I got my hands on this new gadget, right? The Asus ROG Ally. And, honestly, my brain was buzzing with all sorts of comparisons with the Steam Deck. You know, because that’s what everyone does these days—draw lines in the sand and pick a side.
So, the Steam Deck. People gripe about its limited app access, maybe rightly so. I mean, you’re stuck wrangling with Linux if you want more than just Steam. But here comes the ROG Ally, waving its Windows 11 badge like a backstage pass. No more magic tricks needed to get your favorite launchers going—it’s like the device is saying, "I see you, Game Pass junkie."
And then we dive into the guts of these things. The ROG Ally flexes with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, partnered with AMD Radeon graphics. Sounds grand, right? Runs games smoothly enough to make your jaw drop. At least, it did for me. None of that overheating drama either. But yeah, sometimes things got a bit wonky, like when I played around with settings too much. Still, more games ran better here than on the Deck.
(Display? Chef’s kiss. Full HD LCD, light as a dream, no hand cramps, unlike that clunky Steam Deck. But…wait—there’s always a catch. That weight does mean it feels a bit plasticky. Honestly, kinda cheap next to the Steam Deck, which felt, I don’t know, more…premium?)
Ah, battery life. The Achilles’ heel, so to speak. Gaming? Two hours-ish on the Ally versus four on the Deck. You decide if that’s a deal-breaker. (Hint: keep it plugged in if you can. It’s like running a marathon without training—why risk it?)
Couple other nitpicks? No case with the Ally at the price it asks. C’mon, really? At that price, I’d love a little appreciation, not to mention those back buttons are a bit awkward. But maybe that’s just my clumsy fingers talking.
But here’s the million-dollar question—Steam Deck or ROG Ally? Well, that’s a head-scratcher. Depends on what tickles your fancy, really. You love accessibility and raw power? Go Ally. Prefer something that feels posh and has better stamina? Deck it is. It’s like comparing pizza and tacos—both are awesome in their own quirky ways.
