD card reader is located too close to the VRM section of the motherboard, it's getting cooked!
I love my ROG Ally so much. does everything I wanted to do. i just need to upgrade my storage
What is the emulator you were using to play Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire? 1:35
Great video, I love my Ally as well. I dock mine with the XG Mobile 4090, my series X is collecting dust now. What FPS counter are you using?
RTSS
UA-camr talk about it being so good. Just recently heard that the heats causing issues with the microSD card slot to malfunction.
That is what they assume causes it, yes.
@@TakiUdonI do like how you give your actually review on the pros and cons of a products.
Just got my ROG ally. I am shocked how good it is...
Sweet
would love an Ally but the regional pricing here in the UK is pretty rough (and i've heard its much worse in other countries!). The difference between the highest tier Steam Deck and the Ally in the US is $50 but in the UK its £130. Hard to justify the purchase for myself. The Steam Deck still seems like the better option for those not living in NA.
You can now get Cert. Refurb. Steam Decks starting at 320$ and the lowest tier model is all you need, quite easy and cheap to upgrade the ssd to a 1tb rn, it's really the best valued handheld pc
Switch 2 In 2024?
That's cool. I'll wait 3 years for the Switch 2 Lite. I now prefer getting the smallest version of the handheld like DS Lite, PSP 2K, Vita 2K, and Switch Lite.
Back in the day, I always got the original design. But ever since getting my PS4 slim, I prefer whatever is the smallest and cheapest one. That first gen usually has issues too. You wait for the revisions.
I know Nintendo has never prioritized on raw power dating back to the Wii. But I'm hoping it's at least as powerful as Steam Deck without being as large. I want to finally play FF7 Remake and I hope it comes for the Switch 2.
Can Sony please enter the handheld market again? I don't want the Project Q shit. I want a real dedicated handheld that can compete with the Deck, Ally, and next Switch.
I already have too much invested on my PSN and Nintendo Online accounts, so I'll always get a Sony and Nintendo handheld no matter how good, bad, or expensive they will be. A hacked Switch 2 would be awesome. Might be capable emulating PS3.
Looking forward to your opinions on the legion go. Really competitive against the ally.
When i get my ally you already know live a live is gonna be hitting on the go
Agree on the top white light! It’s annoying when you put it on your bedside. I’ve seen people using dark tape over that light 😂
I really loved my ally but just recently my analog broke it only goes up and down and does not register left and right
Same issue
@@highlander5304 sadly seems like a common problem :/
AGREED 🎉🎉 playing modded cyberpunk 2077 on the go is crazy!! The speakers are amazing and the touch screen 👌
I wonder what would happen if they silently updated or well downdated the ROG ally so that the SD card slot was completely removed? Like new models don't have an SD card slot whatsoever on them.
Another thing I was thinking was you can buy extender cables for an SD card usually it's to plug a full size SD card into a micro SD card slot and then you could just slap that to the back of the ally somewhere where there's less heat and that probably wouldn't damage your SD card.
The easier option is to not rely on an SD card at all and just upgrade the internal SSD to 1tb/2tb.
@@anonymousguy1029how is it easier to open the thing up and put a bigger storage in there then to just use an easily swappable SD card?
@@bland9876 Personal preference but you're talking about using extender cables and shit? That sounds tragic. There's a very high chance your reader will be smoked using this device. Just upgrade the internal SSD and be done with it.
@@anonymousguy1029 smoked? How?
@@bland9876 Because the SD card reader is too close to the VRM section of the motherboard! The reader stands a very good chance of being cooked. People aren't just reporting their SD cards being fried, the readers are malfunctioning too!
Can anyone tell me what game he's playing at 1:20 in the video? it looks super fun but I've never seen it before!
After the update, ally is so much better
Oh taki 🤦♂️... you had a decently rough time! I will say the newest bios 323 fixes those led light issues as well as other quality of life improvements. Love the vid as always 👍
Had one and returned it, just didn't like the ergonomics of the device. Beyond that, it was good!
what game is he playing at 1:58 ? Any answers would be appreciated!!!
Final Fantasy vii crisis core
Pro tip, wrap it in a tea towel before going to sleep.
1. It can wake up without waking u up.
2. If it accidentally gets knocked on the floor it now has protection padding!
I'm about to send mine in for repair of the burned out SD card reader. I was going to just let it go and upgrade the internal SSD, but id rather have everything on the device functional, especially since it's not that old (I preordered it so had it since day 1 of release). I still cycle between using the Ally and the Steam Deck,...both have their pros and cons. Also just got a Switch Lite, loving it so far except how pricey Nintendo keeps their games.
I can't put mine down either no issues to report and the SD card works great once I got a card that wasent a counterfeit (amazon!). Octopath Traveler 2 is so great on this handheld. I have updated to the latest version of everything and although the fan is SLIGHTLY faster, I play at such low wattages I can't hear it. Update it - theres reasons and theres also new SD card reader drivers you will want.
Hi, what do you mean exactly by “new SD card reader drivers”?
Sorry what is that looney tunes kartracing type game at 1:10?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes:_Space_Race
@@TakiUdon thanks! Once again a game to try because of your videos :))
What was that scuba diving game? Looked fun!
ally has been my daily driver, i installed mariadb, our corporate apps, snap a portable monitor in my bag. if i need to work, i have a decent pc that can run all corporate software easily, and if not, it's just a playtime. never use laptop ever since again.
What is the name of the game being played at the 1:04 mark?
Terranigma
@@TakiUdon thanks 😊
I'd be keen to know too (there seems to have been replies to this that have been deleted)
11:36 why'd you attach your garden hose to the Ally? 😅
The ultimate USB cable*
Watch the joysticks. They're faulty. Had mine for under a month and the left stick now only registers up and down
Same here .... Right one was faulty like yours then after month use.... Now my left joystick start show sign of drift as the game character start move slowly without touching .... The joystick are not really robust for heavy used ..... Better get external controller if you plan to used the devices long time or simply mod with Hals joystick
Must have gotten lucky then. Both of my Allys had heavy use and neither had any input issues.
Heavy game user on my ally and no issues yet. I've had mine for almost two months
My ROG Ally was a floor model from Best Buy (for 560 bucks I couldn't say no) so mine was likely used extensively, and by a lot of people. Thankfully, my sticks are fine, and I use the heck out of my Ally. Maybe you just got a bad one. I don't really see this as a widespread issue within the community, no offense or anything. It's time to use that warranty.
Now, imagine the steam deck with this chip in it. The next steam deck will be fire 🔥
Yeah next steam deck in 2028😂
@@iamimpostor3807 next 10 yrs says gaben
Somehow some people are lowkey saying "Oh its great ! Its amazing ! Oh yeah it just fried my sdcard.. but its AWESOME nonetheless !" wtf thats a BIG issue pal, and i saw at least 3 people with that "minor inconvenience" by scrolling just a little bit
@@garrusvakarian8709 So not using a feature of the pricey device you bought ? Its litterally a defective product !
Don’t mess with SD cards then. I never knew why people want to open up devices and add new stuff in… 8tb for a handheld? Use it how it was factory made. At that point just buy a PC then if you aren’t satisfied with the specs.
Good video! I'm enjoying mine too but have one question. Are your eyelids transparent?
Ally seems very good for a first gen device.
I hope it did well enough for Asus to commit significant resources for a second generation device that take into account all the user feedback.
I'd hope that asus makes a better second gen, because they've been known for poor quality control in recent times.....not only with first gens
I saw nothing better in the Rog Ally that the Steam Deck couldn’t do I saw street fighter 6 playing laggy if you don’t have the Rog Ally plugged where the Steam Deck doesn’t need to be plugged played just great you only can use on Xbox account once you register it you can’t switch accounts which sucks the only good thing I got from this was the free 3 months ultimate game pass that I get to have I returned the Rog Ally back and happy with my Steam Deck it beats the Rog Ally
I can't believe you thought that was one sentence.
@@PayneWewton Who are you the king salty reader 😂
@@stevestars2966 he’s upset cause he saw it saying Steam Deck is better then the Rog Ally you know how kids are he only has the Rog Ally never got the Steam Deck
@@stevestars2966 we got your back Steve this guy just has nothing to say that makes any sense
@@Suhadisgood your darn right about that Suhad 😂
I really like the way it looks. I wish I could have gotten a steam deck in white, my hands are too shaky to put on a skin well enough for it to look not awful.
what is the scuba diving game at 2:15?
Subnautica
Had to put mine down and send it in for RMA due to the Sd card issue. It’s finally on its way back. Soured my experience due to that.
Great videos, just subscribed. Question: What handheld is your go to for Emulation? Thank you.
The perfect handheld would be =
- A steamdeck or wii u gamepad matte black color good big rubber ergonomic grips all diffrent colored buttons and triggers
- good R1 L1 buttons, infact all quality buttons dpad normal hallefect joysticks with no rgb colors! maybe even gamecube style diffrent sized colored buttons!
- mobile chip inside that runs risc v (no arm or windows cuz they have royality fees which makes everyone who uses it pay % amount to arm or x86 intel money sucking companies, we need gaming open free Operating system architect = risc v can be that) and all games that are on it optimized for the software/native to it.
- No fan inside the handheld ( can be achieved through mobile chip that is really efficient and produces no heat)
- If the mobile chip is specialized for gaming only meaning no hdmi out no usb c type out no media decoders or other things only fast Cpu and Gpu to run all games locked 120 hz and wifi chip good enough to suppport 10 players online matches.
- Symmetrical button/ joystick layout like steamdeck or wii u gamepad with joysticks beeing the main place/on top and all games focused to be playable with both joysticks(left joystick movement and left joystuck button for run, right joystick for camera and right joystick button for jump/talk/grab)
- Magsafe like charging port or a zip case with build in charger so you only put the handheld in the case and it charges automatically.
"Ally is one of the only devices outside of the deck that has the ability to be very quiet for a lot of what it can do"
Taki, have you EVER seriously tested any of the devices you present us here? Have you ever played on the aokzoe?? I can literally play up to 15-18ish watts at lowest fan speed (30%) which is literally silent without the device getting too hot.