Did Asus just make a better Steam Deck?｜Asus ROG Ally [Review]

The new 120Hz Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme destroys the Steam Deck in a few important ways. At $599 for the Z1 and $699 for the Z1 Extreme this handheld gaming monster plays almost any game you can throw at it thanks to Windows 11, RDNA 3 graphics and a huge list of features so good you'll leave your Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck at home collecting dust.

0:00 Start
0:14 Ally vs. Steam Deck
0:56 It just works...sometimes
1:18 OS (Asus Armory Crate)
2:28 Ally Overview
2:56 Display Lag vs. Steam Deck
4:26 Ergonomics
5:40 Buttons
7:01 D-pad
8:52 Battery life
9:15 The Ally ExPeRiEnCe
9:29 TL;DR
11:01 Which one should you buy?

#ROGAlly #steamdeck #sf6 #handheld

[kirkydaturkey]

This is the most REAL review of the devices from a REAL gamer. A lot of people reviewing these units don't appear to be putting the devices through the ringer of game testing. Their game progression is always introductory in their screen recordings.

[kaizerprobablydoesntdoanyt]

After having already bought the most expensive steamdeck because I wanted a way to play games while traveling (as I do it a lot for work) I don't think I'm buying a ROG Ally but had I not done so I would definitely buy the ally over the deck

[Echoplex]

It’s fine but the problem is Asus usually doesn’t support their own hardware that well. I KNOW Valve will keep supporting the Steamdeck and will allow other people to help with modding and so on. I like Asus, my entire computer is made up entirely of Asus parts, but I’d support Valve more

[badmoose]

I would get this if I didn’t already have a SteamDeck. I am a fan of ROG. I have a ROG laptop and the ROG 4070 ti. I just don’t see a need to have two pc handhelds when the first one works perfectly fine and since I’ve already invested into the SteamDeck accessory ecosystem. I would really miss the SteamDeck controls and the controller layout system. The capacitive touch thumbsticks are severely underrated.

[Ivy_Writer]

I really like what the Ally is offering, especially if they keep up with the updates to make the UI experience better. However, I'm already very invested in my steam deck and really love it. Another thing I like about the Ally is that it seems to be a valid competitor to the Deck in terms of price and performance.

[mrttype]

The only guy on Youtube who knows what makes a good D-Pad. And a good take on the review with the 'living with' angle. Awesome review.

[LivingMidnight]

Helpful review. The Ally screen is great. I miss 120hz on games like Dead Cells when I'm using my Steam Deck (SD). However, the GPU/CPU performance improvement isn't enough of a gap to make me want an Ally. Maybe I'll get a new device in a couple of years time when I've either broken my 1st gen SD or the price to performance ratio of newer devices has become more compelling. For now I'm just so happy with the SD and what i can do with it that I'd only switch to the Ally if someone gave me one for free.

[adamz]

I got a deck earlier this year and I'm very happy with it.
And I'm also happy to see that the competition is getting tough as it will only bring improvements.
Having a gaming pc at home i stream any uncompatible or heavy game and i get the best of both worlds.
But if you don't have a gaming pc and you're looking for raw power then go for the Ally.

[cyclonmaster]

My next bucket list...save up start now

[robertwatson]

I’ve just got my ally, , awesome bit of kit

[PuReGhOsTT]

Great review of this! I'd love one of these for my travels, but can't seem to find a spare $700😂

[Futura]

i remember the buggy mess of the steamdeck when it came out - there was questions as well on if it would get updated

[TheDarKris]

3:21 I’m wondering if this is due to the display or because of the difference between OS’s?

I keep getting tempted to pick up an Ally, but I have Windows dual booted on my Steam Deck and with the support from the SD-Windows community the experience has been so good that I rarely ever boot back into SteamOS. The only things that the Ally has going for it IMO is the improved processor, better cooling, better docked potential, and better screen.

I do love seeing the progression in PC handhelds and I’m super looking forward to what we’ll get in the next couple of years.

[Fuwa_san]

Finally a review from nihongogamer of these handhelds.

[julianp.]

Love my deck, keeping it and going to mess around with the Ally. Playing a couple different games did show it can be a superior gaming experience - but damn the steam deck is so much easier to use and MUCH more stable. Room for both of them right now I think. Guess i'll be carrying both with my switch and miyoo mini lol

[mitrashxd]

finally a real review, thanks so much <3

[MR-Santos-PR]

Dude, why I never heard about this cool channel before? Subscribed, great video

[danielshalem]

I got a steam deck two weeks ago and, having a 34 inch monitor and a nvidia 3080 rtx, I was still amazed by how well games run on it. Now playing miles morales on it and it is just amazing. And the screen is much better than all of the ally reviews say it is.

However, it realy depends. For my wife's younger brother, who does not have a gaming pc or a console othet than the switch, I adviced to get the ally. The reason was, that he does not have another way to play pc games and he has much more free time. So he better of just getting the device with the best screen and permormance.
On the other hand, for people with a gaming pc, or just very short doses of free time, I will suggest the deck.

Both are great, I just do not think they are fighting for the *exact* same audience.

[BorderBunny]

Which one is better, the razer kitsune or the victrix pro fs?

[mykeryu]

the big question is how is project diva on the ally :D