ASUS ROG Ally Review: She Just Ain’t There…Yet

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ASUS ensured that users could rely on more than just Steam to run their games, with options like EA, Xbox, and more making their way to the device.

What seemed like a perfect experience in theory, though, is somehow more niche than a device wholly dedicated to a single service.

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ASUS ROG ALLY FOR THE AVERAGE PC USER The ASUS ROG Ally is built on Windows. It isn’t just called a handheld console. It’s a “handheld console PC.” To the average player, that sounds ideal. We all use PCs. We know what we are getting into.

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Let’s dig into why we wouldn’t recommend the ROG Ally to the average user. There are bugs—a lot of them. Often the controls won’t work correctly with certain portals—EA and Xbox would often make me switch to on-screen controllers instead of the joysticks or the D-pad.

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There were also plenty of occasions where something would pop up on screen (Windows notifications, for example), and they would get stuck there, meaning you have to stop what you’re doing, end the task, or restart the device.

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These things alone may seem like minor inconveniences, but they can absolutely ruin the flow of gaming, especially if you’re sitting down for a quick gaming session. The ROG Ally can become challenging if you don’t fiddle with PCs often.

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The real issue for inexperienced users, however, is going to the bloat that greatly affects battery life and performance on the device. Even Microsoft Teams is downloaded when you turn the Ally on.

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When plugged in, obviously, this isn’t an issue, and you can get all the performance you want out of the Ally. But if you plan to game on the go at all, you’re in trouble. The ROG Ally does offer the ability to play offline, but unlike the Nintendo Switch, this isn’t as easy as it sounds.

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