ROG Ally

kirbyrj said:
Everything I've seen says the non extreme version of the Z1 is garbage in terms of actual gaming performance compared to both Steam Deck and regular Z1 Extreme.
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Might be ok to play older games in silent mode (9watts)

Is there any review at 9watt mode for older games ?
 
Bumping a semi-old thread to say I just picked up an Ally yesterday. I was trying to decide between it and the new OLED deck. Saw the local BestBuy had an open box one for $508 and took the plunge. I’m really enjoying it so far. Played a bit of Lies of P, Borderlands 2, and Monster Hunter Rise. They all play good with it set to either 30w or manually set to max. I’m excited to check out some emulators over the four day weekend and really dig into the potential of this thing.
 
Ended up ordering a refurb from Best Buy for $489 CAD today. A little worried about it being a refurb, but it still has the 30 day return policy/one year warranty, and it's cheap enough that I won't feel too screwed if it does brick itself after a year.

Currently watching ROG Ally-specific Windows 'debloat' guides and also found its simple enough to install a 2280 SSD into the Ally - which is very cool.

A little concerned about Windows (I hated the experience when trying to use it on the Steam Deck), but from what I've read, ASUS Armory makes the experience a lot better.
 
SeymourGore said:
Ended up ordering a refurb from Best Buy for $489 CAD today. A little worried about it being a refurb, but it still has the 30 day return policy/one year warranty, and it's cheap enough that I won't feel too screwed if it does brick itself after a year.

Currently watching ROG Ally-specific Windows 'debloat' guides and also found its simple enough to install a 2280 SSD into the Ally - which is very cool.

A little concerned about Windows (I hated the experience when trying to use it on the Steam Deck), but from what I've read, ASUS Armory makes the experience a lot better.
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I'm interested in how you made out. I've been thinking about doing the same thing. I have a couple SD's, but when push comes to shove, it's not that desktop friendly and not all my games are on steam. My use case would be essentially a miniPC that I can also take out and game with.
 
It arrived Thursday, but haven't had much time to play it until today (due to work). Most of my previous two evenings with it were limited to installing Windows updates and spending a good chunk of time optimizing Windows for handheld use (based off a Youtube video by filt3rless).

Hardware-wise, it feels premium, definitely more solid than my Steam Deck. I do miss the Steam Deck's 'stiffer' analogue sticks, but in actual use I don't notice much of a difference. The dpad and facebuttons feel better than the Steam Deck's imo, the dpad has a nice click and felt great during a quick play of Mega Man 2; And the face buttons are larger than the SD, closer to a Xbox gamepad - pretty sure they might be the same size. Screen is beautiful compared to my LCD Steam Deck, I didn't think I'd appreciate the resolution bump on a 7" screen, but I do.

The 'Refurb/Open Box' didn't appear to affect the unit itself. The unit didn't have any signs of use - the box it came in was definitely rough, though. And I had to contact ASUS support to be able to register the device, but that was painless enough.

I haven't really stretched its legs out on a graphically intense title, but it ran Fallguys at 80-100+ FPS on performance mode (really quietly too).

Battery life is lackluster, even playing FF VII - 7th Heaven mod on Silent mode, the battery got chewed up pretty quick. I haven't played around too much with TDP, but I'm sure I can improve things for my retro/older titles at least.

ASUS software - actually, not bad. Armory Crate isn't that great, I'll likely replace it with Playnite or that Steam OS-lookalike frontend the Emudeck guys are working on, but its servicable. ASUS Command Centre is great though - being able to quickly End Task, adjust TDP, change resolution, etc is great and exactly what's needed for a Windows-based handheld.

As for Windows - not bad at all. Command Centre is going a long way to make it comfortable using a gamepad. Windows performs smooth on the Z1 Extreme, and having a KBM hooked up to it feels... like a Windows PC. Windows was definitely annoying initially, but it can be tamed to be a lot more comfortable.

The Xbox App was annoying at first, kept getting a 'Site ID' error trying to load Minecraft, but by the time the next morning rolled around it was working fine. Likely just needed some Windows update installed.

But, yeah, really impressed by it. See how it goes for the next month, but I can definitely see this guy replacing my Steam Deck.

Here's the setup video I followed:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPKepg96XP8
 
I just picked one up last week. So far I like it. It's definitely easier to configure due to my familiarity with Windows. I also have much better luck with this thing docked. No random display issues like I had with the steam deck and it's official dock. Realistically it could be a mini PC replacement.

The battery life is pretty terrible. Other than that though it's a great little device.

I was playing through Arkham City and it was smooth. I fired up skull and bones and it was serviceable. I installed emudeck, and emulators are very solid.
 
Just finishing up my first set of nights with my ROG and - yeah, it's effectively replaced my Steam Deck.

I got the Skull & Co grip case for it, and that rounded out the grips nicely where it's very comfortable to hold. I'd dare say this handheld has become more comfortable than the Steam Deck for me, I'm attributing it to the larger face buttons and analogue stick placement. I still prefer a 'stiffer' analogue stick ala Steam Deck, but forget about the looseness of the ROG's sticks during gameplay. It reminds me of a 360 or Dreamcast stick. The Steam Deck was comfortable and I'd rarely receiving hand cramping, but I'd still use a 8bitdo gamepad for long sessions or more difficult platforming - this hasn't been a need for the ROG Ally, I can comfortable play it for longer sessions and haven't had the desire to use a gamepad over the built-in controls.

I was complaining about the lack of touchpads on this device, but really, haven't missed them at all except for one game. For general mouse movement (what I mainly used them for on the Steam Deck), the PC mode + touchscreen are serviceable enough for me.

I've been using Playnite as a prettier frontend for my games, and while it's not nearly as sleek as Steam OS' game mode, it's still functional and 'pretty'. Illusion fades when you launch a game and it switches back to Windows for a brief second, but whatever - the games work fine once they do start. Hoping this Emudeck 'SteamOS-like' frontend for Windows gets a public release at some point and I'll give that a shot. I tried Steam Big Picture mode, and found it more of a pain in the ass than Playnite, especially when loading 3rd party launcher titles. Playnite just handles all the required 3rd party launcher services better than Steam.

I haven't tried any emulators yet, and don't really plan on it until I get a larger SSD in it (I don't trust the SD card slot). Truth be told, with Gamepass and the current JRPG's sitting in my Steam backlog, I probably won't be looking at much emulation in the near future.
 
SeymourGore said:
Just finishing up my first set of nights with my ROG and - yeah, it's effectively replaced my Steam Deck.

I got the Skull & Co grip case for it, and that rounded out the grips nicely where it's very comfortable to hold. I'd dare say this handheld has become more comfortable than the Steam Deck for me, I'm attributing it to the larger face buttons and analogue stick placement. I still prefer a 'stiffer' analogue stick ala Steam Deck, but forget about the looseness of the ROG's sticks during gameplay. It reminds me of a 360 or Dreamcast stick. The Steam Deck was comfortable and I'd rarely receiving hand cramping, but I'd still use a 8bitdo gamepad for long sessions or more difficult platforming - this hasn't been a need for the ROG Ally, I can comfortable play it for longer sessions and haven't had the desire to use a gamepad over the built-in controls.

I was complaining about the lack of touchpads on this device, but really, haven't missed them at all except for one game. For general mouse movement (what I mainly used them for on the Steam Deck), the PC mode + touchscreen are serviceable enough for me.

I've been using Playnite as a prettier frontend for my games, and while it's not nearly as sleek as Steam OS' game mode, it's still functional and 'pretty'. Illusion fades when you launch a game and it switches back to Windows for a brief second, but whatever - the games work fine once they do start. Hoping this Emudeck 'SteamOS-like' frontend for Windows gets a public release at some point and I'll give that a shot. I tried Steam Big Picture mode, and found it more of a pain in the ass than Playnite, especially when loading 3rd party launcher titles. Playnite just handles all the required 3rd party launcher services better than Steam.

I haven't tried any emulators yet, and don't really plan on it until I get a larger SSD in it (I don't trust the SD card slot). Truth be told, with Gamepass and the current JRPG's sitting in my Steam backlog, I probably won't be looking at much emulation in the near future.
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I also took the plunge late last year via the Best Buy open box for $508. They pulled a few out as there were about 10 open box at the time so I was able to cherry pick. I think when they launched, people thought it was plug and play and were returning them in droves once they saw the setup procedure. I am loving it so far once I tempered my expectations a bit. Performance is great and as intended. Actually got me back into PC gaming since I don't have to be tied down in my gaming room. BTW, Handheld DIY has great HAL effect sticks and they offer a stiffer variant. I replaced mine easily but didn't get the stiffer ones which I may go ahead and pull the trigger on.
 
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