ASUS ROG Ally Review: Sparking the revival of gaming handhelds
Gaming handhelds are back, and the way things are going, they’re going to be better than ever before.
It wasn’t too long ago that Valve launched the Steam Deck in an attempt to pry the Nintendo Switch off its gaming console throne. It seems this has ignited a chain reaction of some sort because now, it’s become a three-cornered battle with the introduction of the ASUS ROG Ally.
How will it fare in the console rivalry? Only time will tell as it is still in its early stages. But, lucky for us, we managed to get a good look at the Ally.
Here’s what we thought.
What’s in the box?
The ROG Ally itself is about 11″ from end-to-end, so it’s no surprise that it comes in a pretty hefty box. You’ll be greeted with the console itself immediately after lifting the top cover. On the underside of the cover is a ROG tabletop stand. It’s best not to take the stand too seriously as it felt rather flimsy and probably won’t be too useful in the long run.
Lift the Ally up and there are two separate compartments, one with a charging adapter and the other with the main plug.
5 stars for ergonomics
In terms of built quality alone, the Ally is a pretty sturdy console. As mentioned, it’s 11″ from end-to-end, with a display in the middle flanked by controllers to its sides. There are no detachable parts to this console, so it removes any notion of Nintendo Switch-like versatility.
The handles on the Ally are supremely comfortable. The sides slope downwards at a diagonal angle, giving you a sort resting pad to where the base of your thumb will sit. In doing so, it makes it easier for your thumb to reach the joystick without any significant overstretch.
We went for a good hour and a half on the Ally without any numbness or stiffness, so huge props to ASUS for acing handling ergonomics.
Button and joystick placement also feels natural. Xbox users will adjust nicely since its akin to their controllers. The left joystick is placed above the D-Pad, and the right joystick is placed below the ABXY buttons on the right.
The only thing that was slightly awkward was the two trigger buttons at the rear. It seems the best way to push these triggers is with the sides of either your middle or ring finger, which personally took some getting used to.
Beginner-friendly gaming machine
For this section of the review, I’ll have to disclose that I’ll be speaking from a casual-medium gamer point of view. And even then, I do most gaming on laptop.
While I can’t offer detailed gaming insights, I can at least jot down my initial impressions of the Ally from a newbie console owner’s perspective.
On that note, we can say that if the Ally is your first gaming console, you won’t be disappointed.
Globally, the Ally has two variants. One with a Ryzen Z1 processor, and the other with the more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. In Malaysia, only the latter is available.
I tested the Ally on two games: Counter Strike (CS:GO) and Moving Out. Both were great from a visual standpoint, and as expected on a full-fledged console, there were no lags or stuttering either. For what it’s worth, my experience with CS:GO in particular was impressive, offering incredibly smooth FPS and gameplay.
And as for visuals, we got crisp, clear graphics across its 7″ FHD display, which thankfully is also touch screen.
Since the ROG Ally utilizes Windows OS, it is essentially a mini computer. You only need to plug it up into a monitor or TV and you can do anything a Windows laptop or PC can do.
Although to do this, you will need the ROG Gaming Charging Dock, which is sold separately at RM299.
Unimpressive battery performance
Just FYI, the Ally allows you to switch between three performance modes that will alter power output and graphics. The lowest setting being Silent mode, after which it goes up to Performance mode, followed by Turbo mode.
Silent mode has the least output, and is best used for games that are less demanding. Turbo on the other hand ramps everything up; while Performance is supposedly the balance of the two.
We found that even in Performance mode, battery tends to deplete rather quickly. Just flipping between CS:GO and Moving Out, we reckoned we got only about 1 ½ or 2 hours before we needed to plug it in again. Nothing’s stopping you from playing it plugged in of course, but you’ll be anchored down, which kind of defeats the concept of a portable console.
If your intention with the Ally is to plug it into a monitor or TV via the ROG Charging Dock (again, sold separately), then this won’t be too much of an issue.
One thing you should know
The ROG Ally had a flying start in Malaysia. It sold out in just 8 minutes after it was launch, proving that there is a market for handheld gaming here.
Not long after that, the Ally was hit with microSD card reader issues, with many complaining of malfunction. After investigating, ASUS released a statement confirming the issue, saying that “under certain thermal stress conditions the SD card reader may malfunction.”
Do note that, firstly, not all units of the Ally had encountered this problem. And secondly, any damage sustained was to the microSD card reader, and not the microSD card itself.
There hasn’t been any evidence of the card reader causing any damage to the SD card.
In the same statement, ASUS assured that they “will be releasing an update that further fine-tunes the default and minimum fan speeds on the device to improve reliability while keeping fan noise in check.”
News about this has died down of late. We’re unsure if the issue has been fully rectified, or if perhaps it just simmered down naturally.
With that being said, the Ally seems to have garnered more positive reviews than negative in the few months it has been around. Provided you don’t encounter such issues, the ROG Ally is a great choice to reignite your affection for gaming handhelds.
Read more of our reviews here!
