ROG Ally vs Steam Deck vs Switch

Having spent a bunch of time with both now, I wanted to share my thoughts on how the ROG Ally compares to the Steam Deck, with a couple thoughts thrown in for how they relate to the Nintendo Switch. Looking at comfort in handheld mode, button and sticks layout, battery life, game performance, gameplay while docked, and how the general experience is different for each one.

Interested in either system?

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[gaborojasjalil]

There's just something about Handheld gaming, that for me the portability is key, but also the ability to be very close and personal with the games too. It's like reading a book if you ask me. I don't mind being plugged in to the wall.

[sewaraldahab]

I have duel boot steam deck and I absolutely love it, it's a great device for the money and I can do anything I want with it, having access to windows as well as steam os makes huge different to me. The best part is that I got 1tb ssd and 512 SD card + the steam deck all for around 365€ and it was absolutely worth it every penny

[RyKnocks]

The popping sound on the ROG is due to insufficient power for Dolby Surround at lower power profiles. You either have to pump up the wattage, or turn off dolby surround.

[kickconnection]

Just picked up the ROG Ally....the VRR is amazing. The one unique feature on any handheld that was a huge upsell for me to make the decision. The speakers are some of the best I've ever heard. Dolby Atmos was such a nice touch.

[PilotPerkins]

I love the touchpads on the Steam Deck. It’s like an Apple Pencil to the iPad….. great addition for when you need it.

[Ice_]

Creating different control profiles for each game, creating your own configuration of a weapon wheel, as well as 1 button = long combo with the steam deck it makes it like a great and flexible console. And you get the benefit of emulation in it.

[RenLacerda]

Great comparison analysis. Unbiased, highlighting objective points for different users needs/wants. Really helped me to make a confident and informed buying decision. Thank you!

[Dorderhan]

The image grain looks nice! I like the vibe of the color grading

[investmentking]

For me I got the 64gb Steam Deck and upgraded it as in total it was $550 Cad for getting a dock, half tb ssd and 256 sd card. The rog ally starts at 900 cad which is way more and while the performance and screen is better it's a great jump in price. The steam deck also has its desktop mode on it which is nice and it just works and as a student who does not have the most time to play videogames having to not deal with problems is nice.

[dyris]

For me I couldn't go without the track pads, since they are absolute life savers when I'm doing stuff in desktop mode and when I'm playing strategy games. Also the ROG ally is a handheld PC with the upsides and downsides of it being a pc, whereas the steam deck is an extremely modifiable console.

[asjrr]

That intro of combining the ROG and the Steam Deck looked so sick

[Dragonlord-ybch]

A little minor correction I wanted to point out, multiplayer games tend to have trouble running on the steam deck due to their anti-cheat implementations flagging Linux (which SteamOS is built on) and it’s up to the game and anti cheat developers to fix this as valve has no control over this. Other than that I’d say it’s a great comparison

[jonbee]

I haven’t tried the steam deck yet but I really like the ROG Ally that I bought so far. Yes I have had some issues with it but the ROG is truly a handheld gaming computer so you’re gonna have weird issues with it like any gaming computer.

What I like about the Ally is since it’s a computer you have a lot of flexibility to basically modify it anyway you want.

[stevengardner]

The game gear/game boy comparison is apt, though back then we didnt have the luxury of portable power banks, which i believe is an essential accessory for either device, especially if you regularly travel.

[CosmicApe]

Having owned both, I think the ROG Ally is generally the better gaming experience just given the better internals and screen, but the Steam Deck is the far superior overall user experience. It's so solid and SteamOS is fantastic. The Ally with Windows 11 can be just a buggy mess with tons of annoying quirks.

[NateDoggyDog-yq]

Just a note to point out i learned from Jayz2cents' video on the ROG. The popping sound comes from the Dolby app. If you disable it that popping goes away. Hope that helps anyone here trying to figure out what's causing that!

[trippg]

I thought about both of them a lot, and eventually ended up getting the Ally. However, I will say as an avid switch user the battery life of the Ally makes it definitely not a Mobile gaming handheld. What I learned is, it’s primarily meant to be plugged in and disconnected for the short times that you have to be away from power. I feel like the steam deck would have been much more of a switch replacement. As an example, I carry my switch whenever I have to go somewhere and not really worry about battery life I don’t think I can do that for the Ally mostly because the battery life is extremely inconsistent, which is a hallmark of windows.

[crestofhonor]

For me I’d say the ROG ally is the best for me as I have lots of PC games across different stores. Steam Deck is in a close second and Switch very close behind the deck. All of these devices are great

[prejm]

For me it's the switch! Family friendly, nintendo software, flexibility by having joy cons that detach, ease of use, battery life.
I'm sure those other two are great but still not tempted in getting them.

[malcolmar]

Great comparison. The fact that we are at this point in video gaming is not lost on me. Love the Game Gear and Gameboy comparison and something I thought of as well. I am loving my Steam Deck. The fact it is more of a console experience in PC mobile gaming is perfect for me and since I already have a large collection of games on Steam made it a no brainer for me and Valve priced it right. With that said, I just picked up an OLED Switch and I love that as well. Just recently Nintendo had an AMAZING E-shop sale and when you buy a game on the E-shop you just know it will work on the Switch with no problems and and ease of use is a big plus for some. Combine that with the beautiful OLED screen, great battery life, the various modes of play on the Switch not to mention it is one of the few if not only game consoles that comes with 2 controllers and you really appreciate Nintendo's focus on couch, co-op play and I have to say Nintendo Labo is some of the most creative uses of a video game system and cardboard I have ever seen. With that said and for the money. Steam Deck and Switch is the winning combo for me and my family. Thanks again and enjoy those games.