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[Fafalada]

If it had SteamOS or something other than windows it would be temping.
Whats the performance on the rdna3 apu?

At 25-28W it trades blows with Series S in modern titles. Several cases where it actually runs better and/or with additional features (like RT).
Of course - CPU is significantly more powerful too, and more ram helps - so it varies by where the bottlenecks are - and it doesn't need to go above 1200P.

Windows 11 has its quirks - but if you mostly game in Steam, it doesn't matter much. And I've had decent luck with other stores (troubleshooting compatibility on those isn't a thing).
Ironically the biggest issues I ran into with Windows and handhelds is using a wireless controller. Not because hw wouldn't work (no issues there) - but because Windows is quite broken with handling of I/O devices - so if you have a built-in controller in the system - many games (especially stuff published by Microsoft - ironically) will just use that and ignore all other controller inputs. So then you need to resort to special sw to 'hide' the built-in controller from the game to play it on the big screen.
Not really an issue with Steam games (since that virtualizes controllers for the games) - mostly I ran into it with GamePass software really.

 

[Mr Hyde]

If you're ordering one, just remember there is an import tax from China depending where you live. Some get hit pretty hard at the customs.

Did you get hit with customs? Where do you live, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Mr Hyde]

If you're already docking the handheld, why not just pick it up when you travel?
That's how I have mine setup - there's mag-safe type USB connectors now to make it even easier to plug&play and not worry about wearing down the port (though A1 Pro makes this nicer since you can actually dock it on the top/bottom depending on what works better (as both top and bottom USB-C is 4.0).

It's a bit of a hassle with the Ally and XG Mobile. It doesn't work as seamless as I thought it would plus it's a bit buggy. So I rather have it docked, because then it performs flawlessly. The ROG Ally is a nice handheld but the weak battery is pretty annoying I must admit. I thought it wouldn't be, because I seldom game for more than 2 hours on a handheld anyway, but it drives me nuts anyway

Can you recommend some of these Usb-c type Egpus? Do you have such a setup? Would be nice to see how it looks. Slide my DMs with some pics if you'd like

 

[SmokedMeat]

Base price is $1,000 USD. I’m glad they solved those Steam Deck problems.

For an extra $600 it should.

 

[Dream-Knife]

Having used both SteamOS and W11 on handhelds now, I just prefer Windows. All my games just work. No weird Proton bugs. No online incompatibility. I press Start and then I'm in-game. Desktop Linux was just too much to learn in handheld form. With some neat shortcut buttons, W11 works.



The Phawx has the best benchmarks. The 7840u really shines at 20W.

I'd still rather have the taylored linux experience.

The shortfalls of gaming on linux are a non-issue for me on a handheld (FPS anti-cheat and VR). Arch linux is simply a better operating system than Windows NT.

 

[Kakax11]

Don't worry they'll release a newer model every month

 

[Darko]

I was eyeing the win gpd 4.. but they are releasing a new one already in a month lol..

Don't worry they'll release a newer model every month

 

[TheSHEEEP]

I was eyeing the win gpd 4.. but they are releasing a new one already in a month lol..

Release schedules like that speak volumes about long-term support for those devices.
Non-existing long-term support, that is.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

I just do not feel comfortable spending that much, on a device coming from China, with zero support. I'll occasionally buy an Anbernic or Powkiddy device for emulators. They feel cheap and if something breaks good luck getting the company to stand behind their product and fix it. I'm gonna stick with my Steam Deck. At least i can buy replacement parts easily on ifixit if needed.

Thats how I feel on it and i'm the same with Anbernic etc. Spending this much to have something go wrong and have an utter nightmare on the return just puts me off, as much as I'd like one.

One of my first Steam Decks SD card port went pop, it corrupted cards then totally failed, within two weeks I had a brand new Deck, I couldnt fault Valves customer service and it was less than half price of this device.

 

[Tams]

honestly i think people spending this much on a handheld likely have enough left over for a battery pack

Oh come on. You damn well know that it's not money putting people off using battery packs. It's the bulk and inconvenience of doing so.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Saw this video from Retro Game Corps. Very informative and thorough review, as always from Russ. A1 pro is a damn sexy device, I must say. It has pretty much everything going for it, except it's coming from China, and software support will most likely be at a bare minimum. I have zero experience buying tech from China. How is the warranty if something breaks? If you must send the device back? Is customer support in Chinese? These are things going through my mind when thinking about buying A1 pro. The reason I bought an Ally is because Asus is a legit company in my country with a big presence and reliable customer service. Warranty is 3 years so if shit hits the fan I just send it back and they either repair it or I get a new one. Not really sure that's happening if I buy an A1 pro.

 

[rodrigolfp]

At 25-28W it trades blows with Series S in modern titles.

Are you sure? I saw it running Flight SIM at ~30fps on low settings.

 

[Imtjnotu]

They collecting data like Intel tho?

 

[Calling 911 Melts Beams]

ok chang

 

[FingerBang]

As great as these new devices sound, I'm not even going to consider anything that doesn't have VRR and 120hz for lfc

 

[ThatStupidLion]

OP reads like a ad

 

[Fafalada]

Are you sure? I saw it running Flight SIM at ~30fps on low settings.

I mean you make that sound like it means something.
I wouldn't know what PC equivalent setting consoles got. But anyway - I'll try to run the game when it actually downloads. 3 years running it's still the same horrifically broken install experience as at launch - even on a 1GB connection it's unstable and takes forever.

But on the actual topic - I said they trade blows - not that all of 5000 odd or so games that both can run have identical performance.
There's titles where I've seen A1 do better (Forza, Ascent, Scorn) and then there's some where it underperformed badly (RDR2 was one 'highlight' for me). And plenty others where there's nothing much between them.

 

[Klosshufvud]

Did you get hit with customs? Where do you live, if you don't mind me asking?

No, since I bought used from my country.

Saw this video from Retro Game Corps. Very informative and thorough review, as always from Russ. A1 pro is a damn sexy device, I must say. It has pretty much everything going for it, except it's coming from China, and software support will most likely be at a bare minimum. I have zero experience buying tech from China. How is the warranty if something breaks? If you must send the device back? Is customer support in Chinese? These are things going through my mind when thinking about buying A1 pro. The reason I bought an Ally is because Asus is a legit company in my country with a big presence and reliable customer service. Warranty is 3 years so if shit hits the fan I just send it back and they either repair it or I get a new one. Not really sure that's happening if I buy an A1 pro.

No doubt legitimate concerns. I must admit I haven't been doing much research on their customer support. I know shipping to and from China takes a long time, so obviously just that means customer support will suffer. There is a Discord I'm in that is helpful though. In the end, it's a gamble purchasing a product like this, but so far it's been a gamble that has paid off. We'll see how long that bliss will last

Don't worry they'll release a newer model every month

I'm personally hoping that with the quick migration to 7840u, things will settle for a while. There is no real upgrade on the coming horizon regarding these low-wattage APUs from AMD's roadmaps. The 6800U was lacking in some aspects and mobo compatibility meant these vendors could make a record fast transition to 7840u. But bear in mind, this is as current as a chip can be. I don't see any plausible upgraded systems coming out in the short term. Probably just more variants of the 7840u in different form factors.

 

[Rhazkul]

Oh nice, a CCP spyware machine for the price 2 gallons of slave blood and 1000 freedom bux, that seeks to undermine my privacy to make China strong!
What a deal!

 

[8BiTw0LF]

I'll wait for the 120hz with 4 back buttons version.

 

[Darko]

Im waiting for a fold design (that’s pocketbable) with a keyboard and a oled screen… there’s the win gpd mini but no oled screen



Edit: 120hz tho.. hmm

 

[Klosshufvud]

Shameless bump here but gotta share. Playing RDR2 on this thing. 1200p, 30 fps, 15W with very cool and quiet fans and battery life of 3h+.

A jaw dropping experience no doubt to be playing this blockbuster AAA release on a handheld. I have to pinch myself at times to remind myself it's real.

 

[Topher]

I recently out of curiosity decided to acquire an ultra beefy PC handheld. I ended up on the AokZoe A1 Pro. This bad boy has a massive 65Wh battery, 1200p 8' display, hall-based sticks, 7840u RDNA3 chip with 32GB LPDDR5 @7500Mhz. Basically, this is the most pimped out any PC handheld has been

And I absolutely love it. All the shortcomings of Steam Deck have been adressed. Battery life is good. Fans are whisper quiet even at 20W and temps stay low. You can play most games at 1080p+ which means no need to worry about mushy graphics and impossible-to-read text. It's Windows 11 but I don't mind it. Been gaming on Windows all my life and I've come to know its shortcomings so they don't bother much. Touch compabitility on W11 is surprisingly not terrible. Oh, and this machine is an absolute emulation beast. Its 16:10 8' display and potent CPU makes it a real smooth ride. I recommend installing Retrobat for a good experience.

Things are really heating up on the handheld front now. This is personally the best handheld I've ever owned and a childhood dream. I suggest anyone who likes handhelds to keep their eyes on these Chinese devices. They know their niche.

Bit of bump to point out that the Non Pro version of this handheld is $449. Just ordered one. Should arrive tomorrow. That 8 inch screen looks so nice. Non Pro has the 6800U so a little bit less power than the Rog Ally, but not much from what I can tell. Not going to be playing graphically intense games on this anyway.

Amazon.com

 

[Klosshufvud]

Bit of bump to point out that the Non Pro version of this handheld is $449. Just ordered one. Should arrive tomorrow. That 8 inch screen looks so nice. Non Pro has the 6800U so a little bit less power than the Rog Ally, but not much from what I can tell. Not going to be playing graphically intense games on this anyway.

Amazon.com

Nice. That's a really good deal IMO. Can't wait to hear your impressions. I recommend learning the shortcut keys early on so you can easily toggle the command center. And I also recommend adjusting fans to be less aggressive. The device has good fans so they don't need to blast at 100% giving you migraine. Hope you like it.

 

[Topher]

Nice. That's a really good deal IMO. Can't wait to hear your impressions. I recommend learning the shortcut keys early on so you can easily toggle the command center. And I also recommend adjusting fans to be less aggressive. The device has good fans so they don't need to blast at 100% giving you migraine. Hope you like it.

I've had it since yesterday and I'm impressed. The screen is really great. Can't go back to <8" screens. Probably the best feeling handheld I've had. The triggers are ok, not great. The software doesn't always work as well as I'd like. Sometimes the popup overlay just doesn't show unless I reboot. The command center was not preinstalled which is odd, but it works pretty good. Performance is really good. Not far off what I experienced with Rog Ally. Enjoying it quite a bit so far.

 

[Klosshufvud]

I've had it since yesterday and I'm impressed. The screen is really great. Can't go back to <8" screens. Probably the best feeling handheld I've had. The triggers are ok, not great. The software doesn't always work as well as I'd like. Sometimes the popup overlay just doesn't show unless I reboot. The command center was not preinstalled which is odd, but it works pretty good. Performance is really good. Not far off what I experienced with Rog Ally. Enjoying it quite a bit so far.

Yeah 8' is a deal breaker for modern high resolution games. 16:10 is also a godly format for games. Regarding the overlay, I suggest every time you boot up the device to hot key start the command overlay (the one that covers right side of screen) and touch the overlay button. It doesn't automatically start but I've made it a habit now to just press the hot key for the command overlay and enable the performance RTTS overlay every time I boot up the device from shutoff. The best thing about these devices with good battery and fans is that you can jack up that wattage to higher levels than usual when performance is lacking. Gives a lot of headroom to bruteforce games.

 

[Topher]

Yeah 8' is a deal breaker for modern high resolution games. 16:10 is also a godly format for games. Regarding the overlay, I suggest every time you boot up the device to hot key start the command overlay (the one that covers right side of screen) and touch the overlay button. It doesn't automatically start but I've made it a habit now to just press the hot key for the command overlay and enable the performance RTTS overlay every time I boot up the device from shutoff. The best thing about these devices with good battery and fans is that you can jack up that wattage to higher levels than usual when performance is lacking. Gives a lot of headroom to bruteforce games.

Nice. Thanks for the tip.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Sounds gangster as fuck mate. What’s the price?

And hopefully steam deck OS comes to this so we don’t have to deal with shitty windows

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

I do like the performance of the device, but I have to complain about the stick and buttons but this may have just been a set of defective input boards on my end.

Y button was sticking almost as soon as I started using the device and "down left" on the dpad was just producing "left". Returned, waiting on a replacement. Will keep this instead of the Rog and will see how well it plays with steam os.

 

[Three]

Looks ass.

 

[Klosshufvud]

Nice. Thanks for the tip.

No probs. By the way, what do you think of the dpad compared to other handhelds? It has definitely grown on me.

Sounds gangster as fuck mate. What’s the price?

And hopefully steam deck OS comes to this so we don’t have to deal with shitty windows

Topher found the 6800U (older gen) for $450. I got mine (7840U, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for 800€ a year ago. So it ain't cheap.

 

[RagnarokIV]

No probs. By the way, what do you think of the dpad compared to other handhelds? It has definitely grown on me.


Topher found the 6800U (older gen) for $450. I got mine (7840U, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for 800€ a year ago. So it ain't cheap.

6800U sounds fair to be honest.

 

[Topher]

No probs. By the way, what do you think of the dpad compared to other handhelds? It has definitely grown on me.

It's fine. I know some reviewers didn't care for it, but I don't have any problem with it.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Base price is $1,000 USD. I’m glad they solved those Steam Deck problems.

 

[Apocryphon]

Because despite costing a grand and clearly having excellent performance, it looks like a cheap plastic pos.

 

[Topher]

Klosshufvud installed Bazzite OS on mine because I've heard a lot of good things about it and wanted to check it out. Saved the windows installation of to an image so I can easily go back if I decide to, but kind of digging Bazzite. I'd probably be more inclined to stick with windows if the Aoktoe software was better. But....we will see.

Because despite costing a grand and clearly having excellent performance, it looks like a cheap plastic pos.

Except it isn't. The actual plastic housing is very high quality. The screen is exceptional for an LCD. Overall, the build quality is on par with every other device on the market that I've tried which includes Rog Ally, Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go

 

[Klosshufvud]

Klosshufvud installed Bazzite OS on mine because I've heard a lot of good things about it and wanted to check it out. Saved the windows installation of to an image so I can easily go back if I decide to, but kind of digging Bazzite. I'd probably be more inclined to stick with windows if the Aoktoe software was better. But....we will see.



Except it isn't. The actual plastic housing is very high quality. The screen is exceptional for an LCD. Overall, the build quality is on par with every other device on the market that I've tried which includes Rog Ally, Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go

Damn, sucks that you weren't having great time with it. I have no issues with it personally but I'm also fine with a little jank. How is Bazzite OS? I agree that the build quality is really solid. Also has a very nice screen shield that comes on by default. The triggers and sticks are also hall-effect which is more than you can say about SD and Rog Ally.

 

[Topher]

Damn, sucks that you weren't having great time with it. I have no issues with it personally but I'm also fine with a little jank. How is Bazzite OS? I agree that the build quality is really solid. Also has a very nice screen shield that comes on by default. The triggers and sticks are also hall-effect which is more than you can say about SD and Rog Ally.

Yeah, I just wish the overlay button worked consistently. Also, the launcher is only recognizing some of my games. Hopefully there will be some updates in the future.

Bazzite is pretty kick ass so far. It honestly feels like I have an 8" Steam Deck which is really what I've been wanting.

Another issue that I had with Windows is Octopath Traveler 2 will not display properly. I think this has to do with the screen being portrait oriented as I had the exact same problem with Legion Go. But only on Windows. With Linux, it works much better although I can't get it to expand to full screen. Now there are is a large black border around the game. So more than likely some shitty game code along with Windows not handling portrait correctly I'm guessing.

 

[Klosshufvud]

Yeah, I just wish the overlay button worked consistently. Also, the launcher is only recognizing some of my games. Hopefully there will be some updates in the future.

Bazzite is pretty kick ass so far. It honestly feels like I have an 8" Steam Deck which is really what I've been wanting.

Another issue that I had with Windows is Octopath Traveler 2 will not display properly. I think this has to do with the screen being portrait oriented as I had the exact same problem with Legion Go. But only on Windows. With Linux, it works much better although I can't get it to expand to full screen. Now there are is a large black border around the game. So more than likely some shitty game code along with Windows not handling portrait correctly I'm guessing.

That's weird. The game ran fine for me.

I played the whole game on the A1. It was a really good experience.

 

[Topher]

That's weird. The game ran fine for me.

I played the whole game on the A1. It was a really good experience.

Well crap......I have no idea then. I know I'm not the only one though. I found this on the Legion Go reddit.



Glad it worked for you at least

 

[Klosshufvud]

Well crap......I have no idea then. I know I'm not the only one though. I found this on the Legion Go reddit.



Glad it worked for you at least

Try to start the game in a lower resolution, go to settings and switch between windowed and full screen. I have the vaguest memory that I did something like that to make the game fill the entire screen. Some say switching API works but I can't recall if that was what did the trick.