ASUS ROG Ally releases in June priced competitively to the Steam Deck

Quoting: melkemind

Quoting: ObsidianBlkI feel the biggest risk to the Steam Deck is the ROG Ally actually being in a store. As far as I'm aware, Steam Deck is only available from Steam (at least in the US). That means most customers would either have to already be familiar with Steam or (to a much lesser extent) be willing to "risk" the Steam eco-system sight unseen. The Steam Deck had a *HUGE* amount of positivity after it's release (definitely a key benefit to not over-hyping your hardware before release), so Steam Deck saw converts who were not normal PC gamers.

But ROG Ally will be in a store. This means it will be *A LOT* easier for (grand)parents to buy the Ally for their gamer (grand)child's birthday or as a holiday gift. This is a huge deal! Even if the ROG Ally is only half as good as the Steam Deck (and more likely it'll be, all around, on par) that could lead to more ROG Ally units in gamers hands after a year than Steam Deck units.

I feel Valve *really* needs to find a way to get at least the base-line model Steam Deck on store shelves (including Amazon, Walmart, etc). Otherwise, I fear the Steam Deck (and more directly, Steam OS) will be drowned out by more easily purchasable devices.

Realistically, Valve just can't compete with Asus in hardware distribution. Asus is a gigantic multinational corporation that makes Valve look tiny. Valve is also primarily a software company. What would be nice is if Valve partners with some hardware vendors like Asus to get more SteamOS devices out there, similar to what they did with the Steam Machines but hopefully more successful.

This is assuming this device is big bet for Asus. It is most likely not.

Quoting: slaapliedjeWonder how many people go into retail stores these days. I'm a terrible example, I don't go into retail stores very often anymore! Last time I did was for a Yoga laptop, and the dude at the shop was annoying me (it was Best Buy). Would you like Anti-virus? No, would you like Office? No. Would you like... piss off. :P

Interesting point. A lot of retail stores seem to be struggling these days. And I don't shop much period, but my wife is always complaining about stores having all kind of stuff she might want but would want to try on to be sure, only available on the web, not the physical store. It's like the stores are being eaten alive by their own web divisions. So maybe physical retail isn't as much of a deal as people think any more.

That said, even if Valve never does sell them in physical stores much, they could benefit from more online retail channels. Amazon being the obvious behemoth in the room. Or BestBuy itself, say, for the web visibility not the physical stores.

Quoting: ObsidianBlkI feel the biggest risk to the Steam Deck is the ROG Ally actually being in a store. As far as I'm aware, Steam Deck is only available from Steam (at least in the US). That means most customers would either have to already be familiar with Steam or (to a much lesser extent) be willing to "risk" the Steam eco-system sight unseen. The Steam Deck had a *HUGE* amount of positivity after it's release (definitely a key benefit to not over-hyping your hardware before release), so Steam Deck saw converts who were not normal PC gamers.

But ROG Ally will be in a store. This means it will be *A LOT* easier for (grand)parents to buy the Ally for their gamer (grand)child's birthday or as a holiday gift. This is a huge deal! Even if the ROG Ally is only half as good as the Steam Deck (and more likely it'll be, all around, on par) that could lead to more ROG Ally units in gamers hands after a year than Steam Deck units.

I feel Valve *really* needs to find a way to get at least the base-line model Steam Deck on store shelves (including Amazon, Walmart, etc). Otherwise, I fear the Steam Deck (and more directly, Steam OS) will be drowned out by more easily purchasable devices.

I will disagree. This is essentially PC handheld. That has always been a niche market. What Valve did was polished a heck out of that thing and built platform based on that.

Parents will buy Switch to kids. There is no way Microsoft or Asus can even touch power Nintendo has in that segment. Not with nonexistant UX and such battery life.

So in reality it doesn't change much, if anything at all. Valve will keep selling Steam Decks trough Steam, because it gives them control over process and they don't have to make deals they are not fan of, and it is where their core audience is. Less, more - it is not that important for them. Again, it is not their primary business line, and they have been investing in this direction for very long time now. I predict Asus will give up quite quickly, along with Microsoft who is looking towards AI hype. Essentially, even XBOX is not that interesting to them. It is not a huge money maker.

I feel this device has drawn attention because a) Windows gaming fans feel threatened because I have never understood why and b) Linux gamers feel that Valve being solely responsible for possibility to game on Linux is very fragile setup, which I totally get.

However again I don't think realistically this gonna change much. People don't buy platforms because of specs only.

Also reminder to myself not to pay too much attention to this because...it's games. Linux had, has and will have games. Also there is loads other stuff to do in life.


Last edited by Pecisk on 11 May 2023 at 8:47 pm UTC

I do not think Valve is preoccupied of this device, I think they are enthusiastic about it. The purpose of the steam deck was to open a new market to increase the sales on the steam store. Pushing other companies to produce more mobile devices to play PC games was exactly what they was aiming at. The fact that this device runs windows is only a trivial technical detail. It is literally an "Ally" of Valve

This ROG Ally is a competitor for Linux gaming but it can also be positive. A new mobile device will keep the moment on the media even for the steam deck. A bigger market means more attention from the developers and the Valve's Steam Deck compatibility evaluation system will push the gamers in our direction. I hope the evaluation system will not be changed to cover the windows devices.

For now Valve has one year head start on the software: UI workflow, performance optimizations, drivers, integration with the Steam environment, the compatibility evaluation system etc... The only advantage (and burden) of the ROG Ally is windows. It has probably been developed in close collaboration with microsoft, I am curious to see how the software will evolve in future (spoiler: not necessarily for the better).


Last edited by stormtux on 11 May 2023 at 9:13 pm UTC

Quoting: stormtuxI do not think Valve is preoccupied of this device, I think they are enthusiastic about it.

This is full of win for Valve. The biggest chunk of the games to be played on this device are going to be bought on Steam, which is money in Valve's pocket. Someone else is shouldering the logistics task of expanding the number of handheld gaming devices, which puts more pressure on game developers to address things like controller support and text size on a tiny screen. And even with direct support from Microsoft to hit this price point, all the reviews are saying, "you know what? Windows is kinda crap; Linux is way better." The only thing that could make Valve happier is if Asus release a subsequent version that comes with Linux instead.

Steam Deck has touch pads. Steam Deck wins.

ASUS generally makes good to great hardware. You can't really go wrong with their motherboards and they were the makers of the legendary Google Nexus 7" 2013 device. Their cell phones aren't bad either. One are where they've fallen short in my opinion is on the software side of things. I do not have great hopes for this being a good experience since it's ASUS software trying to interact with Windows 11. I may look at picking one of these up second hand once linux support is solid for the device.


Last edited by psycho_driver on 11 May 2023 at 10:42 pm UTC

Quoting: MohandevirAvailable at BestBuy... Physical presence or only online? This could hurt the Steam Deck.

As someone else pointed out, I doubt if Valve cares much. They're investing in linux and proton to keep Microsoft honest about trying to do a walled garden app store for windows. They make their bajillions of dollars off of Steam, so the more people gaming on PC the better for them. The Steam Deck is irrelevant to their bottom line.

Quoting: slaapliedjeWonder how many people go into retail stores these days. I'm a terrible example, I don't go into retail stores very often anymore!

Same. Whenever I see a good deal at Best Buy I do the curbside pickup option so I don't even have to go in the store.

Quoting: melkemindThat's because you don't have Windows chugging greenhouse gasses underneath the hood. The Wired magazine review of the Ally said it was drawing like 6 watts just idling, which is all the Steam Deck draws even when it's running Stardew Valley.

This is a good point. My Steam Decks draw 1.9w at idle on a dock. 29w peak in an all-out gaming session.


Last edited by psycho_driver on 11 May 2023 at 10:48 pm UTC

Still cheaper to get a Steam Deck $399usd and upgrade SSD for $50-70 since NVME/SSD suitable are getting a lot cheaper now, its not so much of a expense.

Sure you miss the etched glass but honestly I don't think its worth it given basic LCD.

Quoting: EikeAs usual... Linux is just more user friendly! :D

No it's not, but that is not the issue. Linux can be much more customized and optimized for a handheld and doesn't have MS services and DRM baked in.

Valve technically own their spin of Linux via SteamOS and no other company can come along and go, hey lets insert some analytics here and a edge advertisement here, and weather app over there... lol


Last edited by TheRiddick on 11 May 2023 at 10:51 pm UTC

Quoting: GroganIt's going to hurt the Steam Deck for sure

With lastest event asus image like rog image stay go to the turmoil





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbGfc-JBxlY

some funny parts











Resuming personally asus is a no go now




Last edited by mrdeathjr on 11 May 2023 at 11:21 pm UTC

Quoting: Pecisk. Essentially, even XBOX is not that interesting to them. It is not a huge money maker.

i dont know, spending 70 billion on a company is much even for microsoft standards.

Quoting: Guest8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

It's also being severely restricted by memory bandwith. Even asus's and amd's own marketing materials show just how much of a waste of silicon those extra tflops are.


Last edited by emphy on 12 May 2023 at 3:15 am UTC

Quoting: TheRiddickStill cheaper to get a Steam Deck $399usd and upgrade SSD for $50-70 since NVME/SSD suitable are getting a lot cheaper now, its not so much of a expense.

Sure you miss the etched glass but honestly I don't think its worth it given basic LCD.

Quoting: EikeAs usual... Linux is just more user friendly! :D

No it's not, but that is not the issue. Linux can be much more customized and optimized for a handheld and doesn't have MS services and DRM baked in.

Valve technically own their spin of Linux via SteamOS and no other company can come along and go, hey lets insert some analytics here and a edge advertisement here, and weather app over there... lol

Linux is definitely more developer friendly. And I wouldn't say it's less or more user Friendly, all depends on the user!

But as you point out, you can customize and optimize it in a way you can't with Windows. If you watch LTT's latest review on the Ally you can tell a lot of the ways the Deck beats the Ally is definitely because it's optimized for that lower resolution and hardware of the Steam Deck, as like for like in resolution / settings, the Deck performs better.

Quoting: slaapliedjeit's optimized for that lower resolution and hardware of the Steam Deck, as like for like in resolution / settings, the Deck performs better.

no one forces you to use the ally in max resolution that the screen support.

Quoting: stormtuxFor now Valve has one year head start on the software: UI workflow, performance optimizations, drivers, integration with the Steam environment, the compatibility evaluation system etc

the issue is, the end user dont know about this, UX is only relevant for the people who currently own an product, not the ones who gonna purchase it.
unless the reviews come and talk about those issues.

Quoting: PeciskI feel this device has drawn attention because a) Windows gaming fans feel threatened because I have never understood why

there are a few reasons for that, linux users trash talking windows dont help much...
fanboys will defend their favorite platform no matter what, especially when its attacked by others, an playstation fanboy might not have anything against xbox, but if he saw an xbox fanboy trash talking playstation the trend will be for him to start hating xbox.


a lot of people have their reasons to love windows/microsoft (emulation, backward compatibility and everything being compatible with it) and dont have a good impression on linux, it didnt help much that we tried to promote linux since it was in a... barebones state, i mean didnt had much support for games and stuff.

For those also not paying attention, which I forgot to mention, ASUS have been doing some seriously anti-consumer stuff.

"I'm sorry ASUS... but you're fired!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ-QVOKGVyM

"Scumbag ASUS: Overvolting CPUs & Screwing the Customer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbGfc-JBxlY

And so on and so on...

Who is going to trust them when the Ally breaks?

Quoting: slaapliedje

Quoting: TheRiddickStill cheaper to get a Steam Deck $399usd and upgrade SSD for $50-70 since NVME/SSD suitable are getting a lot cheaper now, its not so much of a expense.

Sure you miss the etched glass but honestly I don't think its worth it given basic LCD.

Quoting: EikeAs usual... Linux is just more user friendly! :D

No it's not, but that is not the issue. Linux can be much more customized and optimized for a handheld and doesn't have MS services and DRM baked in.

Valve technically own their spin of Linux via SteamOS and no other company can come along and go, hey lets insert some analytics here and a edge advertisement here, and weather app over there... lol

Linux is definitely more developer friendly. And I wouldn't say it's less or more user Friendly, all depends on the user!

But as you point out, you can customize and optimize it in a way you can't with Windows. If you watch LTT's latest review on the Ally you can tell a lot of the ways the Deck beats the Ally is definitely because it's optimized for that lower resolution and hardware of the Steam Deck, as like for like in resolution / settings, the Deck performs better.

Which video, this one?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qLVgr29NMA0

Quoting: Guest8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

It's really just a number. What I see so far is that in real life the Z1 Extreme is only a little bit faster than the Z1 due to bandwith limitation to the RAM.


Last edited by kaktuspalme on 12 May 2023 at 11:41 am UTC

Quoting: psycho_driverASUS generally makes good to great hardware. You can't really go wrong with their motherboards.

Perhaps you should ingest some recent videos on Gamers Nexus and JayzTwoCents...

Just speaking about the value of the Ally... From what I read from different sources, I'm totally unconvinced... Like most of the PCGamers, I already have a more powerful PC... That's why I use my Steam Deck in handheld mode 95% of the time. The other 5% is for couch coop gaming and these games are not usually resource huggers. In my case, battery autonomy is make or break. If all this raw power is wasted because you need to cap everything to gain minutes of playtime... What are you getting? A little more powerful Steam Deck with less input options, unreadable 3rd party apps, crapy os interactions and still worse battery autonomy (the Steam Deck's autonomy is already to the limit)?

If it's a handheld as long as your power cord (who first said that? 😉), It kinds of defeat the purpose and makes it feel like a big marketing smokescreen, to me.

If so, I'll wait for the Steam Deck 2, in this case.


Last edited by Mohandevir on 12 May 2023 at 2:55 pm UTC