AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor - 512GB - White
AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor - 512GB - White
AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor - 512GB - White
AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor - 512GB - White
Last updated at 07/13/2026 07:02:19
Asus Rog Ally Rc71l 7in Gaming Pc Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16gb 512gb Ssd
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Asus Rog Ally Rc71l-z1e512 Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16gb 512gb Japan
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Asus Rog Ally Rc71l 7in Gaming Pc Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16gb 512gb Ssd
Delivery $12.50
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originally posted on bestbuy.com
The ROG Ally is a unique device that presents itself as a portable PC in the form of a handheld console. It's important to note that this device isn't designed to cater to every demographic like the Steam Deck, which comes equipped with a gaming operating system. Instead, the ROG Ally requires some initial setup, such as updating the basic version of Windows it comes with. However, it does include Microsoft Office without any unnecessary bloatware cluttering the system.One aspect that could be improved is the Armoury Crate, although it shows promise in its early stages. Despite that, I found it manageable to work with and appreciated the ease of access it provides at any time. During my tests, I primarily focused on 1080p gaming. One game I experimented with was ... MoreThe ROG Ally is a unique device that presents itself as a portable PC in the form of a handheld console. It's important to note that this device isn't designed to cater to every demographic like the Steam Deck, which comes equipped with a gaming operating system. Instead, the ROG Ally requires some initial setup, such as updating the basic version of Windows it comes with. However, it does include Microsoft Office without any unnecessary bloatware cluttering the system.One aspect that could be improved is the Armoury Crate, although it shows promise in its early stages. Despite that, I found it manageable to work with and appreciated the ease of access it provides at any time. During my tests, I primarily focused on 1080p gaming. One game I experimented with was Modern Warfare 2, achieving a commendable 90-100fps on recommended quality settings while using 30 watts. Lowering it to 15 watts resulted in around 70 fps, and at 10 watts, it dropped to about 20fps. During an average game of Team Deathmatch, the battery drained approximately 15% while running at 25 watts without being plugged into power.For Apex Legends, I was able to achieve a stable 60fps on maximum settings using 30 and 15 watts. Additionally, I tested Battlefield 2024 on default settings and achieved an average of 50fps with 30 watts and 30fps with 15 watts. Based on these results, I anticipate using the ROG Ally primarily while plugged into a power source to take full advantage of its 120Hz display. When traveling, I would consider using a battery bank or playing non-triple-A games, as the device's battery life would be limited in those scenarios.If you're determined to play triple-A games on the go without constant access to power, I would recommend scaling down the resolution to 720p and adjusting the settings accordingly, potentially capping the frame rate as well. One of the standout features for me was the device's lightweight design and comfortable ergonomics, making it enjoyable to use for extended periods. Moreover, the option to connect a portable graphics card and create an overkill ROG Ally adds to its appeal.The display quality on the ROG Ally is notably superior to that of the Steam Deck, which is a major selling point. Furthermore, it's encouraging to know that this device offers plenty of options, and I have confidence that Asus will listen to feedback from gamers and continue to refine and improve the ROG Ally as it progresses further in development.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
TL;DR: The Ally is a well made piece of hardware that gets acceptable performance on Windows 11 and has a great display that is made even better by VRR. Battery life is middling to poor, and Windows 11 has a long way to go, but apart from the steam deck this is probably the best pc handheld experience you will find.If you're willing to put up with less battery life and Windows 11, and want the perks of the nicer form factor and display it may be even better than the steam deck for some.A little more detail:PC handhelds have been a thing for some time, mostly overseas, but the steam deck has really pushed this niche segment into the limelight with better software and hardware support that isn't solely based in China. Ayaneo, AOKZOE / Onexplayer, and WinGpd (and ... MoreTL;DR: The Ally is a well made piece of hardware that gets acceptable performance on Windows 11 and has a great display that is made even better by VRR. Battery life is middling to poor, and Windows 11 has a long way to go, but apart from the steam deck this is probably the best pc handheld experience you will find.If you're willing to put up with less battery life and Windows 11, and want the perks of the nicer form factor and display it may be even better than the steam deck for some.A little more detail:PC handhelds have been a thing for some time, mostly overseas, but the steam deck has really pushed this niche segment into the limelight with better software and hardware support that isn't solely based in China. Ayaneo, AOKZOE / Onexplayer, and WinGpd (and many others) are all established names that have been making importable units for some time, but their support / communcation and availability as a US buyer is lacking. Indiegogo is often used as a channel for US sales, which is a clunky way to get one of these things.I've tried a few different pc handhelds now including the Steamdeck, the win gpd 4, the One X Player 2, and now this Asus Ally, and overall the Ally edges out the other units as the most polished system (apart from the shortcomings of Windows 11), for three reasons: Display, Build Quality, and Software.Display wise, the Ally is currently the best you can do apart from the Nintendo Switch Oled, and that is because of a 120hz refresh with Variable Refresh Rate. Obviously you're not getting 120fps in any triple A title, but VRR makes a much bigger difference in overall playability - especially at the lower frame rates you'll typically see with hand helds like this - albeit at the cost of battery life. As far as I know this is the only mainstream handheld that delivers VRR, and I really didn't expect it to make the difference that it does in game. If you don't know what VRR is or how it works (I didn't, I had to google it), in a nutshell it just means that the screen can time it's refresh rate to when the next frame of a game is rendered by the system. Without this you get noticeable stutter or screen tearing (where only part of the image has rendered before going on to the next image).Running at 120hz with VRR enabled, there doesn't appear to be a huge difference if you're getting less than 30fps, but at 30-45fps it often looks like and feels like you're running at 60fps and creates a noticeably smoother experience.Battery life on a demanding game (30-45 fps at 15 watts) tended to be around an hour and a half. I dialed it down to 7 watts (not sure why it can't go lower, maybe windows backend needs?) for indie games / emulation and they ran great, and battery life ended up in the 2-3 hour range depending on brightness. Not great, but enough for a lunch break. If you want more battery life, I'd consider the steam deck, which is also not amazing, but better especially with less demanding, lower wattage games (it runs Linux which is much lighter than windows and likely the reason for the better performance).The Ally feels very well made, although the ergonomics could be improved. I have medium sized man hands, and I have found that a more rounded pad on the back for your palm is more comfortable (which the Onexplayer 2 has), and the joysticks could be slightly larger and more accurate. Overall though the unit is very light and noticeably more compact than the Steamdeck but with the same size (and a much nicer) display, and if you're not playing for 6 hours it's adequately comfortable. The grips also don't get super hot which is nice (looking at you WinGpd4) , and the fans on the back are pretty quiet.What really puts the Ally a step above some of its competitors is the software. There is a dedicated button that pulls up a customizable quick menu for their armoury crate software which seems to immediately pop up no matter what application you're running, without interrupting or crashing whatever you're in. Compared to any of the other systems I've tried (aside from the steamdeck) this is hugely functional and useful.I'm not stranger to tech, and often install homebrew software that needs to be fiddled with, however I have found that the software included on most of these units seems to suck. Onexplayer has a clunky quick menu with a sparse set of options for TDP controls etc that will often cause your game to flash and blink or crash as it forces you back to the desktop. Wingpd 4 literally has a text box that looks like it's out of windows 95 that is highly customizable but unintuitive and difficult to access if you're doing anything without forcing your way back to the desktop.As an example: I download the binding of isaac which is a classic roguelike flash based game that is meant for a keyboard. On the other systems I had to go find a third party piece of software to set key bindings to the controller, and have it open anytime I played. On the Ally you can set custom key bindings for each game from a super easy to access and use shortcut in armoury crate and it works great. Took about 20s to setup and get in the game and never had to mess with it again.If an easy smooth experience is your target and you want windows (this is important), the Ally is the best choice out of the options out there IMO. If you don't care about windows, the form factor, or the slightly nicer display though, get the steam deck.Despite the custom software that Asus has added, windows kind of sucks for this form factor. You often see the desktop especially during setup while you're getting going, and while you can kind of achieve that console experience with the armoury crate software, windows is buggy enough that you'll inevitably spend some time staring at a tiny desktop trying to download and install something in chrome to enable or fix XYZ, especially if you're planning to use emulators. This is easier if you dock it with a monitor, mouse and keyboard, and if you're ok with all that awesome. I am. For a good chunk of people though, all that fiddling and need for other peripherals is a really gateway to entry. If that's you, get the steamdeck.As an aside in 2023 with folding phones, rollable TVs, and displays in everything, why the heck does this thing have such big bezels??? Ayaneo seems to be the closest but even they have a chonky boy. Somebody make a bezeless handheld PC and take my money!
originally posted on bestbuy.com
UNBOXING:Inside the box, you’ll find the ROG Ally, a surprisingly sturdy paper stand for the Ally, and a 65W USB-C wall adapter. Other than that, it’s pretty simple packaging. Unfortunately, a case and screen cloth will need to be separate purchases.BUILD:The Ally is a sturdy plastic build. It fits comfortably in my hands, although perhaps over time I feel a bit more stress in my palms due to the way the bottom edges are angled. I think ASUS opted to go with an overall slimmer profile, which some may find less comfortable, although it is sleeker and perhaps more portable that some competitors if you stow it away in a case or bag.PORTS, EXPANSION & UPGRADES:The ROG Ally is unfortunately very light on ports. For most folks, you have a 3.5mm combo jack, a ... MoreUNBOXING:Inside the box, you’ll find the ROG Ally, a surprisingly sturdy paper stand for the Ally, and a 65W USB-C wall adapter. Other than that, it’s pretty simple packaging. Unfortunately, a case and screen cloth will need to be separate purchases.BUILD:The Ally is a sturdy plastic build. It fits comfortably in my hands, although perhaps over time I feel a bit more stress in my palms due to the way the bottom edges are angled. I think ASUS opted to go with an overall slimmer profile, which some may find less comfortable, although it is sleeker and perhaps more portable that some competitors if you stow it away in a case or bag.PORTS, EXPANSION & UPGRADES:The ROG Ally is unfortunately very light on ports. For most folks, you have a 3.5mm combo jack, a microSD Card Slot that supports up to UHS-II cards (although there have apparently been a lot of issues with this slot damaging customer microSD cards), and a USB-C 3.2 gen 2 port for Power Delivery, DisplayPort output, and data.Additionally, for a very high price, you can purchase the ROG XG Mobile external GPU dock which can give more graphics horsepower to your Ally as well facilitate the usage of your Ally as your primary desktop computer since it has additional USB ports, Ethernet, and display outputs. But the proprietary nature of this technology means you’re solely relying on ASUS to provide newer docks over time, not to mention the exorbitant price you’re paying for a laptop-grade graphics boost as opposed to a desktop-grade graphics boost.As far as onboard upgrades are concerned, you can really only upgrade the m.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Both the RAM and WiFi modules are non-removable, so you are locked in with no options to change.CONTROLS:The face buttons and bumpers have decent tactility and the analog triggers are also quite comfortable and responsive. It uses offset thumbsticks akin to an Xbox controller which I find very natural coming from an actual Xbox Series controller. You also have rear macro buttons which can help serve secondary functions or be remapped through the Command Center software (although options are a bit more limited).You also have the Command Center button on the left of the display which can give you quick access to a variety of Ally-specific functions like power profiles, an FPS limiter, a real-time performance monitor, a quick 60Hz/120Hz toggle, and 720p/1080p toggle. I really like having these options accessible without needing to dive into deep menus to make adjustments, and I hope they expand on the user experience in the command center over time.And on the right of the display you have the Armoury Crate button which will give you quick access to your game content across all your libraries as well as many Ally-specific settings like controls, lighting and display calibration.And while perhaps not the main attraction, the volume buttons are on top of the Ally—which I do find a bit inaccessible if I want to make a quick adjustment, but you can always use Command Center to make such adjustments without taking your hands off the gamepad.Lastly, the power button actually functions as a fingerprint reader, which I like. This means your Ally can be quickly secured and unlocked by only you, and you can always unlock via pin or password via on-screen keyboard should your fingerprint fail. That being said, I found the fingerprint reader to work accurately.DISPLAY:The Ally uses a 7” 1080p IPS LCD touch screen display that can operate at 60Hz or 120Hz and with FreeSync variable refresh rate. My display had the hardware ID of TMX0002 and the monitor name TL070FVXS01-0.Subjectively, the display looks quite good and is crisp at the 7” display size. Compared to the mainstream alternatives, it’s a notable upgrade and while modern smartphones are higher pixel density, this display makes me forget about that when it’s quite vibrant and can get plenty bright for daytime use and also reasonably dim for late night gaming sessions.As for the touch-screen aspect, it’s quite responsive to input, but I feel like the biggest limitation is really Windows’ on screen keyboard experience. I simply cannot get fast at typing on a screen of this size, and the limited customization of the touch screen keyboard in windows makes improving this a challenge. For this reason, I can understand why some of the competition is using other clever methodologies through hardware for keyboard input.MICROPHONES:The onboard dual array microphones are flanking the display, positioned just above the view and menu buttons. In my testing, they are very clear and do a great job at isolating speech. If your speakers are constantly blasting noise, it might struggle to pick up your speech properly, but if you’re playing games with others and have lower in-game volume, then the Ally should do a fantastic job for that circumstance. In my opinion, there’s no need to use a separate microphone while playing games on the Ally where voice communication is prominent.SPEAKERS & HEADPHONE:Audio on the Ally is one of its stronger suits. You have two front-firing speakers that deliver clear audio and it gets plenty loud for portable handheld gaming. Pushed a little too hard and you might get a touch of distortion, but overall I do feel it’s under control.Headphone performance is sufficient for most consumer headphones and some high-sensitivity audiophile headphones as well. Just be aware that by default, Audio Enhancements are enabled on the headphone output within Windows, so music may sound unnatural at first. I disabled this and found a significant improvement in clarity over headphones. With that said, this is a Realtek integrated audio chipset. It’s still not going to compete with many modern audiophile headphone dongles, but I don’t expect most folks to be running expensive IEMs or headphones through the Ally.PERFORMANCE:Game performance on the ROG Ally Z1 is decent, but you have to keep your expectations in check. Given that this variant only has 6 cores, 12 threads and 4 RDNA3 compute units, it simply does not have the same power as the Z1 Extreme variant of the Ally. I decided to focus on testing my catalog of modern 2D titles, and across the board many of these games like Gravity Circuit or Ember Knights could reach 120Hz at 1080p maxed out.Even under the Turbo power profile, 2D games which employ more advanced effects like Ori and the Will of the Wisps will not be able to yield 120Hz on High settings—especially without dynamic resolution scaling. Usually, a combination of dropping down to 720p, using 60Hz or lowering settings can get you a smooth experience for these more demanding titles. But it’s important to note that if you’re on battery, these kinds of games can draw a lot of power.Additionally, some games still need more than 4GB of VRAM to operate on higher settings, even at 1080p. So depending on the game, you might find it advantageous to tinker around with the amount of reserved VRAM through Armoury Crate, but you’ll need to restart for the changes to take effect.And in some cases where I could yield a consistent 40fps, it’s important to note that using the 120Hz display refresh rate will yield a smoother experience compared to the 60Hz mode.While on battery, I do think 120fps is really only a feasible framerate target under the 15W Performance profile or higher, while I found the Silent profile to be better suited for light gaming at 60fps.I also tried to take advantage of the built-in FPS limiter in the Command Center, but it wasn’t until I looked around online that people said you needed to set your FPS limit before you start the game, which isn’t an intuitive user experience. I also found it strange that there’s no 40fps frame limit option while the 120Hz refresh rate is engaged, but instead a 45fps option which would cause some dropped frames.BATTERY:Battery life is really challenging to gauge since this is a handheld focused on gaming. If you consider the ROG Ally as a 2D gaming machine with fantastic compatibility for different ecosystems like Steam, PC Game Pass, Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch, etc. then you may be able to yield 3-5 hours on battery if you use a manual performance profile with the lowest possible 7W power settings, lower screen brightness and stick to 720p 60Hz.But if you decide to push the limits in Performance or Turbo modes, you can reasonably only expect somewhere between 1-3 hours.CONCLUSION:Overall, I think the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 is a good product as is, but it certainly has areas where it could improve. I do think more tools to yield better battery stamina could improve the value of the Z1. But there’s no denying that having Windows installed means it has a ton of compatibility out of the box, and it does have sufficient power for a lot of gaming experiences. But it simply doesn’t have the same kind of horsepower that The Z1 Extreme variant has, although it may have an advantage in having a lower power draw.So if you’re a gamer that is focused more on indie titles without too many advanced graphical features, this could be a good option, but you will be able to get more out of it when plugged into power. But is it worth saving the $100 over the Z1 Extreme? I think most gamers probably would want the extra performance to ensure smooth gameplay while getting clear visuals on the Ally’s 1080p display.So this puts me in a bit of a bind. Most of my graphically intense games, I’d much rather do without compromise, so I tend to play those on a more powerful system, while I look at the Ally Z1 as a fantastic gaming handheld for a vast ecosystem of wonderful 2D games like Gravity Circuit, Ember Knights, Sea of Stars, and Eastward.My closing thought is that if you heavily lean towards games with low graphics demands, the Z1 Ally may be a good option for you. But if you’re an enthusiast who wants high performance, you should be looking at the Z1 Extreme variant.
Asus Rog Ally Rc71l 7in Gaming Pc Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16gb 512gb Ssd
Free delivery
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Asus Rog Ally Rc71l-z1e512 Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16gb 512gb Japan
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Asus Rog Ally Rc71l 7in Gaming Pc Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16gb 512gb Ssd
Delivery $12.50
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
The ROG Ally is a unique device that presents itself as a portable PC in the form of a handheld console. It's important to note that this device isn't designed to cater to every demographic like the Steam Deck, which comes equipped with a gaming operating system. Instead, the ROG Ally requires some initial setup, such as updating the basic version of Windows it comes with. However, it does include Microsoft Office without any unnecessary bloatware cluttering the system.One aspect that could be improved is the Armoury Crate, although it shows promise in its early stages. Despite that, I found it manageable to work with and appreciated the ease of access it provides at any time. During my tests, I primarily focused on 1080p gaming. One game I experimented with was ... MoreThe ROG Ally is a unique device that presents itself as a portable PC in the form of a handheld console. It's important to note that this device isn't designed to cater to every demographic like the Steam Deck, which comes equipped with a gaming operating system. Instead, the ROG Ally requires some initial setup, such as updating the basic version of Windows it comes with. However, it does include Microsoft Office without any unnecessary bloatware cluttering the system.One aspect that could be improved is the Armoury Crate, although it shows promise in its early stages. Despite that, I found it manageable to work with and appreciated the ease of access it provides at any time. During my tests, I primarily focused on 1080p gaming. One game I experimented with was Modern Warfare 2, achieving a commendable 90-100fps on recommended quality settings while using 30 watts. Lowering it to 15 watts resulted in around 70 fps, and at 10 watts, it dropped to about 20fps. During an average game of Team Deathmatch, the battery drained approximately 15% while running at 25 watts without being plugged into power.For Apex Legends, I was able to achieve a stable 60fps on maximum settings using 30 and 15 watts. Additionally, I tested Battlefield 2024 on default settings and achieved an average of 50fps with 30 watts and 30fps with 15 watts. Based on these results, I anticipate using the ROG Ally primarily while plugged into a power source to take full advantage of its 120Hz display. When traveling, I would consider using a battery bank or playing non-triple-A games, as the device's battery life would be limited in those scenarios.If you're determined to play triple-A games on the go without constant access to power, I would recommend scaling down the resolution to 720p and adjusting the settings accordingly, potentially capping the frame rate as well. One of the standout features for me was the device's lightweight design and comfortable ergonomics, making it enjoyable to use for extended periods. Moreover, the option to connect a portable graphics card and create an overkill ROG Ally adds to its appeal.The display quality on the ROG Ally is notably superior to that of the Steam Deck, which is a major selling point. Furthermore, it's encouraging to know that this device offers plenty of options, and I have confidence that Asus will listen to feedback from gamers and continue to refine and improve the ROG Ally as it progresses further in development.
TL;DR: The Ally is a well made piece of hardware that gets acceptable performance on Windows 11 and has a great display that is made even better by VRR. Battery life is middling to poor, and Windows 11 has a long way to go, but apart from the steam deck this is probably the best pc handheld experience you will find.If you're willing to put up with less battery life and Windows 11, and want the perks of the nicer form factor and display it may be even better than the steam deck for some.A little more detail:PC handhelds have been a thing for some time, mostly overseas, but the steam deck has really pushed this niche segment into the limelight with better software and hardware support that isn't solely based in China. Ayaneo, AOKZOE / Onexplayer, and WinGpd (and ... MoreTL;DR: The Ally is a well made piece of hardware that gets acceptable performance on Windows 11 and has a great display that is made even better by VRR. Battery life is middling to poor, and Windows 11 has a long way to go, but apart from the steam deck this is probably the best pc handheld experience you will find.If you're willing to put up with less battery life and Windows 11, and want the perks of the nicer form factor and display it may be even better than the steam deck for some.A little more detail:PC handhelds have been a thing for some time, mostly overseas, but the steam deck has really pushed this niche segment into the limelight with better software and hardware support that isn't solely based in China. Ayaneo, AOKZOE / Onexplayer, and WinGpd (and many others) are all established names that have been making importable units for some time, but their support / communcation and availability as a US buyer is lacking. Indiegogo is often used as a channel for US sales, which is a clunky way to get one of these things.I've tried a few different pc handhelds now including the Steamdeck, the win gpd 4, the One X Player 2, and now this Asus Ally, and overall the Ally edges out the other units as the most polished system (apart from the shortcomings of Windows 11), for three reasons: Display, Build Quality, and Software.Display wise, the Ally is currently the best you can do apart from the Nintendo Switch Oled, and that is because of a 120hz refresh with Variable Refresh Rate. Obviously you're not getting 120fps in any triple A title, but VRR makes a much bigger difference in overall playability - especially at the lower frame rates you'll typically see with hand helds like this - albeit at the cost of battery life. As far as I know this is the only mainstream handheld that delivers VRR, and I really didn't expect it to make the difference that it does in game. If you don't know what VRR is or how it works (I didn't, I had to google it), in a nutshell it just means that the screen can time it's refresh rate to when the next frame of a game is rendered by the system. Without this you get noticeable stutter or screen tearing (where only part of the image has rendered before going on to the next image).Running at 120hz with VRR enabled, there doesn't appear to be a huge difference if you're getting less than 30fps, but at 30-45fps it often looks like and feels like you're running at 60fps and creates a noticeably smoother experience.Battery life on a demanding game (30-45 fps at 15 watts) tended to be around an hour and a half. I dialed it down to 7 watts (not sure why it can't go lower, maybe windows backend needs?) for indie games / emulation and they ran great, and battery life ended up in the 2-3 hour range depending on brightness. Not great, but enough for a lunch break. If you want more battery life, I'd consider the steam deck, which is also not amazing, but better especially with less demanding, lower wattage games (it runs Linux which is much lighter than windows and likely the reason for the better performance).The Ally feels very well made, although the ergonomics could be improved. I have medium sized man hands, and I have found that a more rounded pad on the back for your palm is more comfortable (which the Onexplayer 2 has), and the joysticks could be slightly larger and more accurate. Overall though the unit is very light and noticeably more compact than the Steamdeck but with the same size (and a much nicer) display, and if you're not playing for 6 hours it's adequately comfortable. The grips also don't get super hot which is nice (looking at you WinGpd4) , and the fans on the back are pretty quiet.What really puts the Ally a step above some of its competitors is the software. There is a dedicated button that pulls up a customizable quick menu for their armoury crate software which seems to immediately pop up no matter what application you're running, without interrupting or crashing whatever you're in. Compared to any of the other systems I've tried (aside from the steamdeck) this is hugely functional and useful.I'm not stranger to tech, and often install homebrew software that needs to be fiddled with, however I have found that the software included on most of these units seems to suck. Onexplayer has a clunky quick menu with a sparse set of options for TDP controls etc that will often cause your game to flash and blink or crash as it forces you back to the desktop. Wingpd 4 literally has a text box that looks like it's out of windows 95 that is highly customizable but unintuitive and difficult to access if you're doing anything without forcing your way back to the desktop.As an example: I download the binding of isaac which is a classic roguelike flash based game that is meant for a keyboard. On the other systems I had to go find a third party piece of software to set key bindings to the controller, and have it open anytime I played. On the Ally you can set custom key bindings for each game from a super easy to access and use shortcut in armoury crate and it works great. Took about 20s to setup and get in the game and never had to mess with it again.If an easy smooth experience is your target and you want windows (this is important), the Ally is the best choice out of the options out there IMO. If you don't care about windows, the form factor, or the slightly nicer display though, get the steam deck.Despite the custom software that Asus has added, windows kind of sucks for this form factor. You often see the desktop especially during setup while you're getting going, and while you can kind of achieve that console experience with the armoury crate software, windows is buggy enough that you'll inevitably spend some time staring at a tiny desktop trying to download and install something in chrome to enable or fix XYZ, especially if you're planning to use emulators. This is easier if you dock it with a monitor, mouse and keyboard, and if you're ok with all that awesome. I am. For a good chunk of people though, all that fiddling and need for other peripherals is a really gateway to entry. If that's you, get the steamdeck.As an aside in 2023 with folding phones, rollable TVs, and displays in everything, why the heck does this thing have such big bezels??? Ayaneo seems to be the closest but even they have a chonky boy. Somebody make a bezeless handheld PC and take my money!
UNBOXING:Inside the box, you’ll find the ROG Ally, a surprisingly sturdy paper stand for the Ally, and a 65W USB-C wall adapter. Other than that, it’s pretty simple packaging. Unfortunately, a case and screen cloth will need to be separate purchases.BUILD:The Ally is a sturdy plastic build. It fits comfortably in my hands, although perhaps over time I feel a bit more stress in my palms due to the way the bottom edges are angled. I think ASUS opted to go with an overall slimmer profile, which some may find less comfortable, although it is sleeker and perhaps more portable that some competitors if you stow it away in a case or bag.PORTS, EXPANSION & UPGRADES:The ROG Ally is unfortunately very light on ports. For most folks, you have a 3.5mm combo jack, a ... MoreUNBOXING:Inside the box, you’ll find the ROG Ally, a surprisingly sturdy paper stand for the Ally, and a 65W USB-C wall adapter. Other than that, it’s pretty simple packaging. Unfortunately, a case and screen cloth will need to be separate purchases.BUILD:The Ally is a sturdy plastic build. It fits comfortably in my hands, although perhaps over time I feel a bit more stress in my palms due to the way the bottom edges are angled. I think ASUS opted to go with an overall slimmer profile, which some may find less comfortable, although it is sleeker and perhaps more portable that some competitors if you stow it away in a case or bag.PORTS, EXPANSION & UPGRADES:The ROG Ally is unfortunately very light on ports. For most folks, you have a 3.5mm combo jack, a microSD Card Slot that supports up to UHS-II cards (although there have apparently been a lot of issues with this slot damaging customer microSD cards), and a USB-C 3.2 gen 2 port for Power Delivery, DisplayPort output, and data.Additionally, for a very high price, you can purchase the ROG XG Mobile external GPU dock which can give more graphics horsepower to your Ally as well facilitate the usage of your Ally as your primary desktop computer since it has additional USB ports, Ethernet, and display outputs. But the proprietary nature of this technology means you’re solely relying on ASUS to provide newer docks over time, not to mention the exorbitant price you’re paying for a laptop-grade graphics boost as opposed to a desktop-grade graphics boost.As far as onboard upgrades are concerned, you can really only upgrade the m.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Both the RAM and WiFi modules are non-removable, so you are locked in with no options to change.CONTROLS:The face buttons and bumpers have decent tactility and the analog triggers are also quite comfortable and responsive. It uses offset thumbsticks akin to an Xbox controller which I find very natural coming from an actual Xbox Series controller. You also have rear macro buttons which can help serve secondary functions or be remapped through the Command Center software (although options are a bit more limited).You also have the Command Center button on the left of the display which can give you quick access to a variety of Ally-specific functions like power profiles, an FPS limiter, a real-time performance monitor, a quick 60Hz/120Hz toggle, and 720p/1080p toggle. I really like having these options accessible without needing to dive into deep menus to make adjustments, and I hope they expand on the user experience in the command center over time.And on the right of the display you have the Armoury Crate button which will give you quick access to your game content across all your libraries as well as many Ally-specific settings like controls, lighting and display calibration.And while perhaps not the main attraction, the volume buttons are on top of the Ally—which I do find a bit inaccessible if I want to make a quick adjustment, but you can always use Command Center to make such adjustments without taking your hands off the gamepad.Lastly, the power button actually functions as a fingerprint reader, which I like. This means your Ally can be quickly secured and unlocked by only you, and you can always unlock via pin or password via on-screen keyboard should your fingerprint fail. That being said, I found the fingerprint reader to work accurately.DISPLAY:The Ally uses a 7” 1080p IPS LCD touch screen display that can operate at 60Hz or 120Hz and with FreeSync variable refresh rate. My display had the hardware ID of TMX0002 and the monitor name TL070FVXS01-0.Subjectively, the display looks quite good and is crisp at the 7” display size. Compared to the mainstream alternatives, it’s a notable upgrade and while modern smartphones are higher pixel density, this display makes me forget about that when it’s quite vibrant and can get plenty bright for daytime use and also reasonably dim for late night gaming sessions.As for the touch-screen aspect, it’s quite responsive to input, but I feel like the biggest limitation is really Windows’ on screen keyboard experience. I simply cannot get fast at typing on a screen of this size, and the limited customization of the touch screen keyboard in windows makes improving this a challenge. For this reason, I can understand why some of the competition is using other clever methodologies through hardware for keyboard input.MICROPHONES:The onboard dual array microphones are flanking the display, positioned just above the view and menu buttons. In my testing, they are very clear and do a great job at isolating speech. If your speakers are constantly blasting noise, it might struggle to pick up your speech properly, but if you’re playing games with others and have lower in-game volume, then the Ally should do a fantastic job for that circumstance. In my opinion, there’s no need to use a separate microphone while playing games on the Ally where voice communication is prominent.SPEAKERS & HEADPHONE:Audio on the Ally is one of its stronger suits. You have two front-firing speakers that deliver clear audio and it gets plenty loud for portable handheld gaming. Pushed a little too hard and you might get a touch of distortion, but overall I do feel it’s under control.Headphone performance is sufficient for most consumer headphones and some high-sensitivity audiophile headphones as well. Just be aware that by default, Audio Enhancements are enabled on the headphone output within Windows, so music may sound unnatural at first. I disabled this and found a significant improvement in clarity over headphones. With that said, this is a Realtek integrated audio chipset. It’s still not going to compete with many modern audiophile headphone dongles, but I don’t expect most folks to be running expensive IEMs or headphones through the Ally.PERFORMANCE:Game performance on the ROG Ally Z1 is decent, but you have to keep your expectations in check. Given that this variant only has 6 cores, 12 threads and 4 RDNA3 compute units, it simply does not have the same power as the Z1 Extreme variant of the Ally. I decided to focus on testing my catalog of modern 2D titles, and across the board many of these games like Gravity Circuit or Ember Knights could reach 120Hz at 1080p maxed out.Even under the Turbo power profile, 2D games which employ more advanced effects like Ori and the Will of the Wisps will not be able to yield 120Hz on High settings—especially without dynamic resolution scaling. Usually, a combination of dropping down to 720p, using 60Hz or lowering settings can get you a smooth experience for these more demanding titles. But it’s important to note that if you’re on battery, these kinds of games can draw a lot of power.Additionally, some games still need more than 4GB of VRAM to operate on higher settings, even at 1080p. So depending on the game, you might find it advantageous to tinker around with the amount of reserved VRAM through Armoury Crate, but you’ll need to restart for the changes to take effect.And in some cases where I could yield a consistent 40fps, it’s important to note that using the 120Hz display refresh rate will yield a smoother experience compared to the 60Hz mode.While on battery, I do think 120fps is really only a feasible framerate target under the 15W Performance profile or higher, while I found the Silent profile to be better suited for light gaming at 60fps.I also tried to take advantage of the built-in FPS limiter in the Command Center, but it wasn’t until I looked around online that people said you needed to set your FPS limit before you start the game, which isn’t an intuitive user experience. I also found it strange that there’s no 40fps frame limit option while the 120Hz refresh rate is engaged, but instead a 45fps option which would cause some dropped frames.BATTERY:Battery life is really challenging to gauge since this is a handheld focused on gaming. If you consider the ROG Ally as a 2D gaming machine with fantastic compatibility for different ecosystems like Steam, PC Game Pass, Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch, etc. then you may be able to yield 3-5 hours on battery if you use a manual performance profile with the lowest possible 7W power settings, lower screen brightness and stick to 720p 60Hz.But if you decide to push the limits in Performance or Turbo modes, you can reasonably only expect somewhere between 1-3 hours.CONCLUSION:Overall, I think the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 is a good product as is, but it certainly has areas where it could improve. I do think more tools to yield better battery stamina could improve the value of the Z1. But there’s no denying that having Windows installed means it has a ton of compatibility out of the box, and it does have sufficient power for a lot of gaming experiences. But it simply doesn’t have the same kind of horsepower that The Z1 Extreme variant has, although it may have an advantage in having a lower power draw.So if you’re a gamer that is focused more on indie titles without too many advanced graphical features, this could be a good option, but you will be able to get more out of it when plugged into power. But is it worth saving the $100 over the Z1 Extreme? I think most gamers probably would want the extra performance to ensure smooth gameplay while getting clear visuals on the Ally’s 1080p display.So this puts me in a bit of a bind. Most of my graphically intense games, I’d much rather do without compromise, so I tend to play those on a more powerful system, while I look at the Ally Z1 as a fantastic gaming handheld for a vast ecosystem of wonderful 2D games like Gravity Circuit, Ember Knights, Sea of Stars, and Eastward.My closing thought is that if you heavily lean towards games with low graphics demands, the Z1 Ally may be a good option for you. But if you’re an enthusiast who wants high performance, you should be looking at the Z1 Extreme variant.
Introduction:The Asus ROG Ally is an innovative handheld gaming PC that brings the power of a gaming rig to the palm of your hand. Designed for gamers who crave gaming on the go, this compact device combines portability with impressive performance. In this review, I will explore the key features that make the Asus ROG Ally an exciting option for handheld gaming enthusiasts.Design and Portability:The Asus ROG Ally boasts a sleek and ergonomic design, perfectly crafted to fit comfortably in your hands. The 7-inch display is surrounded by slim bezels, maximizing the screen-to-body ratio and delivering an immersive gaming experience. The device is lightweight and compact, making it highly portable, whether you're gaming during a commute or relaxing in a coffee ... MoreIntroduction:The Asus ROG Ally is an innovative handheld gaming PC that brings the power of a gaming rig to the palm of your hand. Designed for gamers who crave gaming on the go, this compact device combines portability with impressive performance. In this review, I will explore the key features that make the Asus ROG Ally an exciting option for handheld gaming enthusiasts.Design and Portability:The Asus ROG Ally boasts a sleek and ergonomic design, perfectly crafted to fit comfortably in your hands. The 7-inch display is surrounded by slim bezels, maximizing the screen-to-body ratio and delivering an immersive gaming experience. The device is lightweight and compact, making it highly portable, whether you're gaming during a commute or relaxing in a coffee shop.Display and Audio:Featuring a vibrant 7-inch Full HD display, the Asus ROG Ally showcases games with stunning clarity and detail. The smaller screen size ensures a high pixel density, resulting in crisp visuals and sharp graphics. The device also delivers impressive audio quality, thanks to its built-in speakers or the option to connect headphones for an immersive sound experience.Performance:Despite its compact size, the Asus ROG Ally packs a punch in terms of performance. Powered by a high-performance processor and a dedicated graphics card, this handheld PC is capable of running demanding games smoothly. The device utilizes efficient cooling mechanisms to maintain optimal temperatures during intense gaming sessions, ensuring consistent performance.Storage and Connectivity:The Asus ROG Ally offers ample storage space to store your favorite games and media. Equipped with built-in storage and expandable options, you'll have enough room to keep a diverse collection of titles with you at all times. In terms of connectivity, the device supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, enabling you to connect to online gaming platforms and peripherals seamlessly.User Experience and Controls:The Asus ROG Ally provides a user-friendly interface and intuitive controls, optimized for handheld gaming. The device features well-placed buttons, triggers, and joysticks, allowing for precise control and an immersive gaming experience. The responsive touchscreen and customizable settings further enhance the overall user experience, providing flexibility and adaptability to individual gaming preferences.Battery Life:With its focus on portability, battery life is a crucial factor for any handheld device. The Asus ROG Ally offers a respectable battery life, allowing you to enjoy gaming sessions on the go without constantly needing to recharge. While the exact duration may vary based on usage and game intensity, it provides a satisfactory gaming experience before requiring a recharge.Conclusion:In conclusion, the Asus ROG Ally is an impressive handheld gaming PC that delivers powerful performance and portability in a compact form factor. Its sleek design, immersive display, intuitive controls, and respectable battery life make it an excellent choice for gaming enthusiasts who want to enjoy their favorite titles while on the move. The Asus ROG Ally is a true companion for gamers seeking a high-quality handheld gaming experience.
The reality is that this handheld gaming is much more than that, in fact it is practically a pc that can fit in the palm of your hand. Since this is something recent, and being this the first version of this device -I hope there will be new versions in the not too distant future- there are some things that are not completely convincing. However, I consider that there are many more positive things in favor of this device.Well let's start with the first thing, the unboxing. The gaming handheld comes in a relatively small box along with its charger, quick start guide and warranty documentation. You need to charge the battery and in the meantime you can start with the setup of the device.Setup - Regarding setup, and pretty much everything else, keep in mind that ... MoreThe reality is that this handheld gaming is much more than that, in fact it is practically a pc that can fit in the palm of your hand. Since this is something recent, and being this the first version of this device -I hope there will be new versions in the not too distant future- there are some things that are not completely convincing. However, I consider that there are many more positive things in favor of this device.Well let's start with the first thing, the unboxing. The gaming handheld comes in a relatively small box along with its charger, quick start guide and warranty documentation. You need to charge the battery and in the meantime you can start with the setup of the device.Setup - Regarding setup, and pretty much everything else, keep in mind that this device is running Windows 11, which means that, excluding the Armoury Crate SE app, any configuration or manipulation of the device and apps will be like setting up a PC. This is important to know because I believe that you need to have a minimum of knowledge about the Windows operating system to solve the various problems that may arise. One of the first things to do is to check and install all available updates for windows, as well as update the app that serves as a control center, Armoury Crate SE. Pre-installed is an asus app, "My Asus", which allows you to download the specific updates for the ROG Ally (In the app go to Customer Support-> Live Update-> Available Updates > Update All), this part is essential because from there you can update the BIOS, a necessary update that fixes bugs and make the device perform better.Once you have installed the necessary updates, you can start downloading games and apps you want. This is done from the Armoury Crate SE app, from there you can download both the platforms and their games (you can also create shortcuts to already installed windows apps). This brings me to the memory section, which despite having a relatively large storage of 512 GB, falls short if we consider that the device can run AAA games that usually use more GB. In my case, having 8 games installed, the available memory is just over 100 GB, the good side of this is that you can replace the memory for a larger capacity (NVMe M.2 SSD), and also has a slot for UHS-II MicroSD memory, something very convenient.Connectivity - The device can connect to the internet via WiFi and is compatible with WiFi-6 for faster download speeds. It also has bluetooth connectivity that allows you to connect headphones, keyboards, mouse, etc., to the device. It also has the option to connect an external graphics card - ROG XG mobile eGPU - in case you need to increase the graphics power of the console and use it as a gaming PC.Audio - The device has a 3.5 jack input for headphones that works without a problem, and the audio quality, whether using headphones or the console's speakers, is outstanding. Mainly the audio of the speakers has left me impressed, normally in this kind of mobile devices the built-in speakers lack power and sound not good at all, but with the RGO Ally is not the case.Screen - The screen is really good, 1920x1080 full HD Touch Screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz, which is perfect if we consider that this console can run games at high frame rate, although this will also make the battery consumption higher. The image quality in games or multimedia content is phenomenal. It has a maximum brightness of 500 nits (many times I do not use more than 60% brightness), which in my opinion is sufficient.Autonomy - Regarding the battery, I consider this is one of the least favorable points of the console, because being a device that is made to take it with you everywhere, you have to carry the charger with you all the time because the autonomy leaves much to be desired, in turbo mode just over an hour, in other modes about 2 hours. It is understandable because of the kind of operating system that uses, where the amount of processes that are necessarily running in the background is enormous, as well as the battery consumption. What somehow balances this, is that if used with the charger connected, although the temperature increases, it does not affect the gameplay or the use of the console, that is, even if the temperature rises, the heat doesn't feelin the hands, this is because of the fans position, the heat dissipation system is very well designed.Design - The design of this portable console is superb, I love it, white color inspired by the Xbox controller, ergonomic design that allows you to play without it slipping out of your hands or being uncomfortable, a well positioned crosshead, good sized joysticks that feel very smooth(arround them theres a RGB light tha can be configure at taste, I deactivated so is a distraccion for me), the A, B, X, Y buttons feel very good, so far none of the four buttons have been stuck or have not worked, rather they work properly that really seems that you are playing with an Xbox controller. It has their respective bumpers and triggers, plus two rear buttons that, personally, I do not use much because I find them a little hard to press, however, in some games I prefer to assign some function that allows me to play more easily. The two speakers are placed at the bottom on the sides of the screen, which allows for a better experience in this area. It has dedicated buttons for certain functions, such as direct access to Armoury Crate and access to the Command Center, where you can change the display settings, refresh rate, fps rate, resolution, Operating Mode, etc., the volume buttons are at the top, near the screen lock button, which in turn is the power button and the fingerprint scanner, which by the way works extremely fast, I was really surprised. In general I consider that everything is very well distributed, it is a very well thought out design.Performance - Regarding gaming performance, something that many of us are on the lookout for, it doesn't disappoint, in fact it surprises. Sometimes I wonder how we got here, I never thought to play the same games I have on my PC, in such a compact device. All the games I installed run smoothly, however, it is important to mention that I experienced this in turbo mode and with the charger connected, in performance mode the games run well but you have to lower the quality to medium, and in silent mode you will have to lower the refresh rate and fps to play smoothly. I have spent several hours testing games, epic games, xbox game pass (the console includes 3 months free), EA. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Battlefront I and II, Metro 2033 Redux, Telltale Batman, Need For Speed MW, Star Wars Squadrons, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Fornite, Rocket League and the list will go on because I have a lot left to play XD, all without any problem, honestly I have spent very good hours of fun playing with this console.Regarding performance outside of gaming, unless you connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse, I do not recommend using this device as a substitute for a tablet or laptop, although it serves to play multimedia content, surf the internet, download office software, perform tasks of a PC itself, the screen is too small for these tasks and the operating system (Windows 11) is not really intended or designed for this device (although it sounds a bit exaggerated we could say that this ROG Ally is almost unique in its class). This can be noticed in some errors that occur from time to time, such as when rebooting the console, or using applications and then freeze and close on their own, when configuring or customizing the operating system itself. Although sometimes it seems that this also happens due to the fact that the RAM (16 GB) is shared with the graphics, this due to the fact that it is an APU (CPU with integrated graphics). What is also important to mention is that Asus is constantly working on updates, just today morning I downloaded the new BIOS update, which is improving with each update the performance of the console and therefore the user experience, so again I recommend keeping an eye on updates. I didn't want to be too incisive with this part, because I think we are witnessing a very important moment at a technological and gaming level, being this the first version of this console that we haven't really seen yet what it can be capable of. If there is a second version in the future, then there will be a more stringent critical benchmark.Prediction - Being a powerful device in many ways, it seems to me that the trend of turning devices like this into powerful computers will be adopted. This device makes it look that way because if you get the ASUS - ROG 65W Charger Dock, you can practically turn it into a desktop PC, as it allows you to connect a monitor via HDMI, a keyboard via USB, and, if you so desire, a wired mouse via USB-C. Unfortunately for this moment this accessory is sold out, you will have to wait to buy it: (goos news: it is cheap and very convenient).Without going any further and in conclusion, this ROG Ally handheld is an excellent choice for that price. For gaming, as I mentioned above, it works excellent, you can play high quality PC games from the comfort of your couch, bed, living room, etc.,. It has an Xbox controller type design, a well distributed button panel and a high quality 1080p full HD screen, excellent sound and image quality. I can definitely highly recommend this devices. Great product!.
So after pre-ordering the 512 gb version of the steam deck last year and testing it with my favorite RE engine games like resident Evil 2 remake and DMC 5 (RE4 had not yet been released) since those games tend to serve as a solid benchmark for how well a mobile device will run a good looking game compared to it's console/pc counterpaarts along with their incredible optimization across multi platfors, i was incredibly disappointed with both how terrible these games ran and how poor the ui was and I of all people should have seen it coming. As an owner of the PS5, Xbox seres x, Nintendo switch and a custom built desktop equiped with a 3090 and an i9 processor i was not expecting the deck to come close to the performance of some of my more stationary hardware, but ... MoreSo after pre-ordering the 512 gb version of the steam deck last year and testing it with my favorite RE engine games like resident Evil 2 remake and DMC 5 (RE4 had not yet been released) since those games tend to serve as a solid benchmark for how well a mobile device will run a good looking game compared to it's console/pc counterpaarts along with their incredible optimization across multi platfors, i was incredibly disappointed with both how terrible these games ran and how poor the ui was and I of all people should have seen it coming. As an owner of the PS5, Xbox seres x, Nintendo switch and a custom built desktop equiped with a 3090 and an i9 processor i was not expecting the deck to come close to the performance of some of my more stationary hardware, but thats par for the course when portability. That being said, the 720p resolution, 60hz display made playing any games (it was barely able to run the aforementioned RE games at a consistent 30 fps) let alone the more hardware intensive ones pretty much unenjoyable. Coming from a developer like valve, ot was heartbreaking since ive always wanted the predecessor to the psp or ps vita but with the option to play non exclusive games. Enter Asus ROG ally. As soon as i opems the box, the eloquent design, 360 inspired controls, and overall feeling of joy that the deck simply lacked, came flooofing jn. Thats its until I found out about the hours and hours worth of software updates required before you can even begin to install steam let alone play a game. Fast forward to 2 hours and i finally have steam, xbox, epic games and all the necessary windows essentials (btw the ally runs on full windows 11 how crazy is that) fired up and ready to go. I fire up the re4 remake this time and very little things tend to blow me away hardware wise but my God, Re4 ran so incredibly well at high settings with a solid 70+ fps that i completely stopped playing on my desktop altogether, purchased the dock that connects to a monitor/tv and made this my main gaming device. Add to that the favt that when i was showing itnoff to a friend, i realized the ally aupports up to 4 player game play amd sixne it runs windows, all controllers/mouse and keyboards are welcome! We had a 65 inch oled tv right above us but chose to play coop on this device instead! I cannot underestimate what ASUS has pulled off here and ive barely scratched the surface (the armory crate software deserves a review of its own). Not only is this, but the potential for the future of the device is basically limitless considering its windows based software and future proof hardware (the z1 extreme puts most gaming laptops and even desktops to shame). All i can say as a hardcore gaming hardware enthusiast, Asus absolutely knocked this one out of the park and if you are interested in a decent gaming laptop or even desktop, stop searching and pay the $700 for this device and call it a day! My only complaint is that the $70 should come with the device as many like myself would ideally lile to enjoy their games on their TV's without having to find a third party doxk or lose battery. That being said, this is an absolute must buy for any gamer or someone looking imto getting a gaming laptop ot desktop as this covers all necessary categories and more! ASUS, i salute you!
Bottom Line: the Asus ROG Ally delivers AAA gaming on the go with few compromises.Design and Hardware: the Asus ROG Ally is extremely well-designed. The unit is deceptively light - much lighter than it looks or what I expected. The 1080p touchscreen offers very good image quality, performing well under direct light and offering very good contrast. It is accurate and responsive, which is especially important for Windows. I was highly impressed with the sound quality and was surprised with how well it delivers Dolby Atmos and a cinematic audio experience. The thermal design works extremely well, with barely noticeable fan noise at max speed. Buttons are responsive, although the tension/stiffness of the sticks offer less resistance than a standard controller. My only ... MoreBottom Line: the Asus ROG Ally delivers AAA gaming on the go with few compromises.Design and Hardware: the Asus ROG Ally is extremely well-designed. The unit is deceptively light - much lighter than it looks or what I expected. The 1080p touchscreen offers very good image quality, performing well under direct light and offering very good contrast. It is accurate and responsive, which is especially important for Windows. I was highly impressed with the sound quality and was surprised with how well it delivers Dolby Atmos and a cinematic audio experience. The thermal design works extremely well, with barely noticeable fan noise at max speed. Buttons are responsive, although the tension/stiffness of the sticks offer less resistance than a standard controller. My only issue is that I have small hands, and so there’s a slight tradeoff between holding the unit securely and using the top buttons/triggers.Performance: AAA games run very well on the ROG Ally, although the quality of graphics possible will depend on the game. For example, I’ve been playing Final Fantasy Crisis Core Reunion, which defaults to high quality. Gotham Knights, on the other hand, is a more graphically intense game, and the settings default to low. Still, both games run at 60 fps at their respective graphics settings. I’ve only noticed some minor lag/frame shuttering when the processor is thermal throttling, although the fans do a good job at cooling the system to maintain peak performance. In terms of battery life, I’ve been getting around two hours for continuous gaming, although that can vary higher or lower depending on what’s happening in-game. Movie watching also is excellent given the screen and speakers.Other considerations: The unit just comes with a USB-C charger, but there are several first and third party compatible accessories that can expand its capabilities. As a Windows machine, you can connect a keyboard and mouse to play a variety of games or use the machine for productivity. On the flip side, I spent a lot of time updating various Windows components before I could start using the machine, and I’ve experienced a few glitches that required a restart here and there (e.g., Windows wasn’t recognizing the speaker hardware).
I’ve had my ROG Ally since release date and I am absolutely blown away by the sheer power and customizability with this fantastic device. It’s user friendly to those who have even the tiniest bit of tech knowledge and it’s not too complicated to maintain and keep the ROG in optimal conditions without completely messing up your ally. If you’re a console gamer who doesn’t want to spend an arm and leg for a laptop or a desktop and still wants to reach that high level gaming experience anywhere in your house? This device is a godsend for you. If you aren’t tech savvy I highly suggest you do a LOT of research before investing in the ally to see if it’s something you could get into, things like power wattages, manual profiles, controller configurations, updates, and more. ... MoreI’ve had my ROG Ally since release date and I am absolutely blown away by the sheer power and customizability with this fantastic device. It’s user friendly to those who have even the tiniest bit of tech knowledge and it’s not too complicated to maintain and keep the ROG in optimal conditions without completely messing up your ally. If you’re a console gamer who doesn’t want to spend an arm and leg for a laptop or a desktop and still wants to reach that high level gaming experience anywhere in your house? This device is a godsend for you. If you aren’t tech savvy I highly suggest you do a LOT of research before investing in the ally to see if it’s something you could get into, things like power wattages, manual profiles, controller configurations, updates, and more. On the surface it seems intimidating but the ROG team works diligently to provide these experiences to us customers as best as possible and delivering swift updates that improve quality of life usage for your Ally. This device is only going to get better and better and in the future I can see that eventually the Ally will become so user friendly to the point where someone with a basic knowledge of computer understanding can buy it and use its fullest capabilities right out of box. I for one have a lot of hope in ROG, they always deliver good in my opinion over other computer manufacturers and I would pick the Ally over Asus’s handheld competitors any day. I appreciate all the hard work that Asus does to deliver us all these experiences and hope that those of you who get one will do so in mind with the notion that there is so much more to the ally than what negative users might think. In terms of gaming; the ally is amazing yet again. Playing games like forza horizon 5, final fantasy 14, 15, streaming 16, mw2, saints row, assassins creed, and many more mainstreamed fan favorites can play on this device absolutely no problem with performance that will make your console seem unworthy of your gaming needs exceeding 60 fps and making your gameplay experience a smooth and satisfying session. The ROG ally is a windows device, so that also means with great power, comes great gamability; with the complete option to game, EXCLUSIVE PC games! Yes, with the Ally you can use it as a regular pc and even hook up a keyboard and mouse and get into your favorite pc games you’ve always wanted to play but never had the hardware to do it, hoping one day that the developers would make a console version. Those days are over. The ability to use desktop mode on handheld needs some work on but I’ve transitioned into using the joysticks for desktop without much trouble, the only thing that needs to be worked on which in my opinion isn’t all too bad right now — is the dead zone problem which you can find out all about that online. This doesn’t mean that these issues are set in stone, because the ROG team is working hard on all these fixes to make all the experiences more enjoyable and unproblematic. The ability to customize the Ally to add more storage or even mod the ally to fit your specific needs is easier than ever with absolutely no soldering needs, just a guitar pick, a screw driver, and your patience is needed to begin analyzing the inner skeleton of the Ally and make adjustments if necessary. I’ve seen crazy things that people have already done in hopes of modding the ally so let your imagination run wild and let your inner mad scientist go crazy! Just be extremely careful to not mess up your ally (the asus team encourages people to modify their ally and they mentioned that they enjoy watching the outcome of that and mentioned that doing so will NOT void warranty). The controls remind me of using a PS5 controller which I’m a fan of and proud owner of a PS5 (post scalper), and I could feel similarities in the buttons and overall texture touch. It’s comfortable in my hands but be careful of staying in the same position for too long, lest your hands may start to cramp. The touchscreen is very easy and fun to use sometimes over mouse or joystick, and sometimes will make what your doing go a lot faster for those who can’t use the joystick too well (due to dead zone issue). The ally charges extremely quick, I barely notice the times of when I plug it in to the times it becomes fully charged, and using the ally while charging and gaming isnt hard at all, (please pay attention to your temperature as it’s always a possibility you can fry something such as your SD card, you never want to reach temps of 85 degrees Celsius or higher and if you do you need to immediately take action into reducing the heat such as using lower wattages or reducing gaming graphics or screen brightness. I found that 69% screen brightness makes my ally become 4 degrees cooler). One thing that the ally does need is more accessories but I imagine many product manufacturers are scrambling to make some for the ally. In conclusion, the ROG ally is nothing short of innovative computer engineering and this is just the beginning, and so far in my personal opinion, Asus has the crown in the race for innovative handhelds. Happy gaming, and ALWAYS KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR TEMPERATURE!
Handheld PC - A Compact PowerhouseThe ROG Ally handheld PC is a compact marvel that packs a punch in the world of portable computing. Its sleek design and robust performance make it a standout choice for users on the go.Powered by high-end components, the ROG Ally effortlessly handles demanding tasks with finesse. The combination of a powerful processor and dedicated graphics ensures smooth multitasking and an immersive gaming experience, making it suitable for both work and play.The 7-inch display may seem small, but its vibrant colors and sharp resolution deliver an impressive visual experience. The touchscreen functionality adds a layer of convenience, enhancing the overall user interaction.One of the key strengths of the ROG Ally is its portability. The ... MoreHandheld PC - A Compact PowerhouseThe ROG Ally handheld PC is a compact marvel that packs a punch in the world of portable computing. Its sleek design and robust performance make it a standout choice for users on the go.Powered by high-end components, the ROG Ally effortlessly handles demanding tasks with finesse. The combination of a powerful processor and dedicated graphics ensures smooth multitasking and an immersive gaming experience, making it suitable for both work and play.The 7-inch display may seem small, but its vibrant colors and sharp resolution deliver an impressive visual experience. The touchscreen functionality adds a layer of convenience, enhancing the overall user interaction.One of the key strengths of the ROG Ally is its portability. The lightweight design and compact form factor make it easy to carry, fitting comfortably in a backpack or even a pocket. The inclusion of a long-lasting battery ensures that you can stay productive or entertained without constantly worrying about running out of power.The build quality of the ROG Ally is top-notch, reflecting ASUS’s commitment to durability and aesthetics. The device feels sturdy in hand, and the tactile buttons and controls contribute to a satisfying user experience.While the ROG Ally excels in many aspects, it’s worth noting that the compact size may pose limitations for extended typing sessions or intricate design work. Additionally, the pricing places it in the premium category, which might be a consideration for budget-conscious users.In conclusion, the ROG Ally handheld PC stands out as a versatile and powerful companion for those who need performance on the go. Its impressive specs, portability, and build quality make it a commendable choice for professionals, gamers, and anyone seeking a compact computing solution.
Note: I have returned the ally at the time of writing due to already having a top of the line pc and gaming laptop though do plan on picking it up in the future for gaming outside of my house.This review is written in regards to the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme and not the non extreme version.My first impression is that it won't be replacing my pc as my main source of gaming entertainment, but it can definitely work well at certain times.1) Storage looks great but with the amount of storage games take up I wish that there was an option to opt for 1tb or even 2tb from the factory, especially with the issue of the sd card slot getting too hot and damaging the sd card thats inserted.Note: ASUS do plan on implementing a fix but Im unsure if it has already happened or not ... MoreNote: I have returned the ally at the time of writing due to already having a top of the line pc and gaming laptop though do plan on picking it up in the future for gaming outside of my house.This review is written in regards to the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme and not the non extreme version.My first impression is that it won't be replacing my pc as my main source of gaming entertainment, but it can definitely work well at certain times.1) Storage looks great but with the amount of storage games take up I wish that there was an option to opt for 1tb or even 2tb from the factory, especially with the issue of the sd card slot getting too hot and damaging the sd card thats inserted.Note: ASUS do plan on implementing a fix but Im unsure if it has already happened or not so do research if needed.2) Performance is not going to replace your top of the line gaming pcs in terms of graphics power, but it is solid for its price and even its size. Even though you won't be cranking graphics to max you can definitely enjoy games with solid fps as long as you tone the graphics down.3) Controller and just controls in general were actually amazing, armory crate worked well, and the ease of access to different power profiles and fan speed settings was a very welcome feature. Also being able to change the refresh rate of the screen to save battery if needed was nice too.4) Battery life is rough when you're going full tilt at the highest power profile but with the different power profiles you can make the battery last. The included charger is quick and speedy, but I do think that the charger hdmi all in one accessory should have come in the box as it blows the included one out of the water due to having the hdmi and having the wire be detachable so replacment of said wire is an option.All in All I will definitely recommend this as an entry to pc games/gaming as it is a very solid option, you can play all the games that you would be able to on a normal PC right out of the box unlike the steamdeck and you have access to xbox game pass for pc/ultimate. Definitely recommend it for a good holiday gift for any aspiring gamers that want to play pc games.Besides gaming this machine is also solid at being a normal pc albeit needing a dongle/dock to plug in more than one device such as a mouse and keyboard.Side Note: You can technically use it as a powerful gaming pc by buying an external graphics card that is compatible with the ROG Ally but note that its worth investing into and actual PC because of the prices of these external cards.
