ASUS have given their handheld an upgrade with the ROG Ally X now getting a full announcement, along with specifications and a price. Hopefully they actually fixed the SD Card issue this time…
While they're still bundling it with Windows 11, I doubt it will be long before the likes of ChimeraOS, Bazzite and others get updates to allow you to easily run Linux on it.
The updated ROG Ally X now ships with a larger 1TB M.2 full 2280 for storage, faster 7500Mhz LPDDR5X RAM bumped up to 24GB, an 80 Wh battery, an additional USB-C port, overhauled internals for better cooling and a revised case design for better ergonomics (it's much more round). They also re-positioned the thumbsticks and gave it new thumbsticks that should last longer, there's a new macro button on the back, a redesigned d-pad and lots of small improvements elsewhere.
Priced at $799 it will be available in July. See more on their store page.
It's also worth noting, that ASUS have been catching some fire lately for their terrible user support experience, which the excellent Gamers Nexus went over across two videos titled ASUS Scammed Us and the follow-up ASUS Says We're "Confused".
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Quoting: PenglingI don't think you need to worry about that too much. To make that happen, the Windows netbooks had to dominate the category, at least briefly. They could do that because MS had a lot of control over the OEMs that were making them, so they could lean on them to mostly drop the Linux ones--maybe not completely, but slow down production, marketing and placement enough for the Windows ones to become the default. But Microsoft does not have any control over Valve, and no competitor that has yet appeared seems likely to dominate the Deck in sales or even publicity, certainly not enough to define the category in the public's eyes.Quoting: Purple Library Guywith all Windows versions you'd still have that "this doesn't work well on this kind of device" problem.And that quite quickly leads the masses to the mistaken belief of "These portable PCs actually aren't any good.", leading to manufacturers no longer making them because the demand gets destroyed.As I've said far too many times (including in this very thread
), it's exactly like what happened with how the netbook product-category was killed off*.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 3 June 2024 at 9:33 am UTC
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Quoting: CatKillerQuoting: denyasis(to be fair, I've had a steam deck for a year and have barely used it, still can't figure out a use case for it for me)
(psst... You play games on it...)
I LOVE THIS😂🤣😂🤣
But yeah, I have trouble thinking of a time when I would use it where I can't just walk over and use my PC or Link instead, lol. It still feels weird trying to take it places when I could just read on my phone and have less to carry, 🤷♂️. Guess I'm still in the learning phase!!
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Quoting: denyasisI LOVE THIS😂🤣😂🤣Put Stardew Valley on it, and the issue will solve itself!
But yeah, I have trouble thinking of a time when I would use it where I can't just walk over and use my PC or Link instead, lol. It still feels weird trying to take it places when I could just read on my phone and have less to carry, 🤷♂️. Guess I'm still in the learning phase!!
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Caldathras Jun 3
Quoting: Purple Library GuyThere may be something to that. For myself - which may or, more likely, may not be a reflection of the greater whole - I discovered netbooks while I was in trade school, reeducating myself in midlife. I found that a netbook running a full version of Windows XP without an optical drive was more convenient, lighter and infinitely more portable than my full sized laptop. My only encounters with Linux at that time had been more CLI and/or very basic GUI - nothing to cause me to throw over Windows for Linux. Acer had put out the ZG5 netbooks with your choice of WinXP on a 120GB HDD or some unknown distro of Linux on an 8GB or 16GB SD drive (this was pre-SSD). Given a choice like that, I went the direction I imagine a lot of consumers would have and chose the WinXP model.Quoting: PenglingI don't think you need to worry about that too much. To make that happen, the Windows netbooks had to dominate the category, at least briefly. They could do that because MS had a lot of control over the OEMs that were making them, so they could lean on them to mostly drop the Linux ones--maybe not completely, but slow down production, marketing and placement enough for the Windows ones to become the default. But Microsoft does not have any control over Valve, and no competitor that has yet appeared seems likely to dominate the Deck in sales or even publicity, certainly not enough to define the category in the public's eyes.Quoting: Purple Library Guywith all Windows versions you'd still have that "this doesn't work well on this kind of device" problem.And that quite quickly leads the masses to the mistaken belief of "These portable PCs actually aren't any good.", leading to manufacturers no longer making them because the demand gets destroyed.
This amount of difference between the Windows and Linux models could very much have influenced the choices of more consumers than just myself. Perhaps these configuration differences were also a factor?
I always felt that Google's Android and the advent of the tablet form factor played a huge part in the demise of netbooks. I preferred the netbook form factor myself.
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Quoting: Purple Library GuyI don't think you need to worry about that too much. To make that happen, the Windows netbooks had to dominate the category, at least briefly. They could do that because MS had a lot of control over the OEMs that were making them, so they could lean on them to mostly drop the Linux ones--maybe not completely, but slow down production, marketing and placement enough for the Windows ones to become the default. But Microsoft does not have any control over Valve, and no competitor that has yet appeared seems likely to dominate the Deck in sales or even publicity, certainly not enough to define the category in the public's eyes.I certainly hope you're right. I really don't want to see history repeat itself with ANOTHER portables category that I love!
Quoting: CaldathrasThis amount of difference between the Windows and Linux models could very much have influenced the choices of more consumers than just myself. Perhaps these configuration differences were also a factor?It was part of how they tried to paint Linux as "lesser", for sure.
Quoting: CaldathrasI always felt that Google's Android and the advent of the tablet form factor played a huge part in the demise of netbooks. I preferred the netbook form factor myself.I was in the netbook community, and witnessed the results of the strong-arming (and the very obvious shills who helped to push that agenda right before the manufacturers super-conveniently-and-totally-coincidentally went along with it) first-hand, and then saw it all fall apart from there. I would say that they did more damage than tablets did - Linux netbooks were a really big deal when they debuted, as they opened people's eyes to how useful a lightweight-but-capable tiny computer really was when it wasn't saddled with Windows, which already had a reputation for bloat and problems long before then.
Last edited by Pengling on 3 June 2024 at 11:54 pm UTC
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Caldathras Jun 4
Quoting: PenglingIt was part of how they tried to paint Linux as "lesser", for sure.Given my level of exposure to Linux at the time, it certainly worked on me. Ironically, I eventually installed Linux Mint on my netbook after the WinXP support ended.
Quoting: PenglingI would say that they did more damage than tablets didI will certainly defer to your direct experience. At that time, I was out of touch with the computer industry for my mental health so I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on. The netbook was just a neat tool with a lot of potential to me. I didn't discover how far Linux had come until 2014 when my laptop's HDD died and the Win7 backup wouldn't reinstall on the new HDD.
Looking back, I can certainly see how netbooks would have been a big deal to the Linux community and I understand your distaste for what was done.
Last edited by Caldathras on 4 June 2024 at 4:38 pm UTC
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Quoting: CaldathrasGiven my level of exposure to Linux at the time, it certainly worked on me.That's what they were banking on - that's not on you.
Thankfully, times have begun to change!
Quoting: CaldathrasIronically, I eventually installed Linux Mint on my netbook after the WinXP support ended.I love Mint - Mint Xfce specifically, for me. I was a die-hard fan of Xubuntu, until something weird happened on one of my machines around a year ago that hosed the install, and since I'd wanted to try Mint anyway I put Mint Xfce on there, and within a day I'd put it on the rest of my hardware too (in profile, if anyone's interested
). It smooths out what I would describe as the "papercuts" I found in the *buntu flavours, and now I wouldn't use anything else!Quoting: CaldathrasI will certainly defer to your direct experience. At that time, I was out of touch with the computer industry for my mental health so I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on.That's understandable - and to be absolutely fair it was a very different time, too. Linux was where I wanted it to be, but I know that it definitely wasn't the case for everyone!
Quoting: CaldathrasThe netbook was just a neat tool with a lot of potential to me.That potential was what grabbed me; I'd been waiting for Linux laptop support to get to where I wanted it to be (I dropped Windows in 2004 and moved to Mac OS X until 2007 while I waited for that), and the original Asus Eee PC proved that it was. Moreover, it was an ideal portable writing tool for me, and there really hasn't been anything else like it since.
(Though I love my GPD MicroPC with Mint Xfce, which is a palmtop that serves part of that purpose for me now, it doesn't quite work as a full-on replacement because it uses a stiff thumb-keyboard that's really intended for industrial use.)Quoting: CaldathrasI didn't discover how far Linux had come until 2014 when my laptop's HDD died and the Win7 backup wouldn't reinstall on the new HDD.I'm glad that you were able to keep your laptop in service!
It really bothers me how many perfectly-usable machines just go into landfill because of Windows' failings, and the way that people have been taught that there "really isn't an alternative".Quoting: CaldathrasLooking back, I can certainly see how netbooks would have been a big deal to the Linux community and I understand your distaste for what was done.I wasn't in the Linux community yet at the time, but it certainly ruined the netbook community irreparably - it was really sad to see, especially because some folks who spoke up were gaslighted and made to look bad and like they were in the wrong for calling out what was happening. I don't want that to be forgotten, and I'd hate to see the same fate befall GOL!
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Quoting: PenglingThat potential was what grabbed me; I'd been waiting for Linux laptop support to get to where I wanted it to be (I dropped Windows in 2004 and moved to Mac OS X until 2007 while I waited for that), and the original Asus Eee PC proved that it was. Moreover, it was an ideal portable writing tool for me, and there really hasn't been anything else like it since.I've noticed a lot of people these days in effect create improvised netbooks by taking a tablet and combining it with a little keyboard-and-stand setup. And I'm like, wouldn't it be better just to have the thing you want as a whole thing?
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Quoting: Purple Library GuyI've noticed a lot of people these days in effect create improvised netbooks by taking a tablet and combining it with a little keyboard-and-stand setup. And I'm like, wouldn't it be better just to have the thing you want as a whole thing?Exactly!
Though, that said, I have done that with my Steam Deck and it worked quite well there;
Of course, the difference is that it's a full Linux PC, which by default works better for me than trying to do computer stuff on a tablet - PCs are tools for creation, whereas tablets are tools for consumption and are hampered accordingly for certain tasks.
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Caldathras Jun 4
Quoting: PenglingI'd been waiting for Linux laptop support to get to where I wanted it to be (I dropped Windows in 2004 and moved to Mac OS X until 2007 while I waited for that), and the original Asus Eee PC proved that it was.Clearly, the wrong netbook brand attracted my attention. Looking back, the Linux distro on the Acer had a horrible DE. On the other hand, the original Asus Eee PC was running Xandros, a Debian based distro that utilized the KDE desktop. I looked at old pictures of the UI on Wikipedia. I am very impressed by the quality of that DE.
Quoting: PenglingI'm glad that you were able to keep your laptop in service! It really bothers me how many perfectly-usable machines just go into landfill because of Windows' failings, and the way that people have been taught that there "really isn't an alternative".Thank you. I agree. That laptop was the last computer I ever bought brand new (replaced its AC adapter & battery too). I only buy used laptops now, and not all that often. I am tired of the constant upgrade cycle. I haven't seen sufficient improvement in computer tech to justify it for me any more.
If the new software won't run on my hardware, I'm not interested. There are literally tens of thousands of good games in the back catalogue to choose from that will run on my laptop.
Last edited by Caldathras on 4 June 2024 at 6:47 pm UTC
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Quoting: CaldathrasClearly, the wrong netbook brand attracted my attention. Looking back, the Linux distro on the Acer had a horrible DE. On the other hand, the original Asus Eee PC was running Xandros, a Debian based distro that utilized the KDE desktop. I looked at old pictures of the UI on Wikipedia. I am very impressed by the quality of that DE.Yep! By default it had this simplified UI with large icons for quick access to common computing tasks, and it was super-simple to just use regular KDE instead, which was exactly what I did.
Quoting: CaldathrasThank you. I agree. That laptop was the last computer I ever bought brand new (replaced its AC adapter & battery too). I only buy used laptops now, and not all that often. I am tired of the constant upgrade cycle. I haven't seen sufficient improvement in computer tech to justify it for me any more.I think that the best thing about Linux in general, and certainly in my experience on laptops in particular, is that you get software support for a lot longer - typically until the hardware's worn out, rather than due to some arbitrary cycle of forced obsolescence coming from commercial vendors who want more money out of you every so often.
Quoting: CaldathrasIf the new software won't run on my hardware, I'm not interested. There are literally tens of thousands of good games in the back catalogue to choose from that will run on my laptop.And don't forget emulation as well, if that's your sort of thing!
There's a lot that you can even run on a potato, these days.Last edited by Pengling on 4 June 2024 at 7:10 pm UTC
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