I just reviewed the Asus ROG Ally X and called it the best handheld for Windows gaming, with the emphasis on “Windows” here. Indeed, when you’re paving the way for handhelds for PC gaming in general, the Steam Deck OLED is the Switch’s equivalent in terms of price and ease of use, which remains at the top of the throne.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a closer look. The Nintendo Switch is an underpowered console and rather restrictive in terms of capabilities, but it offers incredible games, a very simple user interface that doesn’t get in the way of your gaming, and a low price.
Now let’s look at the Steam Deck compared to Windows handheld gaming consoles: a low-powered system that’s limited to Steam, but it offers a ton of top-notch titles, a polished user interface that doesn’t detract from the experience, and a low price tag. See the similarities?
So what sets Valve’s portable console above the competition? Let me explain.
For DIY enthusiasts
Before I go any further, I just want to address this topic before any eagle-eyed readers join me in disagreeing. I know you can play games from other places. I’ve been that guy busy tinkering in desktop mode to get my Epic Games launcher working with ProtonUp-Qt.
But what I’m basing my argument on is the pick-up and play experience – the steps you take to find a game, download it, and start playing. And while the ROG Ally X has the definitive advantage in terms of supporting all these different launchers without having to tinker, you don’t need to touch a single annoying desktop on the Steam Deck to play good games.
- Steam Deck Setup: Turn it on, connect to your Wi-Fi, log in, download updates and you’re ready to go. Download all the games you want through the user interface and play as soon as they’re ready.
- Configuration of the Asus ROG Ally X: Turn it on, go through Windows 11 setup, decline the Office 365 offer (unless you’re mildly bothered and want to try working on that thing), navigate Windows 11 itself on a tiny touchscreen, use the browser to install a game launcher, navigate the desktop version of those launchers to download games, open ROG Armoury Crate and use that as the launcher for said game. Then repeat these last steps for any additional games you want to play.
See what I mean? I applaud the sense of freedom and diversity you get on a Windows handheld, but Windows itself is just a mess of a user interface on a small screen like this.
Developers Take Steam Deck-First Approach
Cyberpunk 2077 has a Steam Deck mode, Spider-Man has Steam Deck presets. In fact, there are now 15,000+ games verified by Steam Deck or deemed playable on the device.
I think part of it is that the Steam Deck was the first of its kind to exist and bring portable PC gaming to the masses. So if developers see Valve’s machine as one of their targets to hit and deliver a good experience, why spend an extra $2-300 on a Windows handheld? You can see it in the frame rates of games: the difference isn’t that big, and the cheaper option is more than playable.
Device | Asus ROG Ally X (1080p) | Lenovo Legion Go (1080p) | Asus ROG Ally (1080p) | Steam Deck OLED (720p) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing: Ultra) | 9.6 FPS | 7.9 FPS | 4.5 FPS | n / A |
DiRT 5 | 30.9 FPS | 41 FPS | 45 FPS | 41 FPS |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 36 FPS | 23 FPS | 26 FPS | 44 FPS |
Because developers aren’t the only ones who want to support this portable console, the gaming quality will also be better on that gorgeous OLED screen.
Device | Brightness (slow) | sRGB color gamut (%) |
---|---|---|
Asus ROG Ally X | 523 | 112.7 |
Lenovo Legion Go | 477 | 151.8 |
Asus ROG Ally | 465 | 108.6 |
Steam Deck OLED | 597 | 143.7 |
Aside from my “Windows 11 on a handheld” gripe, I feel like this is one of the biggest missed opportunities Asus could have made with the ROG Ally X. But there’s one category where Asus’ handheld can’t be touched.
The ROG Ally X gets a win in the battery department
In our PCMark 10 gaming test, the ROG Ally X lasted well over an hour longer than its Windows laptop competitors. I wouldn’t say battery life is without issue, but it’s definitely much better for gaming on those slightly longer commutes.
Since the Steam Deck isn’t able to run this test, we’re going to have to go a little further than that: start at 100% load and play Cyberpunk 2077 with identical settings between the two to see how far we get.
In total, I managed to last just under an hour and a half on the Steam Deck (1:25 to be precise), while the ROG Ally X lasted two hours in 2:14. This feat cannot be underestimated in the portable gaming console market, a market that doesn’t exactly feel portable, as you need to be near a power outlet at all times to keep it charged.
The X is the first to take the first step towards portability for PC gaming. Bigger is better, and I hope Valve and other companies take note.
Not bad, just different
But there’s a degree of Asus, Lenovo, and MSI versus the Steam Deck with one arm tied behind its back here. The hyper-focused nature of Valve’s handheld console in terms of bringing a truly gaming-centric nature and handling to PC gaming has been unmatched by any other Windows-based system.
Because if we take the console war as a reference again, we have more powerful but slightly more complicated to use portable consoles, and a less powerful option that can be more restrictive, but allows you to access your games much more quickly. Some people won’t care about the complications, but most people are looking for simplicity, and that’s where the Deck stands out.
Until there is some sort of significant update to Microsoft’s operating system that makes it a lot easier to use on a handheld gaming console, I will always recommend people to check out the Steam Deck. Hopefully this legendary Xbox handheld gaming console brings something great in this regard!