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While the Steam Deck OLED has dominated the handheld gaming market, I opted for the Asus ROG Ally in 2024, and I’m thoroughly impressed. It offers more than just being an alternative; here’s why you might want to consider it too.
1 Better Performance
Both devices are designed for gaming, so performance played a significant role in my choice. While the Steam Deck was impressive when it first launched, the refreshed Steam Deck OLED didn’t offer many improvements. It still relies on AMD’s older Zen 2 architecture, which is beginning to show its age in many newer games — and the outdated RDNA 2-based GPU doesn’t help its case either.
On the other hand, the ROG Ally features either the AMD Ryzen Z1 or the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, both based on AMD’s Zen 4 architecture. Both also have a higher core count. If you’re considering the Ally, I highly recommend opting for the Z1 Extreme version, as it offers a significantly more powerful GPU.
While you can expect a 10% to 40% boost in gaming performance on the Ally depending on the game and settings, the biggest selling point for me was the ability to connect it to my monitor and comfortably play most games at 1080p.
On a 7-inch screen, the difference between 1280×800 and 1920×1080 might not be a deal-breaker for you, but once you connect it to a larger display, the higher resolution does make a significant difference in overall visual quality.
2 It Has a 120hz Screen
The ROG Ally also has a significantly better screen for gaming, with a 120Hz refresh rate compared to the Steam Deck OLED’s 90Hz. This makes a big difference, as games appear noticeably smoother at higher frame rates. Additionally, it supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), allowing the display to automatically adjust its refresh rate to minimize screen tearing and stuttering, improving the overall gaming experience.
The Steam Deck OLED has a maximum resolution of 800p, while the Ally offers a full 1080p resolution, which means your games will appear much sharper on the Ally. However, as the name suggests, the Steam Deck OLED features an OLED screen, providing far better contrast and deeper blacks. This makes a big difference visually, especially in darker scenes.
If you’re someone who primarily enjoys single-player games where response time isn’t as critical, you’ll likely find the OLED screen of the Steam Deck far more immersive and visually appealing. But for me, the higher refresh rate and resolution of the Ally were more important.
3 Wider Game Compatibility
Since the ROG Ally runs Windows 11, it provides one of the best experiences when it comes to game compatibility. You can easily access any game launcher — whether it’s Steam, Battle.net, Epic Games, or others — just as you would on a regular PC. If you’re considering the ROG Ally as a complement to your existing gaming setup, you’ll likely find the experience very familiar and intuitive.
The same, however, cannot be said for the Steam Deck OLED, which runs on SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system built on Arch Linux. While SteamOS is capable in its own right, you may run into issues with certain games, particularly those that rely on anti-cheat, such as Valorant, Call of Duty: Warzone, and other competitive games.
The biggest dealbreaker for me was the lack of Xbox Game Pass on SteamOS. While you can stream games through Xbox Cloud Gaming, installing and running games locally via Game Pass can be quite inconsistent and unreliable on Linux.
Since Steam is the primary launcher on the Steam Deck OLED, getting other game launchers to work can also require more effort. Although the Steam Deck can function as a desktop replacement like the ROG Ally, if you’re used to Windows, you may experience a bit of a learning curve when adjusting to SteamOS.
4 It’s Lighter and Smaller
Since both devices are designed for handheld use, comfort and portability were key factors that led me to choose the Asus ROG Ally. The Steam Deck OLED is about 32 grams heavier, which might not sound like much, but it does make a difference during longer gaming sessions. The ROG Ally is also a bit smaller, and it felt more comfortable in my hands.
If you have smaller hands, though, you might find the Steam Deck OLED easier to grip. Its more pronounced curves on the back make it easier to hold. For me, this wasn’t an issue on the ROG Ally.
The Steam Deck OLED has a lot of benefits as a game console. Personally, I primarily work on a Mac, but there are times when I do need Windows, which is why the ROG Ally ended up being a better fit for me.
