rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Ftfy.
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ASUS ROG ALLY | OT + Review Thread | Steam Deck but ROGher
grfunkulus
Banned
Input latency has me concerned....update via firmware says it was improved but had some added wonkiness. Hope it can be ironed out. The high refresh panels Asus used in their x13 laptops contributed a LOT of input lag in addition to having poor response times. I think Linus tested the response time and it was nice and low (7ms)
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Torrent of Pork
Banned
So what's the word on a charging dock that can be permanently attached to a monitor?
Sleepwalker
Member
I ended up skipping the preorder, will hold out for the switch 2/whatever else may come in 2024.
grfunkulus
Banned
Took a chance and pre-ordered. The discount code plus some rewards certs I had plus around $30 back in more certs if I keep it via my Best Buy credit card were just too much to pass up. Wonder if it's returnable without penalty...? I didn't see gaming consoles listed on the list of non returnable items or items that carry a restocking fee if opened...
graywolf323
Member
I find the trackpads to be majorly useful when in desktop mode as well, I can get a lot done without needing to use a mouse thanks to that
Diseased Yak
Gold Member
This sums up my thoughts exactly. I'm also very impressed with Valve's handling of the Steam Deck's software and would be wary of any of its competitors.
Asus definitely nailed the specs, though, for performance (assuming you stay plugged into a wall or only want to play for quick sessions between charging).
Baki
Member
Not really. Consoles allow devs to target 1 spec & has much lower OS overhead combined with being able to run code on less layers of abstraction.
rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Yes really. It's only needed a much much better hardware if the port/version is shitty. If it's not, just better hardware is needed.
Baki
Member
The debate is now on defining what much better & much much better means! PC ports optimization is tough when targeting a wide range of specs, configurations and going from a console spec that has a SOC, direct SSD access and shared ram pool between CPU/GPU. You can call them bad ports, but I don't think people realise how hard it is to develop for a wide range of specs and vastly different technical setup. If you spent $2K on a GPU, I can understand why you'd be upset about the performance on modern ports, but that's because optimising for the top-end spec makes no financial sense when the vast majority of PC players are still on a GTX1060.
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
The vast majority? The most popular GPU on steam is the 1650 at 6%. And that is not the vast majority as you have to account for the other 94%.
Was thinking about getting this instead of a laptop for on the go computing + gaming but no trackpad gives me pause.
rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Shared memory pool means nothing for performance as GDDR6 latency is higher and the bandwidth still suffers for stuff like alpha effects and anisotropic filtering.
Where did you get that the vast majority has 1060? By Steam survey, the mast majority has RTX cards.
Yeah, we may need to talk about the difference between mode, median, mean and what 'majority' actually means.
The 1060 maybe the second most common card but that doesnt make it the majority or even close to the 'mean'.
lmimmfn
Member
One of the best features of the deck, surely you can enable hibernate in Windows to provide similar functionality?
Mr Hyde
Member
So I ultimately went with the ROG Ally and their XG Mobile egpu, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. ETA prime does a very good video on it which pretty much sold me on it. It seems like the perfect hybrid setup that I can think of, mimicking the console experience but being as versatile as a PC.
With this setup I can do 1440p 60 fps across the board on my tv and when I take the Ally with me I can turn it down to 720p/40. I'm so excited to get my hands on this now. If it's as good as it sounds, I can see myself having the Ally as my main gaming device. An all in one setup is something I very much desire.
With this setup I can do 1440p 60 fps across the board on my tv and when I take the Ally with me I can turn it down to 720p/40. I'm so excited to get my hands on this now. If it's as good as it sounds, I can see myself having the Ally as my main gaming device. An all in one setup is something I very much desire.
Topher
Identifies as young
If I didn't already own a pretty decent gaming PC, I'd seriously consider this setup. Actually I own an Asus Flow Z13 (PC/Tablet) which has that same XG Mobile port and I considered getting the XG Mobile 4090 with it and sell my gaming PC, but the economics don't make much sense considering it is a mobile 4090 which makes it less powerful than my 4080. I would end up paying to downgrade. What I'd really love to see is for Asus to release an XG Mobile enclosure where I can use my own GPU. That would be awesome.
Sleepwalker
Member
Honestly I was looking at the 4090 and the ally instead of buying a 4090 and a new PSU for my PC but I'm not convinced on the CPU being able to handle 4k gaming with a 4090.
Mr Hyde
Member
I've been pondering a long time to get into PC gaming, and I've dabbled with it to some extent the past two years with the laptop I purchased. But it's not really a gaming PC (it's a ZenBook) so I've only played lesser demanding games on it. I also don't feel really comfortable gaming where I work, and since I'm a console peasant at heart, the couch is where I wanna be. And this setup is a match made in heaven for me. But if I already had a decent gaming rig like you do, I wouldn't have purchased this either.
The only reason (or two reasons actually) I didn't buy the 4090 is because it was too damn expensive, and ETA prime basically said it was overkill for the ROG Ally. I'm totally cool with 1440p myself, it's the perfect sweet spot.
Topher
Identifies as young
Yeah, you'd take a hit at 4K I'm afraid. You are looking at $2000+ either way so hopefully there will be some more benchmarks done. Jarred Tech on youtube does a lot of this kind of thing and actually did some benchmarking using Flow Z13 and comparing 3080 vs 6850:
Sleepwalker
Member
Ideally as you said I'd just take an open enclosure so I can drop in my 2080s that I'm sunsetting after getting a 4080/4090. That would suffice me at 1440p I think.
TheUndeadGamer
Member
I might get either the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally. I just want to play the games (including PS games) that don’t make it to my series X for whatever reason. Though I am worried about the problems with ASUS currently. Hmmm 
BlackTron
Member
Aside from consoles generally punching above their weight compared to PC, isn't Horizon a known badly optimized PC port?
I mean if you put together a PC with the same specs as a PS4 and expect it to run the same titles decently you're in for a rude awakening
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Does it say if these are hdmi 2.1? I could then hook up in my bedroom and use vrr.
Topher
Identifies as young
The 6850 XT and 4090 versions are, but the 3080 version has HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4.
ROG XG Mobile (2022) | External Graphic Docks | ROG United States
The 2022 ROG XG Mobile reinvents external graphics with true portability. Being less than 10% of the size of typical eGPUs, it harnesses up to an AMD Radeon™RX 6850M XT GPU.
rog.asus.com
This tech specs page of the 3080 version isn't working, but states it in the features page:
2021 ROG XG Mobile
Expand your creative and gaming horizons with the groundbreaking Zephyrus Duo 15, which features a ROG ScreenPad Plus secondary display that takes the Windows 10 experience to new heights. Innovative cooling with liquid metal and a groundbreaking thermal design unleashes peak power from the...
rog.asus.com
Mr Hyde
Member
Bought the ROG cetra true wireless headphones as a companion piece to the Ally. Trying them out now, the sound is top notch. I also bought a very capable power bank. 30000 mAh and 65 W output making it ideal for the Ally. I can speed charge it up to ten times I think and it fits perfectly in my backpack, making sure I never run out of juice with my Ally. I'm ready for AAA gaming on the go!
Mr Hyde
Member
Bought some more accessories for my ROG Ally experience. On the left is a stylus pen so I can navigate the UI more efficiently. Many reviews I've seen have complained about how unintuitive it is to navigate Windows with controller sticks and since the ROG Ally has a touch screen I figured a stylus pen would be ideal.
On the right is the 8bit do ultimate controller. It works on Switch too so I'm gonna use it for both PC gaming and Switch. It is by far, the best controller I've ever used. It's comfortable, fits right into your hands and has the perfect weight. Battery life is amazing too. It's better than the Switch Pro for sure, even better than the Dualsense (minus the haptics) so I'm very happy with this purchase. And the white color makes it look damn sexy. Gonna be a perfect fit for the ROG Ally.
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ChoosableOne
ChoosableAll
It would have been better if they made a cheaper product with a 720p screen. Performance is lower than I expected.
Topher
Identifies as young
Bought some more accessories for my ROG Ally experience. On the left is a stylus pen so I can navigate the UI more efficiently. Many reviews I've seen have complained about how unintuitive it is to navigate Windows with controller sticks and since the ROG Ally has a touch screen I figured a stylus pen would be ideal.
On the right is the 8bit do ultimate controller. It works on Switch too so I'm gonna use it for both PC gaming and Switch. It is by far, the best controller I've ever used. It's comfortable, fits right into your hands and has the perfect weight. Battery life is amazing too. It's better than the Switch Pro for sure, even better than the Dualsense (minus the haptics) so I'm very happy with this purchase. And the white color makes it look damn sexy. Gonna be a perfect fit for the ROG Ally.
8bitdo Ultimate Controller is aptly named. Fantastic controller.
Hayabusa83
Banned
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Think.im gonna grab that 8bit do ultimate. It looks slick as hell.
Topher
Identifies as young
Mr Hyde
Member
Retro Game Corps has been doing some great coverage on ROG Ally so far. This one was especially good with the XG Mobile. He really goes in depth with these things, covering all angles.
Yes, it works fine as well as sleep. I have had no issues in months on my gpd win4, but valve defense force keeps harping on disinformation because of a perceived threat to their precious plastic box
GHG
Member
Valve really need to make the distro that is on the deck public. Keeping it under lock and key, even while they are developing it, is against the spirit of what Linux is about.
Allowing everyone to see what they've done and how they've done it will lead to more improvements across Linux as a whole and give inspiration for other similar distros to rise.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
I wanna grab the previous XG but I can't find them in the UK. Nightmare.
Looks like I'll grab the cetra and the gaming psu with hdmi 2 for the road but gonna wait for a deal as ive just missed out on £35 cash back on the headphones.
That 8 bit do ultimate is getting ordered on pay day.
Looks like I'll grab the cetra and the gaming psu with hdmi 2 for the road but gonna wait for a deal as ive just missed out on £35 cash back on the headphones.
That 8 bit do ultimate is getting ordered on pay day.
ToTTenTranz
Banned
It's not Valve defense force, it's a handful of very vocal Linux supremacists.
Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
now that is interesting...
Wouldn't want to play CP2077 on any handheld anyways so I don't mind these battery life times.
The only time I'd like to have more performance (than the Steam Deck) would be docked mode which then makes battery life irrelevant.
Then again, for me there's rarely usage for docked mode since I have a good enough PC and PS5.
So for people not owning a gaming PC the Ally might be a good choice to invest in.
The only time I'd like to have more performance (than the Steam Deck) would be docked mode which then makes battery life irrelevant.
Then again, for me there's rarely usage for docked mode since I have a good enough PC and PS5.
So for people not owning a gaming PC the Ally might be a good choice to invest in.
I don't believe them. If true, complete deal breaker for a handheld. However, it's running Windows so why shouldn't you be able to suspend? I do it all the time on my desktop PC; leaving a game running, just suspend, wake up in 5secs when needed and return to the game. You don't need to close them. Wonder why this should be different on the Ally.
Onironauta
Member
I think they just don't to give people high expectations (reasons to complain) in case the Windows suspend feature is a bit buggy
FingerBang
Member
That's not how I see it. The device is not out yet and you can already run plenty of games on Linux. This means that once it's out the Linux community will probably be able to improve the experience and give us something closer to the Steam Deck in terms of experience.
That won't improve the performance at lower W in any way though. That's up to ASUS.
ToTTenTranz
Banned
Over half my playthrough of CP2077 was made on the Steam Deck, and it worked quite fine.
Oh, yes, I bet it did. I think my post wasn't clear enough. It's just a personal preference to play these kind of big AAA visual feasts on a big TV instead of a small screen.
Sleepwalker
Member
Taki had some issues but overall liked it. I assume the issues are mostly down to windows.