The ROG Ally is celebrating its 1-year anniversary at present, June 13, 2024. Beneath, we glance again at the way it overcame launch troubles to turn out to be a viable Steam Deck competitor, and an indication of how open the moveable PC market could be.
Given how a lot the marketplace for moveable gaming PCs has exploded ever since Valve launched the Steam Deck in early 2022, it is exceptional to do not forget that its closest competitor is only a yr outdated. Over a yr after the Steam Deck hit the market, Asus adopted up with the ROG Ally, a Home windows-based gaming handheld that, on paper, was an enormous step-up over Valve’s handheld. Not solely was it extra highly effective (and doubtlessly considerably so), it provided an expertise that, on the time, was missing on Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS when it got here to sport and launcher compatibility. It did not take lengthy for the Ally’s greatest draw to even be thought-about its achilles heel, however even with the preliminary teething problems with adapting Home windows to a tool it was by no means meant to work easily with, the ROG Ally has confirmed that there is greater than sufficient client demand and variability for it to be extremely profitable.
Again in Could 2023, Asus introduced the ROG Ally simply as Valve was starting to get a grip on Steam Deck provide points. For the longest time, it was extremely tough to get your fingers on a Steam Deck, with a restricted launch throughout a handful of areas and demand utterly outstripping provide. The ROG Ally was the antidote to that bitter capsule, launching extra extensively throughout the globe given Asus’ way more established distribution community, and giving these with a Steam Deck-sized gap within the coronary heart another choice. It competed on value, too, with its highest-spec mannequin coming in at simply $50 greater than the equal Steam Deck. For that, you bought a bigger show, the next 1080p decision with a 120Hz refresh price and, most significantly, variable refresh price assist. The ROG Ally was corresponding to the Steam Deck in dimension and weight, albeit with barely much less favorable ergonomics as many would uncover when getting it in hand. Nonetheless, with practically eight instances the theoretical energy behind it because of the most recent Z1 Excessive chip inside courtesy of AMD, it was trying like a no brainer in a world the place the weaker, and fewer attainable, Steam Deck presently dominated.
One other large draw was Home windows, which made the ROG Ally appropriate with something you would possibly need to play on a desktop. The Steam Deck launched with SteamOS, a extremely personalized model of Linux that allowed Valve to show its handheld right into a extra console-like expertise, albeit on the expense of compatibility. Many video games, particularly these with sure anti-cheat techniques, weren’t appropriate with the OS (and nonetheless aren’t), whereas getting video games from different launchers working required some tinkering. SteamOS was additionally extremely buggy within the months after launch and flat-out did not assist Sport Cross for PC given its requirement for the Home windows Retailer. Home windows assist appeared like a viable resolution to those issues, and one which gave the ROG Ally much more attract. Not solely would Sport Cross work with out challenge, switching between Steam, the Epic Video games Retailer, and extra would simply work, as it might on some other desktop.
The issue that grew to become noticeable after launch, nonetheless, wasn’t that the ROG Ally wasn’t as much as the duty of taking over the Steam Deck from a {hardware} standpoint, however that its chosen OS simply wasn’t as much as the duty of getting used within the handheld format. Home windows was cumbersome to navigate on the ROG Ally, and Asus’ personal try at wrapping the expertise with its Armory Crate software program was nowhere close to as polished and seamless because the way more superior SteamOS. The ROG Ally could not pause and droop video games if you turned the Ally off, a staple on the planet of handhelds however a logical alternative when Home windows on a desktop by no means required this when enjoying video games. It created a variety of friction between the liberty of alternative and the consumer expertise on the machine, in a short time resulting in recommendations that, regardless of the surprisingly small efficiency delta, the Steam Deck was nonetheless the preferable machine.
And but, the ROG Ally discovered a big, vocal viewers. It was lauded for its compatibility throughout all launchers, particularly round making it simple to take Sport Cross on the go. Its efficiency, whereas nowhere close to the anticipated leap over the Steam Deck, was nonetheless sufficient to make the argument value having, even when it got here on the expense of battery life. Its show wasn’t revolutionary, however the larger recent price and assist for variable refresh price gave it a big benefit over the Steam Deck, with the latter particularly necessary in a cell machine that may’t all the time maintain a constant framerate. Regardless of its lack of ability to considerably overcome the hurdles Microsoft itself hasn’t with Home windows on the sort of {hardware}, the ROG Ally grew to become a powerful alternative for these with particular wants, making it precisely what it promised to be–an enchancment over the Steam Deck that would supply some sturdy competitors on this blossoming market.
Its impact has been noticeable, too. Earlier than the ROG Ally launched, the Steam Deck was operating virtually unopposed given its price-to-performance ratio, however since then it is needed to compete not solely with Asus, but additionally the likes of Lenovo, MSI, Ayaneo, and new market gamers reminiscent of Zotac. Every one tries to distinguish itself with small iterations on the identical base system, with various ranges of success. Nonetheless, it is Asus and its ROG Ally which have come inside hanging distance of the Steam Deck, and stay its hottest competitors. It is a product that Asus believes in too, with the announcement of a brand new iteration launching simply over a yr after the unique. Focused to repair a few of the unique’s shortcomings, the Asus ROG Ally X comes with barely revised ergonomics, replaceable thumbsticks, a considerably bigger battery, and higher cooling concerns. It isn’t the sequel that some may need craved, with each Asus and Valve ready for the anticipated vital enhance in efficiency from AMD’s upcoming chips. When that day lastly arrives, nonetheless, it’s going to be fascinating to see how spherical two of this bout will play out, with shoppers finally being the largest winners.
