ASUS Details ROG Ally Specs - $699 Gaming Handheld With AMD Z1 Extreme

[avis]

Nice device, wrong OS.

Can I get a refund if I purchase one and replace windows with proper SteamOS 3?

Yeah, don't buy it and get a 100% refund automatically.

Linux will run on it just fine but who cares, let's hate it because ASUS doesn't want to waste a ton of money supporting a hobby OS where nothing is ever stable.

[stormcrow]

• Twice as fast as SteamDeck in pretty much everything
• Runs Windows 11 by default, i.e. no problems with emulation/translation, DRM, anticheats and everything and you can run Windows software as well
• A much better screen - 1080p 120Hz
• Supports an external GPU

Note: don't buy the Z1 version, buy the Z1 extreme instead - the difference in performance is staggering, the price difference is just $100.

Here's a ton of reviews + Ars Technica's one.

If you actually read the Ars review, it's damning with faint praise. PCGamer's review is also pretty "meh". The best they can say is that it would make a decent low end gaming system if it were docked with an external display. That entirely negates the idea of it being "portable". If I were being honest with my readers I'd tell them to "pass" rather than giving into the marketing dollars. It really has less to do with Steam OS v. Windows (the underlying OS) than it does the UX is reportedly just plain awful as is the case with most "gaming software" eg: ASUS utilities, Razer's Synaptic, etc plus most games just aren't designed for tiny screens regardless of the resolution. These (ASUS, Razer, Corsair, etc) companies are crap at UX. All they care about is tracking users and giving them gaudy bling instead of solid products.

[andyprough]

Linux will run on it just fine but who cares, let's hate it because ASUS doesn't want to waste a ton of money supporting a hobby OS where nothing is ever stable.

Troll harder Microsoft shill.

It's going to be awfully disappointing for you when the checks from Redmond don't show up in your mailbox after all your hard work cheerleading their security nightmare of an OS.

[Aeder]

Yeah, don't buy it and get a 100% refund automatically.

Linux will run on it just fine but who cares, let's hate it because ASUS doesn't want to waste a ton of money supporting a hobby OS where nothing is ever stable.

ASUS doesn't even make sure their motherboards don't fry themselves and your high end CPU, according to the tests run by Gamers Nexus. Nor do they fix buggy sensors.

They barely support anything they make for a popular OS, so there's no reason to think this device will be any different.

Valve probably spends more effort on AMD linux drivers alone than ASUS on their entire Windows software suite.

So honestly, this device will probably be bereft of updates a year down the line.

[WorBlux]

• Twice as fast as SteamDeck in pretty much everything
• Runs Windows 11 by default, i.e. no problems with emulation/translation, DRM, anticheats and everything and you can run Windows software as well
• A much better screen - 1080p 120Hz
• Supports an external GPU

Note: don't buy the Z1 version, buy the Z1 extreme instead - the difference in performance is staggering, the price difference is just $100.

Here's a ton of reviews + Ars Technica's one.

*Watt for watt not true. There's an uptick, but not double.

*With all the headaches and overhead of Win11... in a form factor not sell suited to other windows software. Not a pure advantage vs an OS and interface dedicated to one task. Battery life/power management seems to be worse than the deck.

*On paper, actually driving it at 120Hz is going to eat up a lot of power. On battery you probably wont push past 60, so better resolution and a bit brighter screen. Nice to have... but not a killer feature.

*Ya, external GPU is cool, but this probably isn't your primary device, and it's not exactly a practical portable solution unless they are also releasing battery powered RTX 3060's.

Also no word about docks/cases, or part availability/repair-ability.

The z1 extreme does look like the much better value proposition,

[jrch2k8]

Yeah, don't buy it and get a 100% refund automatically.

Linux will run on it just fine but who cares, let's hate it because ASUS doesn't want to waste a ton of money supporting a hobby OS where nothing is ever stable.

ASUS is the main problem then Microsoft, lets be honest here, ASUS will forget this device even exists in few months and if any glitch on Windows is nor fixed while is hot Microsoft will let it rot as well, the main selling point of the steam deck is Valve being behind it 100% and constantly providing support.

This type of devices will get some sales pitching all da shiny numbers numbers and will slowly die out once they realize is unsupported later on and Linux will make its way on it once the youtubers start making guides on how to extend the life of ... or get this or that cool features installing..., etc.

Windows is stable ... ok sure ... cool story bruh, i'm going to be nice and assume you meant ABI backward compatibility on CORE for win32/64 API

[RejectModernity]

Yeah, don't buy it and get a 100% refund automatically.

Linux will run on it just fine but who cares, let's hate it because ASUS doesn't want to waste a ton of money supporting a hobby OS where nothing is ever stable.

Imagine shilling for microshite, when you can't even legally buy Windoze in your country.

[osw89]

Seems like they went with a 1080p display to make it seem better than the deck on paper. The refresh rate increase is nice and you can drive it at 60Hz which should negate the increased power draw but you can't really do that with the resolution. The pixels are there and the driver has to work harder and use a higher pixel clock even if you feed it data with a lower resolution so the display will still draw more power. I guess having a higher number is better even if it doesn't mean much due to the already high pixel density.

Troll harder Microsoft shill.

It's going to be awfully disappointing for you when the checks from Redmond don't show up in your mailbox after all your hard work cheerleading their security nightmare of an OS.

Don't worry about birdie, he does it for free.

[avis]

Troll harder Microsoft shill.

It's going to be awfully disappointing for you when the checks from Redmond don't show up in your mailbox after all your hard work cheerleading their security nightmare of an OS.

Nice fucking ad hominem. Never ceases to amaze me how Michael doesn't care about this.

Windows has been a ton more secure than Linux over the past decade. It's about the boot process (signature verification of the entire boot process - not just the kernel as in Linux, you're free to embed malware in initrd), files/image security, the kernel, anti-exploitation techniques (including HVCI), built-in very power per-app firewall, drivers isolation, etc. etc. etc.

It's funny to read that I get paychecks from Redmond when I'm typing this comment on Fedora 38 and I've been using Linux longer (over 25 years now) than many people here have lived. It's funny to read this from the people who most likely have never filed a single bug report or written a single line of code for the OS they worship.

If this handheld sucks so much, if you hate Windows so much, why are you even in this discussion? Move on! Only likeminded people will hear you, LOL.

I'm that rare person here on these forums who recognizes Windows and Linux for what they are, not blindingly/stupidly/zealously loving one over another.

[avis]

If you actually read the Ars review, it's damning with faint praise. PCGamer's review is also pretty "meh". The best they can say is that it would make a decent low end gaming system if it were docked with an external display. That entirely negates the idea of it being "portable". If I were being honest with my readers I'd tell them to "pass" rather than giving into the marketing dollars. It really has less to do with Steam OS v. Windows (the underlying OS) than it does the UX is reportedly just plain awful as is the case with most "gaming software" eg: ASUS utilities, Razer's Synaptic, etc plus most games just aren't designed for tiny screens regardless of the resolution. These (ASUS, Razer, Corsair, etc) companies are crap at UX. All they care about is tracking users and giving them gaudy bling instead of solid products.

This is a gaming handheld. As long as controls work no one cares about UI. Absolute most games run in full screen mode. Steam has Big Picture mode. Microsoft has something for gaming as well (I don't remember how it's called).