Packing an AMD Z1 Extreme chip, super quiet fans and an excellent 1080p display, the ASUS ROG Ally is the Steam Deck’s biggest rival yet. And thanks to a platform based on Windows instead of Linux, it has way better game compatibility too. So to see which handheld PC is right for you, we pitted both systems against each other to see which portable gaming machine reigns supreme.
Read our full review of ASUS ROG Ally here: https://www.engadget.com/asus-rog-ally-review-the-steam-decks-most-powerful-rival-specs-price-080029032.html
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Ahahah all the steam fan boys are desperate. Desperate. Its objectively superior to steam deck. Thats not opinion. Laughable in the comments. Gettign on your knees for a toy is pathetic.
i can see how people would prefer the deck more but for my use case the ally is better. Great video nonetheless.
my biggest issue with the Steam Deck is pirated games is really a russian roulette… many times the pirated version is giving errors due to the custom things done by the cracker group, and the official steam version of the game run flawlessly (for example Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, the FLT version is not working meanwhile the steam version of RCRA is running without problems) . And I wouldn't call the Deck user friendly at all, many times you have to do research how to get over problems with certain games, messing with the compability layer, use custom GE proton versions, downloading community made controller layout because the official is not working, launch commands ….
Hi guys. So which one should I buy?
ROG Ally or Steam Deck?
And can ROG ALLY play steam game too?
Steam has an easier way of playing, buttons and joysticks feel good/quality. Also handheld feels good/comfortable in hands
Rog allt buttons/joysticks feel cheap. And it isnt so user friendly because of windows 11. Also handheld isnt as comfortable as steam deck
Returned my Ally less than a week after purchase. My sd card got fried, volume down button only registeres like ever other click, and the right trigger for whatever was dead out of the box. Aside from that it didn't really perform that much better than the Steam Deck. Only thing I really appreciated over the Deck was the screen which admittedly was gorgeous. However, that wasn't enough for me to consider replacing my deck. Don't get me wrong. Asus is headed in the right direction, and without the issues I listed with my device, it's awesome; but they aren't there yet. I hope they come out with a refresh or something in the future. For now, I'm sticking with my dual booted Deck.
Steamdeck the design❤
If we're talking about people on a budget, then the cheapest Steam Deck with a micro sd or replace the internal drive with an ssd will be a lot cheaper to get just as much or more storage.
Also they do have plans for official dual-boot support in the future, but for now it still is a pain if you want Windows on the Deck. That will be a big plus when it's finally available.
Love them both but I keep leaning towards my Steam Deck. The Ally still feels like a work in progress, but it’s obvious that given more time it’s gonna get better and better….. just keep those updates coming Asus🤞🤞
Just get the Deck. Windows on handhelds is a pain in the ass.
If you turn off the RGB lighting on the ASUS ROG Ally, do you get a decent boost to battery life? Or not so much?
I picked Steam Deck, because I couldn't find the ROG Ally anywhere. Also, I am a bit more satisfied with the gameplay experience.
Returned Ally and bought Deck, and its best decision i did. Ally is just mess, FreeSync doesnt work, TDP settings are broken, SD card you can only dream about, no cases, no parts for repair device, updates are just annoying (not starting, but those which block your display and asking about plug charger.. when you just dot wanna downloadit and cannot be closed…….).
love the rog ally and i have both!
I'm loving the handheld Renaissance. But, when the handheld can be modded then, we're really in the future.
so stem deck has better software and the ally has better hardware. So in the long run I will go with valve.
is it possible to connect a mouse and keyboard to the asus ally?
Nothing perfect both are good and bad in the same time.. 😢
Playing games like Vampire Survivors, I can get up to 6 hours of battery life on the Steam Deck.
ROG Ally will be the better system if you asking. Cant compare the both bruh.
imo $50 difference is small compared to what you get.
I'm looking into getting my wife one of the two. She's not a hardcore gamer, and mainly plays Harvest Moon/Animal crossing style games. Chill, Cozy games and doesn't need much to be happy. I also like being able to dock both and be a "portable" desktop, but I'm unsure which I'll end up going with. Her current switch just doesn't have the same versatility when it comes to being able to play PC games, but she loves to be able to be on the chilling in bed on handheld, or on tv with me in the living room on my PC. lol.
The deck is better if you're more into gaming since there's a lot of games that won't be available on the rog ally.
Well should i get a gaming handheld that wont be future proof or go all out on a ps5
Lets be honest, if steamdeck ran mw2 the ally would be garbage
Ps vita had a chance lol
Steam Deck all the way! It will continue to get better optimization and support.
Why even compare performance at all. Theres literally a ROG accessory that you plug into it thats a fucking 4090RTX
You guys can you help so I originally bought a steam deck but I got to the middle of the process of modding it to add windows but it became too hard and eventually worked but I couldn’t switch between steam and windows and all the games where running slow . Is it easier to play and set up on this or the steam deck ???and should I buy this one ?
This dude has no clue what he's doing. He's over his head and it's obvious… He should go to the "Libary" and do some research on the topic of PC's…
Steam deck running win11 is perfect for me.
The Steam Deck is good enough for me.
The Ally doesn't have a custom chip. It has a rebranded 7840u. There are people who suspect that the Z1 extreme chip is made from reject 7840u chips.
ROG is better. Hands down. Steam Deck is easier.
Lol Valve didn’t support Australia, so why should I support Valve. Buying an Ally!
I almost forgot I have an ally lol
Hasn't the technically inferior system usually won their gen? NES over SMS, PS1 over N64, PS2, Wii, Game Boy, DS, and 3DS. So more power doesn't matter.
also have to compare steam deck has a year and few months on the ally still fresh not alot of updates?
People fanboying over Steam Deck or ROG Ally are missing the big fact that we now can play AAA games on handheld devices at affordable prices.
Previously, we only have option between Switch which play AAA games at 520p, or Win GDP/Aya Neo/OneX which will cost an arm and a leg.
The fact Steam Deck and ROG Ally exist at consumer friendly pricing is a huge win for gamers, and since both are compete against each other, this will drive innovation and lower prices, we the consumer will win big time.
Both Steam Deck and ROG Ally have their own weakness, I am waiting for both company to deliver even better hardware at affordable prices. Imagine a handheld with ROG ALLY screen and power and fan noise and storage, and with Steam Deck optimization, touchpad and battery. That is the perfect handheld for me.
Thanks for making this!
The Steam Deck actually has 500 nits
I own both so this is not fanboy s#¥t
I just dont think Windows is good for this form factor. Yes it can be used but its just so damn cumbersome to set everything up and use day to day.
I own both. While I use my Ally way more than my Steam Deck, the Steam Deck is the better handheld console. I use my Ally more like an small Surface Pro that’s also great for gaming, while the Steam Deck is exclusively used for gaming.
Both are among the best devices I’ve purchased in the past few years.