I just reviewed the Asus ROG Ally X , and I named it the best Windows gaming handheld – and I emphasize “Windows” heavily here. Because when you open the floor to PC gaming handhelds in general, the Steam Deck OLED is the Switch-equivalent combo-breaker of price and usability that remains atop the throne.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a closer look. The Nintendo Switch is an underpowered system that is somewhat limited in its capabilities, but has great games to play, a very simple UI that gets you out of your way, and a low price.
Now let’s look at the Steam Deck compared to Windows gaming handhelds – a sub-par system limited to just Steam, but with a ton of top-tier titles, a clean, distraction-free UI experience, and a low price point. See the similarities?
So what makes Valve’s handheld stand head and shoulders above the competition? Let me explain.
For the crafters
Before I go any further, I want to address this before any eagle-eyed readers disagree. I know you can play games from other places. I was that guy who was busy tinkering in desktop mode to get my Epic Games Launcher to work with ProtonUp-Qt.
But what I’m basing this on is the pick-up-and-play experience — the steps it takes to find a game, download it, and play it. And while the ROG Ally X has the absolute edge in terms of supporting all of these different launchers without any tinkering on your part, you don’t have to touch a single clunky desktop on the Steam Deck to play good games.
- Steam deck arrangement: Turn it on, connect to your wifi, log in, download all the updates and you’re done. Download all the games you want through the UI and play them as soon as they’re ready.
- Asus ROG Ally X installation: Power it on, run through the Windows 11 installation, decline the Office 365 offer (unless you’re a bit of a moron and want to try and get this thing to work), navigate around Windows 11 itself on a tiny touchscreen, use the browser to install a game launcher, navigate through the desktop version of said launchers to download games, open up ROG Armoury Crate and use that as your launcher for said game. Then repeat those last few steps for any additional games you want to play.
See what I mean? I applaud the sense of freedom and variety you get on a Windows handheld, but Windows itself is just a UI mess on a small screen like this.
Developers are taking a Steam Deck-first approach
Cyberpunk 2077 has a Steam Deck mode, Spider-Man has Steam Deck presets. In fact, there are now over 15,000 games either verified by Steam Deck or considered playable on the device.
I think part of this is due to the fact that the Steam Deck was the first device of its kind to actually exist and bring handheld PC gaming to the masses. So if developers see Valve’s machine as one of their targets to hit and provide a good experience, why would you spend the extra $2-300 on a Windows handheld? You’ll see it in the framerates of the game – the difference isn’t all that dramatic 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 frames per second | 45 frames per second | 41 frames per second |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 36 frames per second | 23 frames per second | 26 frames per second | 44 frames per second |
Because it’s not just about developers wanting to support this handheld, the game quality will also be better on the gorgeous OLED screen.
| Device | Brightness (nits) | 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 |
Outside of my “Windows 11 on a handheld” complaint, I feel like this is one of the biggest missed opportunities Asus could have done with the ROG Ally X. But there is one category where Asus’s handheld just can’t be touched.
The ROG Ally X does score a victory in the battery department
In our PCMark 10 gaming test, the ROG Ally X lasted over an hour longer than its Windows handheld competitor. I wouldn’t call it breakthrough battery life, but it’s certainly a fair bit better in terms of playing on those longer commutes.
Since Steam Deck can’t run this test, we’ll have to approach things a little more rudimentarily: we’ll start with a 100% load and play Cyberpunk 2077 on identical settings on both devices to see how far we get.
In total, I managed to last just under an hour and a half on Steam Deck (1:25 to be precise), while the ROG Ally X managed to last two hours in 2:14. That’s a feat that can’t be understated in the handheld gaming market – a market that hasn’t really felt portable, as you need to be near a power outlet at all times to keep it charged.
The X is the first to really take the first step towards making portable PC gaming truly portable. Bigger is better indeed, and I hope Valve and other companies take notice.
Not bad, just different
But there’s a degree of Asus, Lenovo and MSI fighting with one arm tied behind their back against the Steam Deck here. The hyper-focused nature of Valve’s handheld in terms of bringing a real pick-up and play-centric nature to PC gaming hasn’t been matched by anything running on Windows.
Because if we use that console war as an analogy again – you have handhelds that are more powerful but a little more complicated to use, and a less powerful option that may be more limiting but will just get you to your games a lot faster. Some people will overlook the complications of that, but most people want simplicity, and that’s where the Deck comes in.
Until there is some sort of significant OS update from Microsoft that makes it possible a lot of easier to use on a gaming handheld, I will always recommend people to look at the Steam Deck. Let’s hope this legendary Xbox gaming handheld has something big to offer in that regard!
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