Steam Deck VS ASUS ROG Ally: The Supreme PC Handheld

Your videos have been super helpful. For someone wanting to dive into the Handheld PC's. This for sure has sold me on the Steam deck OLED, in comparison to the Lenovo go, or Asus ally, All my games are on steam. And i want easy emulation. And comfort. I want that Console feeling. Not a PC feeling. Sure extra frames and stuff are nice. But as long things run smooth enough and the colors are nice. I could care less if its 30fps or 120. As long as i can enjoy it comfortably, And its pleasing. In both visuals and audio

I've got dual boot set up on the Steam Deck on the internal SSD. Best of both worlds, I primarily use SteamOS for emulation and verified games, and use Win 11 for Gamepass and Steam games that don't work under SteamOS. So happy with this device!

i use the back buttons so much i love them and setting the config is so integrated and fast.

I got the Steam Deck over the Ally because:

- Trackpads (already have some games in mind where Joysticks just don't cut it)

- Sustainability: Valve seems committed to making replacement parts easy to install.

- Better D-Pad: I plan to emulate a lot of older games so I really want a good d-pad.

- Linux: While gaming on Linux is currently an inconvenience, I am really hoping that a significant market share of Linux gamers means Windows-only releases become a thing of the past. With how much bloatware Windows 11 has (and Windows 12 might have), I am hoping to eventually transition 100% to Linux

I feel like people are counting out the fact that on the ROG Ally you have a demographic of gamers that use windows that also love to emulate or played dumped classic games. Not only is the Ally slightly better in performing but the variety of what you can do on it is increased as well. I have both but I find myself always grabbing my Ally. Just in my opinion though.

Can someone who own both give a some comparison of their battery life in high demanding game and low demanding ones? I can’t seem to find a detailed video around

Very tempted to buy steam deck but I'll miss out on Gamepass access😢

I've been researching for awhile now and I'm kind of on the fence. Apart of me likes the gamepass option on the rog ally but I have an xbox already and I feel like it might be kind for redundant. I also am not jazzed about it being a windows based computer because I honestly hate windows and the xbox will be the only windows product in my home. Steam deck on the other hand seems like its more solidly built and more TLC was put into making the product to make it an original experience and it seems that it has a very loyal following but i also have no familiarity with the Steam platform. I can't decide. Ive read some not so favorable reviews of the ally and then I've read really good ones but its availability is much easier

I choose the steam deck im finally getting it tomorrow in the mail im totally excited i got the 512gb model for 519$ on sale the sale ends today on steam.and i love steam games indie games and triple Aaa games i also love to tinker so putting windows on the steam deck and adding additional games will not be that hard for me either and i cant wait to play all my old nostalgic games too.

I only play the sims 4 most of the time, does it run on steam deck by using ea app?

Its def more then a minimal upgrade in fps. Steamdeck basically cannot play starfield without FSR 50% scaling. ALLY 720 low no fsr. Looks way better. I have both btw. Steamdeck is much easier to use as far as being optimized.

Ayaneo Kun the beast is coming out soon.

I have both of them. Personally, I use the Asus Rog Ally for emulation as well as the Steam Library. Glad I won it on ebay at a auction & spent $100 less than Best Buy & in new condition!!

steam deck will fail for sure. they are heavily undercut by ROG ally , Aya Neo, OneX as their product is hard to find outside USA. Here in Asia , ROG ally is much cheaper at $700, SteamDeck price is $1000 😡

I do have both, and I can say that the Ally as a handheld needs work. Windows 11 is not great with just analog sticks.
However, the screen is beautiful. The fact it runs a higher resolution and gets similar or better battery life is phenomenal.
There's definitely things both can improve, but a proper "Steam" OS on the ally will fix many efficiency issues and make it ultimately a best of both worlds handheld.

rog ally might be bit better but definetly not double of price better.

Honestly both devices are good in their own ways, though I just wish the deck had a good display. I paid $360 for the 64gb steam deck and upgraded the 512gb ssd for $50. So $410 is a great deal imo. I am more of an indie gamer and I rely heavily on battery, not only that the steam deck performance on low watts crushes the ally easily.

summary of this comparison?

I rarely got 1 hour out of my ally. Not sure how you getting those number.

Steamdeck with new proton version supports lots of anti cheats now. Meaning you now can play games like smite and other mmos :) , already tried it. Its awesome

tbf emudeck runs pretty great on the ayaneo pro 2021. not as easy as on steam deck, but waaaaay better, than a year ago

I did my research few weeks ago and picked SteamDeck because of the community and how iconic the device is. When you see "SteamDeck" preset mode in Cyberpunk 2077 it means something. ROG Ally in this regards still sits in the GPD/Ayaneo sandbox, trying to make Windows better for small screen paired with controller.

I dont understand wat you talk about so watch one fun i dont care i can play on 420p

Nice video. I'm a steam deck owner and I don't think another hand held is better

For the Asus ROG ally, if you're in the USA you can buy it at the best buy at stores, if you're in the UK you can buy it at Currys.

SUBBED bc we bald/bearded tech creators gotta stick together 👨🏻‍🦲🧔‍♂️ lol, great vid friend

Have you had any issues with the watts spiking? Mine had major FPS drop, then the wattage spiked above 40 while playing Diablo 4 on 720, med settings

I personally want a AynNeo Geek 1S to be future proof. You can go full sized 2280 M.2. You get 800p screen in a smaller form factor with 3 USB ports. You can get it with 32GB of ram $800 which is overkill but might play a factor in newer games (Starfield) and windows updates (Win12?) down the road. You get a big 52whr battery! You also get all the hall effect hardware with so there are no upgrades left to do. The 16GB model costs $700. I feel that it's a better buy than the ROG Ally. All and all I really wish somebody made a handheld with more usb ports and a bigger battery with a Ryzen 5 7640U to stick with 6cores by 8Cu's. It's a step in the right direction for having enough power with decent battery life in 800p territory. A $360 Deck is tempting though. Just don't want to get sucked into buying upgrades and accessories which quickly add up. Don't forget that fast charging is another benefit to going with something newer than getting the steamdeck! The Deck may start at $360 but you don't have to buy much for upgrades in the Geek 1s with it as is. I here the sticks and the SD card reader are bad on the Rog Ally. Otherwise I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Hey man, I'm a video editor, just messaged you on ig :)

Ally no debate for me

My steam deck runs Callisto protocol better than my old Xbox one s can and that’s all I have to say

So purchased a Steam Deck, been playing/using it for a little over a month. My only thing that is kinda rough to get around is not having easy access to other launchers to play certain/exclusive titles. I don’t feel entirely confident that I can sidestep and and follow closely enough to any tutorials to close the gap. Overall extremely happy/impressed with what is there outta the box! Great vid/content btw!

Steamdeck always in my heart🥰

I own both,
Steam deck has an easier and better UI, and battery life is better
Ally ROG: has amazing picture quality and fps is better - battery sucks tho

So between both, I’d go with the steam deck, but I’m not in any rush - it’s barely ever in stock so I’ll wait :)

After having both devices, the emulation is 100% way better on Deck than the Ally. The Ally screen looks amazing compared to the Deck. The screen is so good. The camera does not do justice I promise. If you want to play AAA more than emulation I would go with Ally. Yes, currently is has bugs and I am thinking when the other chip variant comes out Asus will fix it. Device wise I enjoyed the Deck more to be honest. If you can get over not playing COD, D2, Fortnite, Blizzard games etc. then the Deck will be fine for you. You can do all the work arounds in the world and "stream games" but nothing runs better than native. They are both good in my opinion. I wish they could make a baby lol

You say that the battery lives are same on the both handhelds. I had watched another video showing that under the same power and settings, Rog Ally provided 10 fps extra. I wouldn't call them as their battery lives are same though.

rog ally is just hardware !!! useless atm !! steam deck rocks !!! Waiting for 2nd version

I have both and have to say both do not perform very well in big triple A games, you have to keep your expectations in check that’s for sure but where both shine is in indie games, pixel art, that kind of thing. Both perform amazing in these scenarios but they both have different strengths in this situation.

Currently the steam deck can get lower in power usage and eek out amazing battery life, we’re talking like 8 hours while playing huntdown or something like that, but where the ally shines is the screen, games like rocket league for example are way nicer to play on ally because you can see further ahead, a lot of pixel break up at 800p on the deck makes it hard to see the other side of the pitch. The deck OS is legendary but a tweaker can make windows work and work well.😊

This is such a piece of junk. Nothing works. Everything needs to be configured. Apps are slow and buggy. Awful experience. Don’t spend your money on it.

I think it comes down to your use case. If your brand new to pc gaming and don’t need a desktop then steams all the way. But if you have an ancient pc desktop and need to upgrade anyway but your main use case is gaming then go with the ally. I plan on getting the ally because it reduces my desktop foot print and cloud applications can pick up on lack of performance.

Steam Deck owner for a few months. I love the track pads and 4 back buttons. For instance; in Elden Ring, I’ve mapped the d-pad to the right track pad so I don’t have to do an awkward claw or take my thumb off of the left stick to switch weapons, magic, or potions. I’ve also mapped the dodge roll button to L4 and I’m loving that. This is my Soulslike preset now. It’s so nice to be able to customize my playing exp with these options.

I remember someone said this “Steam deck is a Console handheld and ROG Ally is a Windows handheld”

2 devices with different use cases. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I use the ally plugged in most of the time for the extra power, and because the battery is worse than battery powered handhelds we had in the 90s.. (they should have never released it with such a bad battery) The deck i use for ease of use and smaller games on low wattage.. the ally is absolutely horrible in low wattage. Most people should buy a deck! And they will be more than happy with it.

this guy never once setup a custom control sceme and experienced the power of steam tools ,,, what a shame,,, it is the future ! ABSOLUTE FREEDOM

I got a Ally and I’m loving it , but honestly the main reason i got it was cause my Best Buy store had a 50% off accommodation for the Ally for employees so i got it for $350 made the choice between a steam deck and ally very easy 😅

The Steam Deck, just like the Nintendo Switch, is in its own lane. There's no competition in my opinion. I do believe that the ROG Ally is the best option if you want a Windows handheld. Hands down the best value you can get compared to the neverending Ayaneo releases.

Ally all day

I had to buy an ROG as a Destiny 2 machine, otherwise I wouldn’t’ve. The ideal, right now anyway, is owning both