as a gaming dad of 4. This product actually allowed me to continue being a gaming dad of 4. It is a treasure for busy people. plus, thanks to windows 11, i can replace my laptop with this for work when im on the road
Yeah do you enjoy it and feel as though it is worth it ? I have one kid now and I only get to play for about 1-2 hours on Saturday night . I wanna play a little more I feel like this would be nice lol
@@2GreedyT4 I feel it's most definitely worth it. I used to game about as much as you, but now i can squeeze in a few more hours during the week. I've even used it sitting bedside of the 2 year old while she falls asleep lol. Or just chillin on the couch with the wife while she reads or watches her shows, it really offers more opportunity.
@@taylorneubauer4340 as a full substitute, it requires more investment with a dock, portable keyboard, monitor, etc. Even with the extra cost for accessories, the device definitely pulls its weight, surprisingly well. It's literally a little portable desktop class machine. But for my needs, I use it like a feature capable ipad, just need the device, access to my SAP online, and emails. I've done team meetings on it without anyone the wiser I wasn't sitting at my desk. It's amazing in my use case. While some see full Win 11 as a downside, it's a huge upside for me bc I have access to all my work applications.
my husband is graduating from BCT this December and I wanted get him something extra special as a graduation gift and was torn between the ally X and the oled steam deck but I think your review has really helped me decide!
I just got the ally and my only criticism with it is the screen size. this is mainly because I have gotten used to the screen size of the legion go. I will start to install some games and see how it compares to my legion go
I'm SO in between the Ally X and the OneXFly 8840u right now! The X performance is barely any superior, while the Fly has a WAY more appealing hardware design.....
Good video. Ive had the ally x for just over 3 months and i remember when i first got it i wasnt sure if i was wasting my money or if i would actually use it enough. How wrong was i. I am probably on it an average of 3-5 hours a day and have so many great games that run incredibly on it. The likes of nba 2k25, wgt golf, balatro, black ops 6 zombies to name some, all run near to perfectly. Its so practical and has improved my gaming experience a lot. I would give it a solid 9 out of 10
I've got an Ally X coming this week. I've been after one of these handhelds since the Steam Deck launched and was going to get the normal Ally but an opportunity came to get the X so thats coming soon
Nice video! Playnite helps quite a bit, but Steam is still where the bulk of PC gaming occurs. If Steam Big Picture Mode would work flawlessly without any Windows quirks, I'd love my Ally X. Honestly though, it's such a pain to use outside of handheld mode and docked PC mode, trying to use it like a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, docked to a TV, still leaves a LOT to be desired as Windows frequently gets in the way still. Bazzite helps, but the device runs much hotter with Bazzite and you sacrifice all the additional AMD features like RSR, RIS, and AFMF that make this device show large performance gains compared to the Deck and Legion Go.
Don't get me wrong, I agree - I think Steam OS is great. Limiting on the SteamDeck due to linux, and game compatibility (with some titles I enjoy) but there are workarounds, especially for Battlenet games like Diablo. That being said, I've been using Playnite, and don't have any real issues with it. I like the auto-launch/ close for launchers, and it is very smooth and light on the Ally, to where it doesn't pose an issue for performance. When it comes to DOCKING it though, you're right - as a straight up "switch", its not the best. To be fair, I do own consoles, and have PC's to play on so I don't typically use the Ally in another mode, aside from handheld the way it's intended to be used. I think we can all agree, Windows is the best, and worst thing for these handhelds. Great compatibility but can make some things a chore. Though, I will take some of the annoyances that come along with it if it means I am able to play ALL of the games I own with no compatibility issues.
There's something called Emudeck Game Mode or something like that, it will emulate Steam Deck on Windows without sacrificing all the features on windows
I got the x and It’s pretty good can play a lot of AAA games with 60fp and up and they still run good I say it’s worth the purchase if you got the money
I grabbed both the go and ally x on sale im only keeping one. I love the ally x and great battery but once you hold the legion and see that screen it's hard to to go back. The legion is just a way more comfortable grip for me and synthetic benchmarks between them the legion wins every time (timespy, userbenchmark). Im probably going to return the legion ONLY because there's def a new one coming soon and more than likely will have an oled screen and bigger battery. Until then I ordered a grip for the x to help with comfort and I love not having to worry about battery. Also in certain games having the extra ram helps, I've experienced crashes on higher end games just trying medium settings on the go, where the ally x doesn't. Also the quick menu pops up alot faster on the x then the go. Their both great. Legion was down to 579 when I got it and allyx was 699. Both well worth those prices. I recommend a nice battery pack to go with the legion if anyone goes for that, or run at 15 watts unless plugged in.
I love the video. I have been debating between the steam deck, Ally, and Ally x and this was super helpful! Please keep making more videos about the Ally X!
I could see the weight being an issue if you’re super used to the original. Since I don’t have the original ally in my hands anymore, I haven’t noticed the weight difference all that much and I find it to be quite comfortable cause the grips. But hey, I’d sacrifice a little weight for double the battery life. I think that’s a little insane! 😂
LETS GOOOOOO THE VIDEO IS OUTTTTTT!!! Mannn I really gotta get my hands on one to try it out haha! Also game pass is genuinely a game changer if I ever start gaming LMAO And BO6 is on it! Amazing video Jon!!! 😄
I absolutely love my old ALLY Z1 ext. and I could be even happier to have this upgraded version ! but I prefer to save money for an ALLY 2 with maybe a Z2 extreme in it :p honestly, I am ok to keep this screen with vrr than an oled without !
I modded my ally, ended up just buying the ally x battery, 3d printed the battery tray and a couple of other things, got a adaptor to plug and and play the ally x battery and now I don’t need to upgrade. Only reason why I did this was because I have the 3080 egpu , didn’t want to sell both just to get the ally x, I’m happy with the mod, works perfect and now I get several hours at turbo
Great video! I just found your channel. I still find myself watching these videos even though I have had the ROG Ally X since launch. However, I will be installing Playnite after seeing your video. Thank you!
Love my ally x, but it still auffers from the same main issue i had with the og model. The egronomics are not good at all. It absolutely comes in last when conparing comfort levels to its conpetitors. Theres just not enough to hold on to. I couldnt even imagine trying to use it as someone who has larger hands.
Thank you for this awesome review! I really wanted to invest in a very powerful handheld device that I can also use for video editing and some light work. 🎮
Managed to pick up the original ally for about £320 as an open box deal. For me it’s is phenomenal and the further £480 probably wouldn’t give me more value. However those picking up the X with the better battery life and more ram are in for a hell of a good time. Blows me away what the ally is capable of :)
this thing is a emulator running god, runs everything under the ps3/xbox 360 generation(ive only tried ps2 and older). there in an 8tb nvme and 2 tb micro sd card, this is a beast
@@HeyJes yeah I need VRR. Steam deck plays most game at a rocky 34 fps. Even ganes you can get above 60fps u still have to worry about screen tearing until u cap the fps. With my Ally I don’t have to worry about screen tearing AT ALL. Much better than slightly better colors
@@fresco_dinero5155 What is so wrong about just capping the FPS? And tbh it is not just "slightly better" it is honestly to god night and day difference.
@ why cap the fps at 40 when I can get 70+ fps unlocked on the Ally?? And no the color differences aren’t night and day. More like 4pm to 6pm. It’s a difference, but not that drastic
🎮 Thanks for the information, I have the Steamdeck oled , but want to play games like Black Ops 6, I know you can dual boot with a bit of messing with the deck, but would rather a dedicated system. I was undecided between just getting the Ally and Ally x, and this video has helped me make that decision, thanks
I wanna play retro games on a handheld device....well Age of empires, black and white,. Command and conquer etc. will i able to do so on this device? Obviously il be dabbling in the AAA side of games aswell.
Yes, of course. Windows is great for emulation because there is just so many tools. Steam Deck would be good too if you want a cheaper device. But the Ally X would give you best of both worlds, especially with higher-end AAA games.
Great video! I really wish the CoD's would support Linux. I think it would be a huge leap for handheld gaming. Less people would have to deal with the hassle that is Windows on a handheld. Creator Question: What are you using to get those fun colors as your backdrop for your b-roll? I want to up my b-roll game!
Any chance you could make a how-to video on emulation for PS3 games? Test with a game like, killzone 2. I've never done emulation before, and the process looks daunting. Apparently rpcs3 is the best emulator so far for that generation.
I'm going to wait for the next gen of handhelds i think. I feel most games I'd play I'd be on low presets or just lowering all settings. I'll give it another 4 years and stick with my pc
Ally is $500 right now, I would still buy the Ally X for $800 I returned my Ally 3 weeks after I bought it. It was not powerful enough. Ally X looks like it might get the job done. Great review, thanks!
@@Stryker123321 So I bought the Ally X and I can tell you it is more powerful than regular Ally. Same APU but way more ram and faster ram. Plus more battery and better cooling.
I absolutely love it-it’s incredible! I’ve always dreamed of playing multiplayer FPS games like Call of Duty on a handheld (without streaming), and now it’s finally possible. That said, playing competitively on it is a real challenge. Looks like you’re getting nuked too, huh? XD
Has anyone experienced having to put in new replacement parts ect on the older model yet? costs? laptops dont normally last that long so wondering how long this will last
Only issue is the tiny screen I tried the legion go and man it’s sooooo hard to go back to ally screen after the size of legion go one and even portal one. If they could have just given us an 8” screen would be best to me.
It’s the same as the extreme besides a few tweaks and a bigger battery. I say if you got the money go for it otherwise you’re not really missing. Nothing keep your extreme and just enjoy and have fun.
The “extreme” you are mentioning is the SoC, the Ally X also has the Z1 extreme - but because of the additional memory (24GB vs. 16) and it being clocked much higher you can allot more to the GPU, (I have it set to 8) with 16 left over for RAM. Meaning you could play more demanding titles with less issues (on paper).
Whatever u do. Don’t ever install windows on a Steam deck. Horrible optimizations Instead, Bazzite is made for Ally. So you can either do windows or steam os
The main reason I'm looking to pitch out an extra 200 bucks on this instead of the Legion Go, despite ASUS's recent issues with customer service and warranty refusals, is that it is so top-notch and I haven't actually talked to anyone who had to return one due to faulty hardware. I want to replace my work laptop with it. I already carry around a portable monitor, 85wh battery with an outlet, and keyboard and mouse with me. This will be smaller than the laptop I'm replacing it with, and be able to replace my gaming laptop as well. My goal is to get an eGPU dock as well, so when I have it at home I can run heavy AAA games at max quality. I game at 1080p, so most modern hardware lets me hit max. With that in mind, anyone disagree with me on this being a good choice?
In the same boat, haven't had a laptop in like 15 years, wanted to get one but the options are so bad, really had me considering a MacBook. Almost every gaming laptop has tons of impractical downsides that make them not really portable in reality. And for 1k you're not getting 24gb ram, 120hz, and 2tb in a quality laptop
They really should have put an OLED screen on this. After using my desktop monitor and switch then going back to the Ally it definitely is a bit disappointing. Even if it cost battery life a bit and was a bit more expensive I wouldn't have minded.
Steamdeck price you can’t beat if money is your thing your going for the deck 100% even the oled it’s a few hundred less and you can spend another 100 for a 1tb
Oh no no, he was talking about the original Ally which only had support for the XG Mobile dock. They removed it in favour for USB4, so a lot more compatibility
Curious if it’s worth getting this if I’m mainly going to play Ghost Of Tsushima, Monster Hunter World, maybe Fortnite, and Rocket League or is it more worth it to just get a Steam Deck Oled, or ROG Ally for only 400 to 550 dollars
Bro you dropped another video about owning steam deck on 2025 and some of the things you said there contradicts what you are saying here, either one of your reviews is not being honest or you forgot you said, on the other video “I don’t need to play COD on a handheld I have a pc and a console” here you are saying you are glad you can do that. When someone watches both of the videos, this becomes obvious. Anyways great content for the most part.
games won't work on linux because devs don't want to do the bare minimum to enable it or they don't want them to work on linux/proton. The issue is not "bEcAuSe iT's LiNuX".
My Ally died after 1.5 years, and I got a full refund, 780€. So... I bought a new one. Not an Ally X, but an Ally, for 450€. Buying an Ally X for double the price made no sense to me, especially when I already have a fast external battery and a bigger replacement HDD.
What about this as a replacement for a desktop PC. I want to dock it with a monitor and keyboard and Webcam and use it for zoom calls, discord, Google docs, spreadsheets, webrousing and UA-cam binging (when I am not gaming, obviously gaming is its primary purpose) currently I have an old Dell that is doing all that work stuff, but it cannot run any game more serious than dead cells or hallow knight.
@jacksonhowell8800 I imagine that when I try to do it there will be a lot of potential pitfalls in terms of hardware compatibility and having enough USB ports if I don’t want alot of bluetooth devices.
No X is black, Rog Ally Z1 extreme is white but still close in performance but X fixed cooling issues and more connection ports and better battery life.
It's expensive but worth it. Really cool piece of tech. Smokes every single other handheld. All the others only have 16gb of total memory leaving 8gb for system memory if you give the gpu 8 ( that's just not enough, sorry). and no VRR. It was the Ally X for me, or nothing at all.
I don't know anyone this has happened to in real life, to be completely honest. But it has for sure been a real issue. Don't get me wrong, I am not down playing it.
After years of using small screens, phone, tablet ect, I became near sighted. Enjoy the Ally x While you can because I can tell you for sure there will come a point when a 7" screen is just a blur to you unless you're wearing glasses. All the more reason to focus my gaming to the big screen.
as a gaming dad of 4. This product actually allowed me to continue being a gaming dad of 4. It is a treasure for busy people. plus, thanks to windows 11, i can replace my laptop with this for work when im on the road
I've been wondering how well it would work as a laptop substitute. Not bad??
Yeah do you enjoy it and feel as though it is worth it ? I have one kid now and I only get to play for about 1-2 hours on Saturday night . I wanna play a little more I feel like this would be nice lol
@@2GreedyT4 I feel it's most definitely worth it. I used to game about as much as you, but now i can squeeze in a few more hours during the week. I've even used it sitting bedside of the 2 year old while she falls asleep lol. Or just chillin on the couch with the wife while she reads or watches her shows, it really offers more opportunity.
@@taylorneubauer4340 as a full substitute, it requires more investment with a dock, portable keyboard, monitor, etc. Even with the extra cost for accessories, the device definitely pulls its weight, surprisingly well. It's literally a little portable desktop class machine.
But for my needs, I use it like a feature capable ipad, just need the device, access to my SAP online, and emails. I've done team meetings on it without anyone the wiser I wasn't sitting at my desk. It's amazing in my use case. While some see full Win 11 as a downside, it's a huge upside for me bc I have access to all my work applications.
Being a gaming dad of 5 now! This is THE way I game now. Mostly in evenings after kids are in bed. Wifey watches her show and I game. Chefs kiss
I run Elden Ring at 17w only and love how long the battery lasts. I swear I played for what felt like 4 hours straight the other day.
Damn!!! That’s awesome what’s the frame rate you’re getting?? I’m going to give it a try tonight
@ solid 40 or more.
I retract my statement it’s running between 30-40 fps in game.
Like steam deck performance?
@InviableTrader do you play 720p or 1080p? And what graphic settings do you use?
my husband is graduating from BCT this December and I wanted get him something extra special as a graduation gift and was torn between the ally X and the oled steam deck but I think your review has really helped me decide!
If you gave him you wrapped up in lingerie he would be happy too
Rad!
your husband is a lucky man
Nah, that husband is a top dog for that. W wife
Lucky man!
I just got the ally and my only criticism with it is the screen size. this is mainly because I have gotten used to the screen size of the legion go. I will start to install some games and see how it compares to my legion go
update?
getting this for christmas - i hope! 😅
Did you get it ?
@ yes, it’s awesome!
$100 off right now. At $699 it's still expensive but it should be worth it
I got it
Same, had to jump in this deal
Headed to best buy right now
I'm SO in between the Ally X and the OneXFly 8840u right now!
The X performance is barely any superior, while the Fly has a WAY more appealing hardware design.....
It’s trash. The sticks squeak and you have to have it plugged in to even play for more than 2 hours.
Once steam OS comes to Ally X, it will be the best handheld.
Bazzite is what you're looking for
@cypher9000 yes but I want Steam OS officially. Now I want the new Legion Go.
Good video. Ive had the ally x for just over 3 months and i remember when i first got it i wasnt sure if i was wasting my money or if i would actually use it enough. How wrong was i. I am probably on it an average of 3-5 hours a day and have so many great games that run incredibly on it. The likes of nba 2k25, wgt golf, balatro, black ops 6 zombies to name some, all run near to perfectly.
Its so practical and has improved my gaming experience a lot. I would give it a solid 9 out of 10
I bought brand new ally Z1E for 450 dollar and with that sort of value proposition I can't complain
I've got an Ally X coming this week. I've been after one of these handhelds since the Steam Deck launched and was going to get the normal Ally but an opportunity came to get the X so thats coming soon
That’s exciting!!
Nice video! Playnite helps quite a bit, but Steam is still where the bulk of PC gaming occurs. If Steam Big Picture Mode would work flawlessly without any Windows quirks, I'd love my Ally X. Honestly though, it's such a pain to use outside of handheld mode and docked PC mode, trying to use it like a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, docked to a TV, still leaves a LOT to be desired as Windows frequently gets in the way still. Bazzite helps, but the device runs much hotter with Bazzite and you sacrifice all the additional AMD features like RSR, RIS, and AFMF that make this device show large performance gains compared to the Deck and Legion Go.
Dual boot with Bazzite (or even make it your main OS). Its the steamdeck OS and it works flawlessly on the rog ally. Pretty easy to set up too.
@miuletzmitzu6641 I think you missed the part where I pointed out I'm already using Bazzite and noted the negatives of doing so.
Don't get me wrong, I agree - I think Steam OS is great. Limiting on the SteamDeck due to linux, and game compatibility (with some titles I enjoy) but there are workarounds, especially for Battlenet games like Diablo.
That being said, I've been using Playnite, and don't have any real issues with it. I like the auto-launch/ close for launchers, and it is very smooth and light on the Ally, to where it doesn't pose an issue for performance.
When it comes to DOCKING it though, you're right - as a straight up "switch", its not the best. To be fair, I do own consoles, and have PC's to play on so I don't typically use the Ally in another mode, aside from handheld the way it's intended to be used.
I think we can all agree, Windows is the best, and worst thing for these handhelds. Great compatibility but can make some things a chore. Though, I will take some of the annoyances that come along with it if it means I am able to play ALL of the games I own with no compatibility issues.
There's something called Emudeck Game Mode or something like that, it will emulate Steam Deck on Windows without sacrificing all the features on windows
How’s the sleep situation? Did you find a solution to help get less battery drain from Windows running in the background?
I read they fixed it so it sleeps now.
I got the x and It’s pretty good can play a lot of AAA games with 60fp and up and they still run good I say it’s worth the purchase if you got the money
I love the ally x but the sticks could be better. Sill waiting for gulikit hall sensor sticks.
Same.
@@puertadlm163 AAAAMEN......Same they are in route!
I was looking for a 14inch laptop but aftr taking a gander at some benchmarks. This is such a great portable pc
Wireless mouse and keyboard and you can actually get some work done with little to no room in your backpack
Great video 👍👍do you thing the 7 screen too small?? Would you wait for the msi 8 ai plus coming out next yr 8 inch screen??
I grabbed both the go and ally x on sale im only keeping one. I love the ally x and great battery but once you hold the legion and see that screen it's hard to to go back. The legion is just a way more comfortable grip for me and synthetic benchmarks between them the legion wins every time (timespy, userbenchmark). Im probably going to return the legion ONLY because there's def a new one coming soon and more than likely will have an oled screen and bigger battery. Until then I ordered a grip for the x to help with comfort and I love not having to worry about battery. Also in certain games having the extra ram helps, I've experienced crashes on higher end games just trying medium settings on the go, where the ally x doesn't. Also the quick menu pops up alot faster on the x then the go. Their both great. Legion was down to 579 when I got it and allyx was 699. Both well worth those prices. I recommend a nice battery pack to go with the legion if anyone goes for that, or run at 15 watts unless plugged in.
I love the video.
I have been debating between the steam deck, Ally, and Ally x and this was super helpful! Please keep making more videos about the Ally X!
Thank you, and more to come for sure! :)
now i can play pacman
As much as i liked it, it felt too heavy for me. I returned it and kept my original ally. Great handheld tho.
I could see the weight being an issue if you’re super used to the original. Since I don’t have the original ally in my hands anymore, I haven’t noticed the weight difference all that much and I find it to be quite comfortable cause the grips.
But hey, I’d sacrifice a little weight for double the battery life. I think that’s a little insane! 😂
First handheld pc for me. Weight was forsure tough. I prop it on the box it came in when I'm laying down lol!
If you don’t lift just say that.
😂
@@cesarcarrillojr.8570 I have forearms like Popeye after playing this handheld for two months
LETS GOOOOOO THE VIDEO IS OUTTTTTT!!! Mannn I really gotta get my hands on one to try it out haha! Also game pass is genuinely a game changer if I ever start gaming LMAO And BO6 is on it! Amazing video Jon!!! 😄
Thank you man! :) And yeah you need to !
I absolutely love my old ALLY Z1 ext. and I could be even happier to have this upgraded version !
but I prefer to save money for an ALLY 2 with maybe a Z2 extreme in it :p
honestly, I am ok to keep this screen with vrr than an oled without !
I modded my ally, ended up just buying the ally x battery, 3d printed the battery tray and a couple of other things, got a adaptor to plug and and play the ally x battery and now I don’t need to upgrade. Only reason why I did this was because I have the 3080 egpu , didn’t want to sell both just to get the ally x, I’m happy with the mod, works perfect and now I get several hours at turbo
Great video! I just found your channel. I still find myself watching these videos even though I have had the ROG Ally X since launch. However, I will be installing Playnite after seeing your video. Thank you!
Ahahah thanks! And yes!! Playnite is a great hack for it
Oled doesn’t currently work properly with vrr. Vrr is far far more important for a gaming experience.
Love my ally x, but it still auffers from the same main issue i had with the og model. The egronomics are not good at all. It absolutely comes in last when conparing comfort levels to its conpetitors. Theres just not enough to hold on to. I couldnt even imagine trying to use it as someone who has larger hands.
You can grips 3d printed, I've ordered some yesterday, supposed to let you fully grip like a controller
Thank you for this awesome review! I really wanted to invest in a very powerful handheld device that I can also use for video editing and some light work. 🎮
Yes! This thing is awesome you will like it
Managed to pick up the original ally for about £320 as an open box deal. For me it’s is phenomenal and the further £480 probably wouldn’t give me more value. However those picking up the X with the better battery life and more ram are in for a hell of a good time. Blows me away what the ally is capable of :)
You happy with your purchase of the original ally? Also did you get the extreme Z1 or regular?
Great video!
Love getting my tech content from a competent honest reviewer.
Keep up the great work, subscriber gained for sure!
Thank you :)
Great review👊👊🎮
this thing is a emulator running god, runs everything under the ps3/xbox 360 generation(ive only tried ps2 and older). there in an 8tb nvme and 2 tb micro sd card, this is a beast
Ally and Ally x made it hard for me to ever play on another handheld. Ally is too amazing
I love mine but the Steam Deck OLED's screen is so good VRR just doesn't outweigh the color and contrast differences.
@@HeyJes yeah I need VRR. Steam deck plays most game at a rocky 34 fps. Even ganes you can get above 60fps u still have to worry about screen tearing until u cap the fps. With my Ally I don’t have to worry about screen tearing AT ALL. Much better than slightly better colors
@@fresco_dinero5155 What is so wrong about just capping the FPS? And tbh it is not just "slightly better" it is honestly to god night and day difference.
@ why cap the fps at 40 when I can get 70+ fps unlocked on the Ally??
And no the color differences aren’t night and day. More like 4pm to 6pm. It’s a difference, but not that drastic
@@fresco_dinero5155 I'm not going to fight you on what is objectively a subjective topic
🎮 Thanks for the information, I have the Steamdeck oled , but want to play games like Black Ops 6, I know you can dual boot with a bit of messing with the deck, but would rather a dedicated system.
I was undecided between just getting the Ally and Ally x, and this video has helped me make that decision, thanks
About to treat myself, and this was super helpful in making my decision. Thanks! 🎮
I wanna play retro games on a handheld device....well Age of empires, black and white,. Command and conquer etc. will i able to do so on this device? Obviously il be dabbling in the AAA side of games aswell.
Yes, of course. Windows is great for emulation because there is just so many tools. Steam Deck would be good too if you want a cheaper device. But the Ally X would give you best of both worlds, especially with higher-end AAA games.
I really wanna get this. Never had a handheld. My only thing is, if I don't have wifi, I'm fucked. Won't be able to play majority of the games
i’m pretty sure you can play most single player games like spider man, i could be wrong though
How does it feel to hold up and play @ eye-level for an hour? Does it need to be balanced on a surface?
Great video! I really wish the CoD's would support Linux. I think it would be a huge leap for handheld gaming. Less people would have to deal with the hassle that is Windows on a handheld.
Creator Question: What are you using to get those fun colors as your backdrop for your b-roll? I want to up my b-roll game!
I agree hahaha.
And just some foam core/ poster boards from the dollar store 😂😂
@@jonvaliagas Thank you!!
Hey, I got a question which is the best handheld to play call of duty
Any chance you could make a how-to video on emulation for PS3 games? Test with a game like, killzone 2. I've never done emulation before, and the process looks daunting.
Apparently rpcs3 is the best emulator so far for that generation.
love my OG ally. Looking forward to the next big updated model.
Maybe I'll get an oled version if they ever release one.
The ally has one of the loudest buttons press on the market too.
I’m sorry, but this really is not a real problem 😂 either way you are going to hear the button presses
I'm going to wait for the next gen of handhelds i think. I feel most games I'd play I'd be on low presets or just lowering all settings. I'll give it another 4 years and stick with my pc
Ally is $500 right now, I would still buy the Ally X for $800
I returned my Ally 3 weeks after I bought it. It was not powerful enough. Ally X looks like it might get the job done.
Great review, thanks!
They have the same APU lol.. the x only just 8 gbs of ram more
@@Stryker123321 So I bought the Ally X and I can tell you it is more powerful than regular Ally. Same APU but way more ram and faster ram. Plus more battery and better cooling.
I absolutely love it-it’s incredible! I’ve always dreamed of playing multiplayer FPS games like Call of Duty on a handheld (without streaming), and now it’s finally possible. That said, playing competitively on it is a real challenge. Looks like you’re getting nuked too, huh? XD
Has anyone experienced having to put in new replacement parts ect on the older model yet? costs? laptops dont normally last that long so wondering how long this will last
Only issue is the tiny screen I tried the legion go and man it’s sooooo hard to go back to ally screen after the size of legion go one and even portal one. If they could have just given us an 8” screen would be best to me.
what is better to take for games? asus x vs legion go ?
Ally x
@@horticultural261 Agreed but if the Legion gets a proper revision with it's key flaws fixed that'll be nuts.
@@stevenbishop1782 i think they are making it. It called legion go Lite.
Is it better than legion go?!
The Z1 Extreme is a steal at the moment
Good review. Wish I had the money burning a hole in my pocket to upgrade from my OG lol 🎮
What's the game running at 10:01?
Black Ops 2 Town
@ thank you!
It’s the same as the extreme besides a few tweaks and a bigger battery. I say if you got the money go for it otherwise you’re not really missing. Nothing keep your extreme and just enjoy and have fun.
The “extreme” you are mentioning is the SoC, the Ally X also has the Z1 extreme - but because of the additional memory (24GB vs. 16) and it being clocked much higher you can allot more to the GPU, (I have it set to 8) with 16 left over for RAM. Meaning you could play more demanding titles with less issues (on paper).
Yes please to more Ally content. Thank you for this video.
Should I go for the asus rog ally x or steam deck oled i Will play cod and eafc 25
Ally, the steam deck cannot play COD. You need windows for the anti chest.
Or you can install windows on deck and still play both and have much better os that is steam deck
I have the ally x and running EAFC 25 runs smoothly for me, even ultimate team
Bazzite works well on the ally for dual boot and steam os is coming soon.
Whatever u do. Don’t ever install windows on a Steam deck. Horrible optimizations
Instead, Bazzite is made for Ally. So you can either do windows or steam os
Thank you for this review! I am between the Asus ROG Ally X and waiting for the next gen Lenovo Legion Go.
How much is 80wh in mah in estimated conversion? Is it like 20.000mah, 30.000mah
5,100 mah or so.
The main reason I'm looking to pitch out an extra 200 bucks on this instead of the Legion Go, despite ASUS's recent issues with customer service and warranty refusals, is that it is so top-notch and I haven't actually talked to anyone who had to return one due to faulty hardware. I want to replace my work laptop with it. I already carry around a portable monitor, 85wh battery with an outlet, and keyboard and mouse with me. This will be smaller than the laptop I'm replacing it with, and be able to replace my gaming laptop as well.
My goal is to get an eGPU dock as well, so when I have it at home I can run heavy AAA games at max quality. I game at 1080p, so most modern hardware lets me hit max.
With that in mind, anyone disagree with me on this being a good choice?
In the same boat, haven't had a laptop in like 15 years, wanted to get one but the options are so bad, really had me considering a MacBook. Almost every gaming laptop has tons of impractical downsides that make them not really portable in reality. And for 1k you're not getting 24gb ram, 120hz, and 2tb in a quality laptop
I'm genuinely considering this too. It's actually insane what you can squeeze out of the Ally.
Do it
@@michaellassic6274 I did for the black Friday sale, it's awesome
They really should have put an OLED screen on this. After using my desktop monitor and switch then going back to the Ally it definitely is a bit disappointing. Even if it cost battery life a bit and was a bit more expensive I wouldn't have minded.
Steamdeck price you can’t beat if money is your thing your going for the deck 100% even the oled it’s a few hundred less and you can spend another 100 for a 1tb
Would you say this is equal to thr original one? Can it play the same games find like gta5. Do I need to get the x?
I believe you will need to get the Ally with the Z1Extreme on. It should run games similar to how the Ally x would
That's a Thunderbolt port. E-gpus can still be used :)
Oh no no, he was talking about the original Ally which only had support for the XG Mobile dock. They removed it in favour for USB4, so a lot more compatibility
You are in SBMM HELL lmao
This video was the determining factor for what handheld I was going to buy so thank you for the info!
I am dude. It’s a nightmare. I’m 8th prestige now, and cannot do anything anymore with a 1.5KD
Glad you found it useful LOL
Controller emoji! 😉
Loved the review
Curious if it’s worth getting this if I’m mainly going to play Ghost Of Tsushima, Monster Hunter World, maybe Fortnite, and Rocket League or is it more worth it to just get a Steam Deck Oled, or ROG Ally for only 400 to 550 dollars
You would benefit from installing Bazzite on your device. It’s literally made the Ally 2x better
Nah most the titles I play will not work due to linux w/ anti-cheat.
Bro you dropped another video about owning steam deck on 2025 and some of the things you said there contradicts what you are saying here, either one of your reviews is not being honest or you forgot you said, on the other video “I don’t need to play COD on a handheld I have a pc and a console” here you are saying you are glad you can do that. When someone watches both of the videos, this becomes obvious. Anyways great content for the most part.
Fantastic review, thank you.
games won't work on linux because devs don't want to do the bare minimum to enable it or they don't want them to work on linux/proton. The issue is not "bEcAuSe iT's LiNuX".
I mean fair LOL
Wouldn’t you just be able to put steam in big picture mode and get that same steam deck experience
Guys does anyone know if there is a new version of ROG ally in 2025 because I wanna buy ROG ally x but if there is a new version in 2025 I will wait
My Ally died after 1.5 years, and I got a full refund, 780€. So... I bought a new one. Not an Ally X, but an Ally, for 450€. Buying an Ally X for double the price made no sense to me, especially when I already have a fast external battery and a bigger replacement HDD.
What about this as a replacement for a desktop PC. I want to dock it with a monitor and keyboard and Webcam and use it for zoom calls, discord, Google docs, spreadsheets, webrousing and UA-cam binging (when I am not gaming, obviously gaming is its primary purpose) currently I have an old Dell that is doing all that work stuff, but it cannot run any game more serious than dead cells or hallow knight.
In theory, yeah you can do that. It’s windows at the end of the day so you can use it as a regular pc when connected to a screen.
@jacksonhowell8800 I imagine that when I try to do it there will be a lot of potential pitfalls in terms of hardware compatibility and having enough USB ports if I don’t want alot of bluetooth devices.
More ally x content please!
Does the X come in white?
No X is black, Rog Ally Z1 extreme is white but still close in performance but X fixed cooling issues and more connection ports and better battery life.
i wish 😢
that's racist!!!!!!!!!!
I got the steamdeck for the oled but i wish i wouldve gone with something more powerful
It's expensive but worth it. Really cool piece of tech. Smokes every single other handheld. All the others only have 16gb of total memory leaving 8gb for system memory if you give the gpu 8 ( that's just not enough, sorry). and no VRR. It was the Ally X for me, or nothing at all.
3:27 ALL users, eventually. It is inevitable.
I don't know anyone this has happened to in real life, to be completely honest. But it has for sure been a real issue. Don't get me wrong, I am not down playing it.
Hasn't happened to me, keep in mind my ally is one of the first batch of og allys with the R5 serial num lol
I can’t get Battlefield 2042 running correctly. What’s a recommended setting? 🎮
900P, lowered settings and for BF2024 I am using FSR3
@@jonvaliagasthank you!! I’m subbed! Keep on with the Ally X videos they are! 🔥🔥🔥
🎮 getting mine soon from yesterday's cyber Monday sale! With gift card, I paid $490!
DAMN! CONGRATS!
Defect: right stick too close to the screen. Once I touch the screen. Camera goes haywire lol
How c are you touching the screen 😂
@ I got big hands.
After years of using small screens, phone, tablet ect, I became near sighted. Enjoy the Ally x While you can because I can tell you for sure there will come a point when a 7" screen is just a blur to you unless you're wearing glasses. All the more reason to focus my gaming to the big screen.
🎮 let me see some more ally x stufffff planning on buying it this season
playmate sounds good
…But can it run Monster Hunter Wilds?
I disagree I had a deck. Was cool and all but the z1 extreme is a nice upgrade for me. And for the same price as a deck 449 at Best Buy
I like the review and opinions. But man, you have to stop recycling same B roll videos over and over :) looks like commercial on loop :)
We need a bigger battery
The OLED screen would've made it better.
How about other big games? Not everyone plays CoD/Fortnite 😅
🎮 Thank you for filling me out with this is this helped a lot with me choosing
Thanks for watching! :)
Like your nails dude ❤
It wasn't his hands on that clip lmao
@randerins it was his hands. Multiple times. Stop. You are not his lawyer.
I've never heard Asus pronounced like that before
Oled would mean no variable refresh
How come? OLED has VRR support.
Got one last week, love it. Been playin Halo hah
Love that!
Better review than the others
Hello, please tell me Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom how does it work?)
How did you get black ops 2 zombies? Lol
Love mine. Won’t touch my steam deck oled