A few months ago, the Asus ROG Ally made quite a splash onto the handheld gaming PC market. If you didn’t somehow know, it’s a handheld Windows gaming PC disguised as a Nintendo Switch but much, much more powerful. With a 7-inch 1080p display, Xbox-style controls, and a comfortable, ergonomic design weighing in at just 608g, you can enjoy AAA gaming in bed for hours without fatigue. The price tag for this slick device is $1299 at JB Hi-Fi and other online retailers.
I was fortunate to be one of the first in Australia to get my hands on the ROG Ally at a press event several months ago. However, my review unit arrived far too late, enough to miss the initial wave of reviews though that might have been a blessing in disguise. The initial release suffered from underperforming software, a grievance echoed by many reviewers. Having experienced it with improved software and firmware tuning, I had a better perspective similar to what you would if you went out and bought it now.
Living with the Ally for about a month, double the time I usually spend with gaming laptops, allowed me to explore it beyond the typical benchmarks and initial excitement. After this period, I concluded that the ROG Ally is an exciting piece of tech but it’s evident that it still has some kinks to work out before it can take the crown of best handheld.
Let’s talk about specs baby
I don’t usually dwell too much on specifications, but in this case, they’re crucial for understanding the device’s impressive capabilities and premise. The spec sheet reads as if Asus shrunk one of its gaming laptops into a handheld.
The heart of the Ally is an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. It’s an APU, meaning it combines both CPU and GPU functions on a single chip die. The Z1 is built on AMD’s powerful Zen 4 architecture that we see on Ryzen 7000 chips in laptops and desktops so you bet it packs a punch. It has 8-cores with 16-threads, 24MB total cache, and up to 5.10 GHz boost.
Likewise, the GPU employs RDNA 3 technology, similar to AMD’s desktop GPUs, but with a maximum TDP of 30W, which is just a fraction of what desktops can handle. However, when combined with AMD FidelityFX tech, it manages to run games at 1080p over 30 fps at low settings which is no joke. The 4nm manufacturing process of the Z1 allows it to perform excellently without too much power or heat, something incredibly important on a handheld.
For memory, the Ally packs 16GB of DDR5 running at 6400MT/s, surpassing the capabilities of most gaming rigs. As for storage, it offers a 512GB PCIe 4.0, NVMe M.2 SSD, which may feel limited if you plan on downloading numerous games. Fortunately, the Ally supports UHS-II microSD cards for expandable storage.
The display boasts a 7-inch, 1080p IPS-level glossy screen with a 7ms response time and a 120Hz refresh rate, a feat the internal hardware struggles to fully utilize in modern AAA games. The touch-sensitive screen supports 10-point multi-touch and delivers smooth and responsive interactions.
While the screen’s color accuracy isn’t perfect, with sRGB at 100% and 75% Adobe RGB coverage, it’s not a significant concern for gaming on such a small display. The peak brightness of 500 nits suffices for indoor use but may struggle under bright sunlight, albeit lacking HDR support.
Asus used Gorilla Glass Victus for the cover, ensuring durability. An additional Gorilla Glass Victus DXC coating reduces reflections and increases scratch resistance. Although I couldn’t test it personally, adding a screen protector for long-term security might be wise.
I do wish Asus used an AMOLED display like the one in the ROG Phone. An AMOLED screen would have provided better response time, color, contrast and battery life. An Asus rep confirmed that cost was the main reason but I can’t help but imagine the possibility of an ROG Ally OLED Edition. Asus, please make it happen.
A Sight for Sore Eyes
The ROG Ally is a visually appealing device. Asus chose an all-white plastic chassis that feels comfortable to hold for extended periods. Weighing in at 608g, it’s impressively balanced, ensuring no side feels heavier than the other.
The chassis features custom-tailored 2° and 14° slants, and the handles are ergonomically designed to fit the natural shape of your hand grip. All buttons are conveniently placed on the top half of the Ally, easily accessible, with rear paddles perfectly positioned above where your middle finger rests on the grip. Micro textures on the handles enhance grip, ensuring the Ally never feels like it could slip from your hands.
The triggers and bumpers are satisfying to use, thanks to Hall sensors, which can be finely tuned for actuation using the Asus Armoury software. The D-pad is a raised disc shape, providing a nice clicky feel, although I didn’t use it much since I don’t play fighter games. The face buttons are fine but I wish they were mecha-tactile like the Razer Wolverine V2. I’ve also seen complaints on the interwebs about them sticking though, thankfully not on my sample.
The two joysticks are asymmetrically positioned, a layout preferred by many, with RGB light rings that you can customize. However, they are one of the weaker aspects of the Ally. They feel too loose, and no amount of tweaking with dead zones and travel seemed to make them right for aiming in games, especially in first-person shooters. As someone primarily accustomed to a controller, this was immediately noticeable to me and a significant drawback.
Below the controls are the speakers, cleverly positioned to ensure your hands never cover them. Like the ROG Phones, the Ally’s speakers are loud, rich, and full-toned. I rarely needed to use them above 30% volume. Stereo separation is excellent, and the sound staging quality was often a pleasant surprise. Furthermore, the Ally supports both Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio, an impressive feature for a handheld. If you have Dolby Atmos-capable headphones, you’re in for an epic audio experience.
The back of the Ally is clean, with only the rear paddles and a distinctive, color-shifting strip running down the middle. Up top, you’ll find the MicroSD card slot, volume buttons, a power button with a fingerprint scanner, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The embedded fingerprint scanner allows for Windows Hello, eliminating the need for fiddling with an on-screen keyboard to sign in. Despite its small size, it proved fast and accurate in recognizing my fingerprint.
Perhaps most importantly, there’s the combo USB-Type C and XG Mobile connector port. It not only facilitates the connection of USB peripherals and charging but also supports Asus XG Mobile eGPU’s to enhance performance. Asus provides a 65W charger that can fast charge the Ally from 0 to 50% in just 30 minutes. It’s compact and versatile, suitable for both the Ally and your laptop, making it ideal for travel.
Additionally, the Ally’s cooling system, the Zero Gravity thermal system, efficiently dissipates heat out the top of the device, keeping it cool to the touch regardless of its orientation. The dual-fan system is shockingly quiet and welcome as you can use the Ally in quiet environments and not disturb say, a sleeping spouse.
Windows at Your Fingertips
As mentioned, the ROG Ally is a Windows 11 handheld gaming PC. Running Windows brings the advantage of compatibility with any game or application your desktop PC can run, providing more flexibility than the Steam Deck, which is limited to only Steam games. I easily installed Epic launcher, Ubisoft Connect and GOG on the Ally with no issues at all. Asus also gives every Ally buyer complimentary three months subscription of Xbox Game Pass, so you can immediately start playing some AAA games.
However, there’s a big downside to running Windows 11, which isn’t touch optimised, on a 7-inch touch display. It’s a challenging experience, with tapping and navigating being particularly fiddly as you try to hit very small icons. Simple tasks like app switching can be tedious dances, and while using the virtual keyboard often covers half the screen so you can’t actually see what you’re typing.
Asus has tried to alleviate these issues with a special edition of Armoury Crate software hub. Activated by a quick press of a button on the right controls, it offers a more controller and touch-friendly interface with large tiles for your games and launchers. It’s also probably the only time I can remember being able to use the joysticks and D-pad for navigation outside of actual games.
While Armoury Crate provides some respite, its still a bandaid over a deeper wound. Opening apps can often lead to oddities. For instance, In the Armoury Crate, you can use the Ally’s controls to launch the Epic store but once in there, you have to resort to using the touch screen to navigate that app. It’s a frustrating experience that I didn’t enjoy.
When encountering issues like game freezes, a second power shortcut on the left controls can be a savior. It pulls up a smaller overlay with custom quick actions, including ending the current task. This menu can be customized in Armoury Crate, providing helpful shortcuts for various functions like changing power mode, adjusting brightness and volume or even activating the on screen frame counter.
Multi-tasking is also a challenge since you can’t easily Alt-Tab like you would on a laptop or PC. Sure, you can always connect external keyboard and mouse to ease things but can you do that while waiting in line for the next train? These software quirks are areas Asus needs to improve upon, though there isn’t much they can actually do about Windows 11.
Let’s Talk Gaming
Playing Diablo IV in 1080p at 60fps on a handheld device without a noticeable loss in presentation quality is nothing short of a miracle. The ROG Ally lives up to its promise of running AAA games but the reality is more nuanced.
One critical limitation is the thermal design power (TDP). The Ally offers different power modes, from 10W Silent to 15W Performance and 25W Turbo mode. Each mode delivers varying levels of performance and power consumption, forcing you to choose between better graphics and longer gaming sessions.
The 10W power mode is inadequate for AAA games, better suited to 2D indie titles. Only the 15W Performance and 25W Turbo modes can handle modern games. Some games wouldn’t even boot in Silent mode during my testing. Additionally, every game I tested had to be set to lowest settings which mercifully doesn’t mean potato mode anymore.
Running numerous tests and benchmarks on the Ally, Turbo mode provided the best performance, obviously, with improvements over Performance mode ranging from 11% to 35% in some cases. In reality, this is a minor increase in frame rate, like going from 30 fps to 35 fps but at a considerable cost to battery life.
Turbo mode drained the battery rapidly, with about 1% lost every 2 minutes, leading to a mere 45 minutes of gameplay. Performance mode fared slightly better, lasting just over an hour, but that’s still short of ideal. Silent mode extended gameplay by approximately 20 minutes, totaling an hour and a half, which was still underwhelming. I was hoping for at least 3 hours on Performance mode which would be good gaming time.
Additionally, the lack of a quick suspend and resume feature further frustrates. You can’t simply press the power button to pause your game until the next opportunity, something utterly important to me a busy, working parent. This limitation, a consequence of Windows, significantly reduced the Ally’s appeal as a portable gaming device.
As mentioned earlier, the joysticks on the Ally aren’t quite right. Destiny 2 performed well with close 60fps but aiming felt akin to handling a snake covered in baby oil. For other games like Forza Horizon, The Witcher 3, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which don’t rely heavily on precise aiming, the experience was much smoother. Again, you can always connect an external controller or keyboard and mouse, but you really shouldn’t have to.
Furthermore, the 7-inch screen, while impressive for a handheld, is still small. Reading onscreen text and discerning smaller status icons was challenging in games like Diablo IV and The Witcher 3. This strain on the eyes led to some discomfort, and I didn’t have the patience to adjust game settings to increase font sizes. While you can connect the Ally to a larger display with an HDMI dongle, it negates the device’s portability.
The Verdict
After a month with the Asus ROG Ally, it’s clear that it’s one of the most compelling and interesting handheld gaming devices on the market. The competition is fierce, with offerings from Valve’s Steam Deck, Ayaneo, OneXPlayer and the recently announced Lenovo Legion Go. However the Ally is currently the only one readily available in Australia and has backing of a major brand so is likely to receive continued support and updates over the years.
That said, there’s a fair few concerns that don’t make it easy to recommend rushing out to buy. The software experience is quite poor honestly, and while experienced Windows users can navigate the issues, there’s a ton of room for improvement. Battery life is really bad; one hour of gameplay simply isn’t enough, especially without a quick suspend and resume feature. At $1299, you are very much in gaming laptop territory and you need to really decide what you are willing to accept for a mobile gaming PC. For me, it just didn’t work for my lifestyle though I can’t deny its potential and I certainly can’t wait to see the ROG Ally 2.
Asus Australia kindly loaned PowerUp! the ROG Ally for the purpose of this review
