Klosshufvud
Member
Damn that's a crazy good offer right there. No point picking Steam Deck over this option since prices are so similar.
Lenovo Legion Go vs Asus Rog ally which to chooooseeee
- Thread starter darkangel-212559
- Start date
Topher
Identifies as young
The warranty is tied to the device rather than the buyer so the warranty of my Rog Ally was activated in June and expires in June 2024. Still better than Geek Squad's refurb warranty.
Three months of Game Pass Ultimate was still honored, BTW.
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Topher
Identifies as young
The SSD replacement was crazy simple too. Easy to pop open ofter removing the six screws and then just swap out the drives. From there, boot into bios to start Asus recovery which automatically reinstalls Windows, drivers, software, etc. Probably 45 minutes start to finish with most of the time simply waiting for the installs to complete.
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64gigabyteram
Reverse groomer.
This is an odd one. The Steam Deck has the best battery life out of all the options on the market, sans Switch and Android stuff. The efficiency is more important than the size of the battery.
That being said the Deck's battery life still isn't ideal. In comparison to the Switch or Android i'd 100% agree with you.
Topher
Identifies as young
What is it that you regret about the Ally?
Fbh
Member
Not to be that guy but any specific reason you don't want a laptop?
Because it sounds like portability isn't that big of a factor for you and with a laptop you'll probably be getting better hardware for your money and more of a "PC gaming" experience.
Something like this is only $50 more than the ally and comes with an RTX4050 which is nothing special but should perform better than these portable PC's and still gives you all the RTX goodies like DLSS. Having a keybaord is also nice for some more PC centric games. (only 8 gigs of ram kinda sucks, but it's upgradeable)
Because it sounds like portability isn't that big of a factor for you and with a laptop you'll probably be getting better hardware for your money and more of a "PC gaming" experience.
Something like this is only $50 more than the ally and comes with an RTX4050 which is nothing special but should perform better than these portable PC's and still gives you all the RTX goodies like DLSS. Having a keybaord is also nice for some more PC centric games. (only 8 gigs of ram kinda sucks, but it's upgradeable)
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sendit
Member
- The Asus software is buggy and sluggish.
- Heat!
- Ergonomics (the steam deck while heavier is just easier to hold for longer sessions)
- The GPU sometimes auto disables itself. (disable/re-enable in windows hardware settings to fix)
I want to just play games.
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Topher
Identifies as young
Ah.....that sucks. I haven't had those issues myself. Only gripes I have about the Ally is that the control modes don't always work. Seems like I should always be able to use the controller controls, but in Cyberpunk, for example, I have to toggle the onscreen keyboard to get past the title screen. And, of course, the battery.
darkangel-212559
Banned
graywolf323
Member
how does Starfield run on the Ally?
darkangel-212559
Banned
Yes this really concerns me. Especially as where I live (Israel), I don't think I'll be able to just send it back to Asus to be fixed if anything like that happens. I need something reliable.
Topher
Identifies as young
how does Starfield run on the Ally?
Getting 30fps at 1080p so not that bad
ChoosableOne
ChoosableAll
You can't get into PC gaming with handhelds. It's not the same thing kiddo, not the same thing...
NeverYouMind
Member
You can get a BlueTooth controller and set Steam to run in Big Picture mode for easy controller navigation on a laptop. Also, the cheaper recommended laptop has serious GPU memory limitations that will likely cause issues with future releases.
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ChuckeRearmed
Member
Has Legion Go launched?
graywolf323
Member
hmm, I can't justify the expense right now but maybe come Black Friday it might be nice for the games that the Deck can struggle with
Fbh
Member
But you can also use a controller on a laptop, in fact it gives you way more options than a console since you can basically use any major controller (XBOX, PS, Switch as well as a bunch of third party stuff) and steam has features like the Big Picture Mode which is a controller friendly interface (it isn't perfect but gives you a decent console-like experience)
Also if you ever do want to play on the TV it's as simple as connecting it over HDMI and since the hardware is better you'll still get a decent experience on the TV rather than having to drop down the resolution or framerate like in some of these portable PC's (which is fine if you are playing on a 7 inch screen but doesn't hold up too well on 55" or whatever you have)
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graywolf323
Member
edit: oops that posted twice for some reason
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//DEVIL//
Member
I am not following much.
you dont want consoles.
you don't want laptops. not sure why but ok
you want a handheld PC why ?
why not build a mid size PC and be done with it?
or do you just want a handheld system?
because building a PC is actually the best option. in terms of performance to price (outside consoles, since consoles will always be cheaper in terms of performance to price. but they are not PC anyway so its not even the same)
you dont want consoles.
you don't want laptops. not sure why but ok
you want a handheld PC why ?
why not build a mid size PC and be done with it?
or do you just want a handheld system?
because building a PC is actually the best option. in terms of performance to price (outside consoles, since consoles will always be cheaper in terms of performance to price. but they are not PC anyway so its not even the same)
darkangel-212559
Banned
I think I would just like a handheld, I've never been great with windows outside of the basics so perhaps the SD is the more accessible option for me.
I have a cheap laptop that does well for work based stuff, but not gaming.
Also when I travel it would be nice to just throw it in my bag and take it out easily and be done with it. I'm looking for something specifically portable.
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sendit
Member
Get a Steamdeck, quick resume just works. When you're on the go, you want to be able to quickly stop and start a game. The ROG Ally currently does not support this.
//DEVIL//
Member
buying a handheld PC is a secondary device. shouldn't be your main. I am not sure why you think buying a handheld device is any easier than a normal desktop. outside of the SDD / NVME size, you are not going to be able to upgrade anything. and soon it will be weak compared to any other platform. mobile CPUs / GPUs are not really that amazing.
I would argue for the same price you get yourself a much better PC in terms of performance. and even if it has a similar performance, it will have a much better upgradeability in the future.
You mentioned traveling. how much are you traveling? only you can answer that. if you are always traveling then year a portable PC is probably the better option.
Steam deck is not powerful, the other devices you will have to do lots of optimization per game as Windows OS in general doesn't translate very well into portable devices ( serviceable, but prepare to spend lots of time in the settings menu to get the performance you want)
unless you playing old games, many of the new games will be in low and very low to and if you are lucky "mid" settings if you want usable frames. again, these desktop APUs from AMD are not that really powerful.
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Minsc
Gold Member
Despite the Steam Deck being "not powerful" it's good enough to run 10,000s of games. So play what works there's no doubt to be stuff you would enjoy, then upgrade to Steam Deck 2 and play the stuff that didn't on the first?
There's always going to be more games than you have time to play, even restricting that game pool to the Steam Deck imo.
I have a gaming laptop, and a deck, and I put more time in on the deck just because of how convenient it is. That said you can't get the full PC experience on a handheld, so I do have a regular kb+mouse and frequently play on a monitor to get games in that aren't ideal for a handheld (RTS etc).
There's always going to be more games than you have time to play, even restricting that game pool to the Steam Deck imo.
I have a gaming laptop, and a deck, and I put more time in on the deck just because of how convenient it is. That said you can't get the full PC experience on a handheld, so I do have a regular kb+mouse and frequently play on a monitor to get games in that aren't ideal for a handheld (RTS etc).
BadBurger
Many “Whelps”! Handle It!
Between the two Windows handhelds, I'd say the Lenovo. The Asus sounds like it has many software-related issues and a heat problem due to design - all according to Jeff Gerstmann, who owned one for a while and discussed it at length on his podcast. The Asus also lacks a track pad, which sounds like an oversight for a device running Windows - given that it's not the friendliest OS when it comes to handhelds.
But between the three, I'd go with the Steam Deck. Superior design, the UX out of the box is terrific, the hardware is good enough for handheld gaming. The only drawback is that getting some launchers / clients to work will take a little bit of work - for now, anyways.
But between the three, I'd go with the Steam Deck. Superior design, the UX out of the box is terrific, the hardware is good enough for handheld gaming. The only drawback is that getting some launchers / clients to work will take a little bit of work - for now, anyways.
MatrixReloaded101
Member
There isn't a perfect PC handheld at the moment. Steam deck is nice but it sucks at playing non steam games, You can do it but its not convenient.
Then you have rog ally and the other high performance pc handhelds but the long term support for these devices are very questionable and they are expensive for what they offer IMO.
Your best option at the moment is a steam deck or a nintendo switch.... yes a switch.... because you mentioned that your not tech savy, while the steam deck has a good os things can get complicated if you plan to play non steam games or get into emulators.
The nintendo switch is hands down the best portable gaming device if you want convenience and portability plus you already have a laptop for your basic PC needs.
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Dream-Knife
Banned
Steam Deck. It was never about power, but a good non-windows interface.
darkangel-212559
Banned
I already use my switch lite for exclusives. The steam deck etc for everything else outside of PlayStation is the plan. I think I'm just going to go with the SD. It seems like the best fit for me and I'll upgrade whenever the SD2 comes out. As far as playing low to mid settings at 30/40fps, it's not the best way to play but if it means I can have access to stuff like Dead Space remake that's OK. Anything emulation related I'll use youtube guides.
To be honest I think if I spend a lot on a pc handheld and run into issues it'll just stress me out. All I want to do is start it up, put on a game, do minimal setting changes and be able to relax.
That sounds like Steam OS rather than windows is the best way to go.
Everyone has been mega helpful thank you! Are there any good starter tips for SD I should know about?
darkangel-212559
Banned
That's very good advice. Tbh the Switch 2 is on its way. Will be interesting to how powerful Nintendo will make it now that they have serious competition in this space.
Unknown Soldier
Member
I would get the Steam Deck. In this form factor, not running Windows is a meaningful advantage. The Steam Deck has much better battery life than the two Windows handhelds, for instance.
yet_another_alt
Member
At their price points, the Ally and the Go are really competing with entry level gaming laptops. Yeah, a laptop 4050 is kinda laughable but it's still an actual graphics card. This one from Lenovo is $750 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo...-512gb-ssd-storm-grey/6534465.p?skuId=6534465
Klosshufvud
Member
I don't see how. At 15W TDP, the fans are quite loud and battery lasts only 1h30m-1h50m. Those are pretty poor numbers compared to a good deal of recent PC handhelds. And according to DF's latest handheld video, low wattage performance is way better now on handheld PCs.
IAmRei
Member
We got steamdeck and rog ally in the studio (we usually use Rozaly to called it for short, its a pun for godzilla spelled backward). I dont really like steam deck button placement and seems to ackward for me. Rozaly in other hand, worked like switch pro and also we can use it for works as well.
64gigabyteram
Reverse groomer.
huh. is that true? ROG Ally at 25w seems to only get 50 minutes of playtime & that's what you'll be mainly using the system at.
Klosshufvud
Member
25W is a tremendous waste of energy. I'd recommend not going above 15W. At most 18W. But you're right that Rog battery life is its true Achilles heel. I was mainly thinking of devices such as Aya Neo Geek, OneXfly, GPD Win, A1 Pro and so on. If I was in posession of Ally, I'd look up those battery mods doing the rounds on Discord.
Cyberpunkd
Member
Do not let tech YouTubers and people obsessing over benchmarks influence your behavior. They paddle content to make you more confused so that you will be coming back to their videos.
Get the Steam Deck, it has the best support and least hassle.
Topher
Identifies as young
Nothing wrong with that choice. SD is a great handheld. I think the primary consideration at this point is what storage option you will choose. Lots of folks lean towards getting the cheap 64GB version and upgrading the storage themselves. When I had SD, I bought the 256GB version on sale and just used a 512GB microSD for anything over that. I think if I had to do it again I would upgrade the SSD like I did with my Rog Ally.
fran.fernandez
Member
Had steam and ally.
Ally is too buggy so I vote for steam:
Legion go is not out yet
Ally is too buggy so I vote for steam:
Legion go is not out yet
Kiya's Guard
Member
People who want to spend a lot of money on a handheld to play some AAA games on a 6" screen...
darkangel-212559
Banned
Yeah man thanks! I'm going with the 512gb and putting in a 512gb mirco sd card in it to expand to just over 1tb. Should just about be more than enough. I might use the sd card primarily for emulation. We'll see. Also the etched anti glare screen is a must for me, as where I live is very bright and sunny 90% of the year.
darkangel-212559
Banned
Some people don't actually have any other choice. Not everyone can be in the situation where they can use a console and a TV.
Topher
Identifies as young
Sounds like you are set man! Come back and let us know how you like it.
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Kiya's Guard
Member
Of course, I'm one of those that can't hook their pc to the tv. I just find outrageous to want to spend over a thousand bucks on a handheld, specially when I believe multimedia has to be enjoyed in the best way one can. (but hell, if i had the coin I would buy one of those too, but to play some indies)
keefged4
Member
Steam Deck. Dont let Proton put you off, there are no games that I have not managed to get running on the Steam Deck that I've tried, most will work straight out of the box, some require a custom proton version, which sounds scary, but its really, really simple to set up. Plus you can dual boot windows if you really want to, but there's really no need to.
RickMasters
Member
Go with the ally. I might be a bit biased here because I have one on the way. Those airplane flights are gonna be a hell of a lot less boring!
Topher
Identifies as young
Yeah, I tried dual booting when I had a Steam Deck and it just doesn't work very well. There are third party apps that help, but Ally's software makes it a lot easier as in brings in all games from various launchers into Armoury Crate. I'd say if someone really wants Windows and multilple store access then Ally is the better choice. If all someone wants is Steam then Steam Deck is the better option, imo.
graywolf323
Member
I've found Playnite to work great for my Win11 boot on the Deck
Playnite - video game library manager
Video game library manager with one simple goal: To provide a unified interface for all of your games.
Sleepwalker
Member
Wait for next year revisions.
darkangel-212559
Banned
The Steam Deck is a lot cheaper than the competition by a mile. I really want GP though so I'll be def looking into dual booting windows. Hopefully it'll run well.