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Okay, so here’s the thing. I kinda stumbled upon this new gadget—well, not ‘new’ per se, but it really caught my eye, you know? It’s called the Asus ROG Ally. Ever heard of it? Maybe not, if you’re more into the whole Steam Deck vibe. And, yeah, the Steam Deck’s cool and all, but it’s like being stuck in a one-lane road with only Steam—unless you’re some Linux wizard, which I’m clearly not. So, ROG Ally? It’s like having a mini PC, like, right there in your hands. No Linux hoops to jump through! I mean, phew!
Now, picture this: Steam Deck wasn’t the only fish in the sea anymore. Asus ROG Ally pops up and basically says, “Hey, I’m here too!” It’s like the first real “hi there” from a handheld that can truly take on the Deck. And what’s rad about the Ally? It’s running Windows 11. I know, I know—some folks are all about simplicity, but this thing can juggle all your apps, no sweat. Yeah, I did a double-take too. It’s like your whole game library just embracing you, no matter if it’s from Epic, Game Pass, or even good ol’ Steam.
Let’s get a bit techy, just for a sec. The Ally? It’s packing a punch with that AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (sounds intense, right?) and AMD Radeon graphics. Games just flow on this thing. Honestly, it’s smooth. And here’s a laugh: my hands didn’t feel like they’d run a marathon. Less crampy, you know?
But, hold up—everything ain’t peachy perfect. That lighter build is great, but also, uh, kinda plasticky? And that stand… like, seriously, did they just decide it last minute? Anyway, back to the important stuff—battery life. The Ally? Yeah, kinda hungry for power. Two-ish hours if you’re gaming hard, maybe three if you tone it down. Compared to the Deck, you might feel a little cheated on the juice front. But hey, quick charge, and you’re back in action. Plugging in while playing isn’t the worst idea, trust me.
Couple more quirks? No carrying case in the package. I mean, come on, at this price! And those back buttons? Bit too low for my liking, but hey, maybe you’ll vibe with it.
So here’s the kicker: Which one do you grab, huh? The Deck or the Ally? Depends on your vibe. Want the bigger library, more power, accessibility? Grab the Ally. But if you’re all about that premium feel and battery life? The Steam Deck’s your buddy. Honestly? Both are kinda incredible, really make you think about where handheld gaming is heading.
