The workplace Steam Deck and I’ve had some good occasions. For one, taking part in 1000xResist for the second time on this handheld gaming powerhouse proved a far smoother expertise than my first go round on the Nintendo Switch. For one other, the Steam Deck display screen actually lets me respect simply how drained The Thaumaturge protagonist Wiktor Szulski seems initially of the sport. If solely chasing my very own everlasting sleepiness away was as straightforward as befriending a fiend from the opposite facet.
Alas, I’ve stored the workplace Steam Deck zipped up in its case for longer than I’d prefer to admit. Why? It’s simply logistics—my poor little raptor claws get drained dealing with the heft of Valve’s handheld by lengthy gaming classes. So, what snapped me awake—sharp talons and all—was this deal on the lighter weight Asus ROG Ally, now solely $450 from Best Buy.
To be clear, we’re speaking in regards to the authentic Asus ROG Ally launched in 2023, and never the extra refined Asus ROG Ally X that got here out final summer time. The Ally is slightly older, certain, however nonetheless has quite a bit to supply; to begin off on the very best foot attainable, our Dave wrote in his Asus ROG Ally assessment that “Asus has made a genuinely next-gen Steam Deck within the ROG Ally.” Considering the Steam Deck 2 is probably going nonetheless a methods off, and the very fact Asus’ surprisingly light-weight handheld gaming PC boasts the identical AMD Z1 Extreme APU because the Ally X, that assertion is not simply hyperbole even as we speak.
With 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a speedy PCIe 4.0 SSD as well, video games run superbly. However, the true head turner on this handheld is the 7-inch display screen. Now, I do know what you are considering—and I’d kindly ask you to get your thoughts out of the gutter—however this handheld’s IPS-level display screen with FHD 1080p decision continues to be nothing to sneeze at (or make double entendres about).
That mentioned, there are nonetheless drawbacks to selecting up this older mannequin although—even when it’s so deeply and temptingly discounted. For a begin, 512 GB of onboard storage just isn’t a lot to play with (until you are an actual fiend for indie video games). But mercifully, even the unique Asus ROG Ally options expandable storage, permitting you to pop in a microSD card for slightly extra respiratory room.
Besides that, there’s not masses in it between the 2 Asus handhelds; the brisker and funkier X has twice as a lot RAM, an extended lasting battery, and some extra choices in terms of cupboard space. For the complete tech spec comparability, try our Asus ROG Ally X assessment.
Still, in terms of handheld gaming PCs with a a lot much less intimidating kind issue, it is onerous to place the Asus ROG Ally down—which is to say, I ought to in all probability go cost it earlier than too lengthy. Of all of the locations for my handheld to expire of juice, I’d fairly it wasn’t mid-game of reality or dare in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage…
