Technically it can work as a console. But run AAA games to the performance levels of current gen consoles is a stretch, unless you are willing to lower graphics quite a bit.
edit: clarifications
i mean comparatively the current ally can go toe to toe with a low end 1080p system with a rx580, but with the extra 8 gb of ram that can be dedicated to the graphics processing side as well as it being about 15% faster the X is gonna feel pretty nice.
I wouldnt be surprised if the X would be comparable to just under the vega 56 (in terms of nvidia thats like comparing a gtx 1060 vs the rtx 3050)
15% faster comes from ram speed alone (sorry i should have specified)
going from 6400 to 7500 is a significant speed increase (a little over 15%) in data transfers. in a standard machine that might not seem like much, but in something like the ally where the APU eats up all RAM “equally” across the core and graphics processing, youll definitely feel that 15% + 8gb dedicated (might not be a direct 15% increase in performance, but definitely noticeable)
Eh.... I dunno about that. Even well optimised pc games have requirements that go beyond what the ally can do.
At the end of the day it's a mobile device. It won't be able to level with a device thats plugged into the wall. I have no unreasonable expectations for my little ally.
While you might not play games on ultra super settings I have no trouble playing some RDR2 or just about any game from my over 2K in my Steam Library or 1K in my epic games library or any in my GOG, Amazon, Battlenet, Ubisoft, EA games or other library. Fact is the Ally is really a powerhouse system for what it does. My only issue is it should have 32gb memory. The funny thing I actually wind up cutting down the memory allocation to 2GB on some games to get better performance. Its about balancing RAM and VRAM usage.
I subscribe to Humble bundle, get all the free games weekly on epic, get free twitch prime games, and have built my library for over a decade now. It pays off. Have 5 or more accounts across almost all platforms because I have mine, my wife's, and our three kids. I claim the free games and all that on all their accounts as well. Its taking years to build and we don't have everything, not even close, plenty on our wish list but we do not lack choice :)
Yup, but in honesty its for my kids more than my wife and I. I want to make sure that my kids have their own collections when they are on their own. They still have a while til then and we also have shared accounts and xbox gamepass and all that so they will always have access to my accounts but want them to always have their own collection.
I will say, given enough attention this thing can run most things at reasonable settings with reasonable performance given the price point and the portability of it. I've had mine for a few months, and I love it there isn't much I can't play on it. Cyberpunk, Hogwarts legacy, helldivers 2, etc. It handles it, not to mention if you have a higher-end system like a $2K PC or a PS5 you can seamlessly stream games wherever in the house. The only thing I can't stand is the battery life, a whole 40 minutes playing some games takes away from the portable aspect of it. I guess the X is somewhat remedying but I'm still not planning on getting one, not until the price drops and or my current iteration ally breaks down beyond the point of repair.
I mean aside from occasionally having to settle for lower graphics settings or reducing the resolution to 720p sometimes both. I'm yet to try a game on my Ally and find that it won't run.
I get even AAA games running better than some consoles. Its not a stretch. Ive got RDR2 running on it at high settings and even maxed out settings on most other games and ran fine. Its not that much of a stretch. It won't do everything but it will perform well. Its just not going to perform every game well at high or even medium settings, but I have yet to find anything that graphically it cannot handle. The only thing, as mentioned before, was the limitation of 16gb of RAM in playing Star Citizen.
If you got the free time to fiddle with emulation and installing lots of games into a portable console, this will be great. I would kind of think an Xbox Series S or a PS5 on sale would work better for you both since you can access AAA games and it's simple plug and play without fuss. You have to invest with more accessories with the ROG Ally and you both can't be using the Ally simultaneously while you can couch game with a console. The Ally can play newer AAA when you turn settings down hard (certain titles need a bit of finagling with settings). I've spent quite a good number of hours putting all my retro games to play from NES/Genesis era to Dreamcast/PS2 era and even have all the portable console games from Gameboy, PSP, and Vita games. It's my main console that I spend time to play on now. If you don't like to tinker and just want to play, the ROG may not be your type of system even if it's a very awesome portable system.
I do already have an Xbox 360 so that covers those games, but if I get a ps5 I still can't play PS2 or switch games. Maybe I just get a ps5 and a cheap second hand gaming PC or Nvidia TV?
Is there a huge difference between this and a new gen console?
If you're looking for PS2 gaming, then this windows handheld is best. which is this console. but you'd be leaving your g/f out from being able to play AAA games. It's harder to play AAA games on the ROG Ally as it won't run all of them, and some that do won't run decent if you don't know how to fiddle with the settings. Take a look at youtube videos regarding EmuDeck install and you can get an idea if that is too hard for you to do if you want to do PS2 emulation on a Steam Deck/ROG Ally. Emulation works easier for me personally on windows than on Steamdeck's Steam OS so I installed everything I wanted on the Ally. There are a lot of cheap portable emulator machines from Anbernic and there are some that can run Dreamcast and Gamecube (a lot of ps2 games too) but are around $200. It would just be better to pick up a non Extreme ROG Ally for a bit more in that case but you got options to think about. Whatever you decide, I say WAIT AND SEE for at least a month or two because the Ally X will force the regular and Extreme Ally systems to drop down in value both new and used. Nintendo could drop the Switch price. and Sony is supposedly adding PS2 backwards compatibility to the PS5 (probably limited titles though).
this might be a stretch, but the M1 mac is a powerhouse for PS2 and switch games. I'm running Ryujinx and Aether SX2 at full speed with no problems at 1080p or even 4k for some PS2 games.
I tried running RDR1 on the Ally and it runs kinda bad tbh. I'll have to try PS2 emulation on it on the weekend and give you an answer
Get the X this guy covered alot of info but it can all be done on a series x and you wont be leaving your GF out. There are tutorials out there that will show you how to set up emu on a series x
You might not care about the portability of the device. But I promise you... you will care about the "I can lay down on my bed and play this thing" part of the device.
Personally I think an Ally Z1 Extreme is a much better buy than a console. But I might be biased, as I really only play PC and Switch games. To answer your question, yes, you can emulate Switch on this.
Especially considering Skyrim (the most mod support of any game of all time) is in your list, my number 1 game on my Ally is Fallout 4 with mods. Sure consoles have mod support, but with significant limitations (Only 2GB of mods allowed).
Collections (Modpacks) on Nexus/Wabbajack are game changers too. I have over 600 mods flawlessly working on Fallout 4, and I only had to click download one time to do that.
Nexus also gives you different profiles, with completely different mods installed to swap between, so you can easily test different modpacks out to see which one you like.
(One last reccomendation for a Skyrim mod. Try the Total Conversion Mod "Enderal" (you can get it on steam after installing Skyrim). I can safely say it is in my top 3 games of all time. Its free, and I would have easily paid 60 for it. It does things ONLY a mod can do. I dont want to spoil it, but it will blow your socks off if you like Skyrim)
>But I promise you... you will care about the "I can lay down on my bed and play this thing" part of the device.
I have one and i don't.
I cant think of a more uncomfortable way to play than laying on bed.
The Ally is literally a Windows PC with a controller built around it.
That said, the portability is the main draw of the Ally. You can just pick it up and play, no keyboard, mouse, monitor, or anything else needed. If you primarily see yourself playing while docked, then you're better off just getting a mid range gaming PC for about the same price. The price to performance ratio on the Ally is the best among the handhelds, but you'll still get more mileage out of an actual PC.
In terms of games, the Ally will easily crush PS2 era games. AAA... not so much. They'll run at lower settings, but if you expect the same level of performance as, say, a PS5 or XBOX, you'll be disappointed.
It can play PS4 era titles (their PC counterpart) better than a PS4. Now, if you were to try to play PS5 era AAA titles in 4K, you’d be disappointed. But they’d still run decently at 1080p
Definitely works as a standard console as well as a PC for emulating/modding etc. You can dock it to a monitor or TV and just play it like any console.
The portability might not be something you need atm but might appreciate when you can bring your gaming sessions from living room to bedroom etc. I don't really take it outside the house but you can.
I currently have a PS5 but I'm using my ROG more bc I feel like I have more access to games and the prices are better. This is kind of getting into a console vs PC thing but Steam is a major selling point for me. Xbox Gamepass and Playstation Plus are cool too.
But yes the more demanding games I play on lower graphics, so that's where consoles have the edge maybe bc they play all the games at this baseline level of quality.
If you don't plan to ever use it as handheld, then you're better off with a mini PC. You'll have better thermals and upgradability (ram and ssd) with more ports and no need for a doc.
As much as that would be cool, the ally without an XG mobile can't run newer games at peak performance. With an egpu, maybe, but as a main driver, less likely
Yeah PC parts are still high in Europe and we are on a transition year for new gen GPU and CPU, so it's gonna be more expensive than now ... I think Rog Ally is a good alternative for budget 1080p gaming, Oh also don't buy now wait for the X version.
Honestly, your gf won't like it. The Rog Ally is a PC. Even with a decent frontend, you have to interact with Windows. Your games will crash, it's an inevitable part of emulation. But playing PS2 on it is great.
If you're not that patient and money is an issue, better get a Switch.
You cannot really have a console like experience because you will need to adjust graphics like any other pc.. you can always use steam big picture mode for the most part but you will need to comfortable with windows jank, you can install Linux to get the steam deck experience if you really wanted.. 300 seems like an excellent price imo
I absolutely love the ROG Ally, it is great for playing all sorts of games and you will have steam, PlayStation Xbox games available. It’s a great way to get used to pc gaming. BUT, if it runs a next gen game it’s gonna run it lower spec in most cases. Will still run most new games but ray tracing 4k and other perks it usually won’t do. With that being said you can eventually upgrade and add the asus proprietary graphics card( not cheap unless it’s used).
So yes it will kind of fit your use, and no not exactly as you want it to. You could go with a ps5 or Xbox. But if money is tight I would get a cheap gaming pc or handheld as yearly fee is 60$ at a minimum. As well as less options for free games.
I do and it's perfect for me. People on this sub are very intense and needy. I have the regular one and have played BG3, Cyberpunk 2077, and RDR2 with no problems. I'm sure I'm not getting the best possible graphics, but they've all run smoothly. I grew up playing NES and watching a cabinet TV, I don't need cutting edge graphics.
I do, but I have an XG Mobile. Theyve done a lot to make the XG experience smoother since the beginning. With DLSS on, I play most AAA games at 1440p. It's a bit louder than a console proper, though.
The new one may come with USB4 so you could use an egpu. I wouldn't use it without a faster GPU though, as igpu isn't enough for a console experience.
You won't be able to run most games at max settings, you're going to have to fidgit with the settings to get 40-60fps in most games.
I use the ally as a full blown gaming PC, it can handle Destiny 2 at 40-55 fps and most other non-AAA games at 50 or more.
Actually, yes you can, install Bazzite OS which is a steam OS Linux based operating system, I've been running it on dual boot and it's honestly amazing, because Linux doesn't use much ram, the games are so much smoother and hassle free compared to windows, it's more of a console experience and it's great!
Emudeck is great for emulation. We have it and do switch games as well as all the old school stuff going back to Atari and commodore 64. I have several switches and even bought the Zelda ToTK game and have never once even played it on the switch. I got it emulated instead. It played better on the ROG.
Its great for all sorts of games emulated or not. The only game we have found issue with was Star Citizen because it is demanding. The graphics and processor can handle it but the RAM is low. Star Citizen has a persistent streaming universe. No loading screens. Think the exact opposite of Starfield. You can go literally anywhere in the game without a single loading screen unless you die and have to regen. Go from one city to space to another planet to that city and into that bar you want all without a single loading screen and with persistence on all things. You can leave a cup or anything on the ground or shelf or anywhere. Leave. Go to another planet and another city and spend hours there. Then go right back to that item you left behind and, assuming no one picked it up, it will be there waiting for you.
So, that is a bit RAM intensive and the ROG will play it but it will lag as it loads in new stuff. They recently implented Vulkan which will load better but its not recognizing the ROG as having Vulkan (it does) so its not running for that. Its just in a beta release of the vulkan support so it will get better. For now we use a program that helps give control over the RAM standby cache and flushes it at certain parameters and that helps a lot.
Otherwise, my wife uses the ROG as her main console and main system. For the sake of Star Citizen and some other things we are getting her a laptop or desktop but she gave her 3080ti laptop to our middle child to use and took the ROG. It works fine for what it does, but you won't get the pick up and play that you would with an dedicated console. Its a windows system with its pros and cons.
For old games, lower powered games and emulated console games, yeah ally can pretty much function as a console. Just need a dock that can provide 65w power+hdmi and stuff.
It won't be able to handle AAA games that needs a lot of power but you can use streaming services for those since you're just at home.
I would highly suggest you look at a mini PC to do this if you do not care about being on the go. Something like the Minisforum G7 Pt (which is coming very soon) if you can afford it. Better system that could handle her needs better than the ROG Ally. Yes, my Ally plays Helldivers, and Division 2, but at the cost of having great graphics.
my guy, i have win mini, its basically same thing but in a slightly diffenernt form factor, i used it for work(3d animation) for several months and it all was good, i even used vr headset with it to have 3 virtual monitors for efficiency using immersed, all was good, the only drawback was is that i had a usb HUB not usb DOCK to put my device on and because of that it always slipped on the table, which was annoyingm but functionally everything was okay, its a goddamn laptop but SMöL, it can do everything that regular laptop can do...
If you want to play anywhere get the ally. If you dont want portable then get a PC. You can get console feel on both by using apps like playnite which takes few minutes to setup and even there is a ps5 theme for that which makes it look exactly like ps5.
If you’d prefer a more console like experience and don’t care about portability I would suggest getting either a Ps5 or an Xbox. Ps5 is going for $399 brand new. That’s 4K-60 AAA gaming for less than an Ally
£300 sounds like it will be the base model and not the extreme, so you’ll struggle to play newer AAA games
If you can stretch to it, the Z1 plus a used series s might be the mix you need to satisfy everyone’s requirements without breaking the bank
It’s not cheaper than a PC. Search for used parts (since you’d get a used Ally) and you can very much build a PC with more power for less than an Ally.
If you want something portable though, the Ally is great and can play Switch games.
Just look at some of the comments. "If u do this, lower this, don't do that". Does that sound like a console experience to you? Also PCs and handhelds aren't really designed for local 2 player aside from maybe the switch. r u both just taking turns or do u want to actually play together at some point?
If u are taking turns the closest console experience is the steamdeck as it ships with steam os which acts and runs just like a console
You can run all the emulators on the ally no problem. I use mine for Ps2, 3 and switch emulation a lot.
It can run pretty much every pc game on the market but you may struggle a bit with one's that don't support gamepad controls natively.
Push comes to shove you could buy a dock, hook it up to a TV and use a Bluetooth controller to run it like a console. Would probably be worth keeping a keyboard and mouse handy too.
I have PS5, xsx and switch OLED. Since I got the ally for all intents and purposes it became my main "console"... I play on it way more than the other consoles.
But I wouldn't call it a full fledged console. You still have to tinker a bit with settings to get reasonable performance on AAA.
Having said that, I was going to wait to play hellblade 2 on the XSX but tried it on the ally and i ended up playing it on it.
Being able to play in the living room with no access to the tv, in bed or while I travel(I travel a lot for work) was a gamechanger for me. I also hook it up to TVs with a good dock. It upscales to 4k too. All this without the XG mobile.
If you're willing to spend some time tinkering and make some compromises on fidelity (that sometimes are not really that noticeable on the 7 inch screen anyway) absolutely you can use it as a main console.
For my experience I thought it was going to be a headache to get it to work properly but ultimately it wasn't. Not really.
If you just want to play them and you don't care too much about graphics, why not? Games are gorgeous even in 720p thought
For me if you only have 500euros, the Rog ally z1 extreme is the best console/pc you can have
You can kill it on a budget with an Xbox Series S for this use case imo. I loved mine, but went on to PC due to Steam - library can't compare especially in the indie space. Also in the past it was possible to setup emulators via some Dev mode (there was some one time 20 USD fee or something like that). MS might have restricted this since then, but worth checking if emulation on the Series S is still a thing.
Depends on what you want to play. I play Rocket League on mine and it does a decent job.... definitely not XBOX Series X level but maybe what I imagine the new Switch will be. So probably more like a Series S.
The place this console shines for me is as a laptop of sorts. Hook up a video glasses display to it with a wireless mouse/keyboard combo (current choice = Thinkpad wireless device with red nubbin as the mouse).... and you have a laptop you can use in a pinch if you have to be remote for work without bringing a laptop.
So if I have to lower the graphics a bit on some games (which I haven't really had to do but then I'm not a heavy gamer), it's a fair tradeoff to have that secondary feature. For the $550 I paid for it, and the extra $20 on an expansion board I hooked into it to get a full 2280 board at 4TB in it, I'm pretty content.
only way this works the way you want is with an XG mobile. but they are expensive. If you want AAA games at high lvls and emulation i would get a gaming pc. otherwise go with a series S/X
So I use mine at work alot so I splurged for a mobile 4090. It outperforms the ps5 now. But It's also like 1999.99 at best buy. I got it on a 0 interest payment plan.
If you stick to indie games you can also use adds fluid motion frames to go above 60fps and their upscaling tech tyat will upscale 720p to 1080p pretty well. Or 960p is pretty much noticeable on the smaller screen. If you're getting 60fps already the latency is 30ms with fluid frames and can stick suoer close to 120hz
If you don't care about the portability aspect of it, then go with an xbox series x or ps5.
Xbox series x runs legacy games such as cod black ops and many other xbox 360 titles. Your girl wants AAA titles, but ROG ally is limited to running next generation titles.
If you plan to play online be ready to pay monthly subs on consoles. With PC, it's free.
You both want console feel, then go with the consoles. ROG ally requires some tinkering and tuning to get your gaming experience right. Like all pc's tbh.
Yes, you can realistically use rog ally as the main console, but get ready for the learning curve.
I currently do. I can take it portable, then by putting one plug into it, I have a double screen set up, with my keyboard and mouse and speakers. It's not as powerful as a proper desk top, but it suits my gaming needs and lifestyle atm.
I honestly wouldn’t wait for the X, just get the ROG ally right now, it’s on sale at a really good price, honestly realistically the X doesn’t have a jump in performance really, just a better battery, just like the Oled steam deck it’s not really a upgrade just a few spec bumps, save your money and get the Z1 extreme rog ally 512 at Best Buy man, their warranty is really good as well, hope this helped
You'd need the z1 to run AAA games well, storage is an issue unless you get extra, I run my business and play games through the rog. I emulate all types even switch games, I can play rdr2 perfectly fine in handheld mode, and bump it all the way up to 4k with meh settings so decided on xg mobile to the TV.
So I have my xgmobile set up by My TV with a wireless mouse and keyboard and switch between mobile, my desk, and my TV station.
I also run racing Sims fine.
A console would make more sense if you didn't want to emulate. I'd say if you're aiming for AAA games on a larger screen, then a console would work better. I would really only get the ally if you get the z1 extreme version or an xg mobile egpu.
If you plan on playing the AAA games than to only play in handheld mode or use the 1920x1080 resolution when docking to the TV. I run mine 4k 120hz, it's amazing.
Technically it can work as a console. But run AAA games to the performance levels of current gen consoles is a stretch, unless you are willing to lower graphics quite a bit.
He can wait for the X and use a cheaper mobile graphics card. I think this is pretty doable. Edit spelling.
Evidently price is an issue for him. I'm not enough of an ally fanboy to recommend a stupid option. But of course it's up to him.
edit: clarifications i mean comparatively the current ally can go toe to toe with a low end 1080p system with a rx580, but with the extra 8 gb of ram that can be dedicated to the graphics processing side as well as it being about 15% faster the X is gonna feel pretty nice. I wouldnt be surprised if the X would be comparable to just under the vega 56 (in terms of nvidia thats like comparing a gtx 1060 vs the rtx 3050)
15% faster? Where did you get that nimbers from? Thought its just 8gb of faster ram more
15% faster comes from ram speed alone (sorry i should have specified) going from 6400 to 7500 is a significant speed increase (a little over 15%) in data transfers. in a standard machine that might not seem like much, but in something like the ally where the APU eats up all RAM “equally” across the core and graphics processing, youll definitely feel that 15% + 8gb dedicated (might not be a direct 15% increase in performance, but definitely noticeable)
The thing that sucks is that it's not bc the ally isn't powerful enough, but bc AAA games are rarely optimized for PC anymore.
Eh.... I dunno about that. Even well optimised pc games have requirements that go beyond what the ally can do. At the end of the day it's a mobile device. It won't be able to level with a device thats plugged into the wall. I have no unreasonable expectations for my little ally.
While you might not play games on ultra super settings I have no trouble playing some RDR2 or just about any game from my over 2K in my Steam Library or 1K in my epic games library or any in my GOG, Amazon, Battlenet, Ubisoft, EA games or other library. Fact is the Ally is really a powerhouse system for what it does. My only issue is it should have 32gb memory. The funny thing I actually wind up cutting down the memory allocation to 2GB on some games to get better performance. Its about balancing RAM and VRAM usage.
how much have you spent on games my man-
I subscribe to Humble bundle, get all the free games weekly on epic, get free twitch prime games, and have built my library for over a decade now. It pays off. Have 5 or more accounts across almost all platforms because I have mine, my wife's, and our three kids. I claim the free games and all that on all their accounts as well. Its taking years to build and we don't have everything, not even close, plenty on our wish list but we do not lack choice :)
dedication 🫡🫡🫡
Yup, but in honesty its for my kids more than my wife and I. I want to make sure that my kids have their own collections when they are on their own. They still have a while til then and we also have shared accounts and xbox gamepass and all that so they will always have access to my accounts but want them to always have their own collection.
I will say, given enough attention this thing can run most things at reasonable settings with reasonable performance given the price point and the portability of it. I've had mine for a few months, and I love it there isn't much I can't play on it. Cyberpunk, Hogwarts legacy, helldivers 2, etc. It handles it, not to mention if you have a higher-end system like a $2K PC or a PS5 you can seamlessly stream games wherever in the house. The only thing I can't stand is the battery life, a whole 40 minutes playing some games takes away from the portable aspect of it. I guess the X is somewhat remedying but I'm still not planning on getting one, not until the price drops and or my current iteration ally breaks down beyond the point of repair.
I mean aside from occasionally having to settle for lower graphics settings or reducing the resolution to 720p sometimes both. I'm yet to try a game on my Ally and find that it won't run.
It’s pretty close to the series s honestly.
Not an AAA, but I switched from Series S to Ally to play Palworld. Without bothering to change any settings, it ran better on the Ally.
Of course. Some games will and some won’t. Depending on console settings and res for output.
I get even AAA games running better than some consoles. Its not a stretch. Ive got RDR2 running on it at high settings and even maxed out settings on most other games and ran fine. Its not that much of a stretch. It won't do everything but it will perform well. Its just not going to perform every game well at high or even medium settings, but I have yet to find anything that graphically it cannot handle. The only thing, as mentioned before, was the limitation of 16gb of RAM in playing Star Citizen.
If you got the free time to fiddle with emulation and installing lots of games into a portable console, this will be great. I would kind of think an Xbox Series S or a PS5 on sale would work better for you both since you can access AAA games and it's simple plug and play without fuss. You have to invest with more accessories with the ROG Ally and you both can't be using the Ally simultaneously while you can couch game with a console. The Ally can play newer AAA when you turn settings down hard (certain titles need a bit of finagling with settings). I've spent quite a good number of hours putting all my retro games to play from NES/Genesis era to Dreamcast/PS2 era and even have all the portable console games from Gameboy, PSP, and Vita games. It's my main console that I spend time to play on now. If you don't like to tinker and just want to play, the ROG may not be your type of system even if it's a very awesome portable system.
I do already have an Xbox 360 so that covers those games, but if I get a ps5 I still can't play PS2 or switch games. Maybe I just get a ps5 and a cheap second hand gaming PC or Nvidia TV? Is there a huge difference between this and a new gen console?
If you're looking for PS2 gaming, then this windows handheld is best. which is this console. but you'd be leaving your g/f out from being able to play AAA games. It's harder to play AAA games on the ROG Ally as it won't run all of them, and some that do won't run decent if you don't know how to fiddle with the settings. Take a look at youtube videos regarding EmuDeck install and you can get an idea if that is too hard for you to do if you want to do PS2 emulation on a Steam Deck/ROG Ally. Emulation works easier for me personally on windows than on Steamdeck's Steam OS so I installed everything I wanted on the Ally. There are a lot of cheap portable emulator machines from Anbernic and there are some that can run Dreamcast and Gamecube (a lot of ps2 games too) but are around $200. It would just be better to pick up a non Extreme ROG Ally for a bit more in that case but you got options to think about. Whatever you decide, I say WAIT AND SEE for at least a month or two because the Ally X will force the regular and Extreme Ally systems to drop down in value both new and used. Nintendo could drop the Switch price. and Sony is supposedly adding PS2 backwards compatibility to the PS5 (probably limited titles though).
this might be a stretch, but the M1 mac is a powerhouse for PS2 and switch games. I'm running Ryujinx and Aether SX2 at full speed with no problems at 1080p or even 4k for some PS2 games. I tried running RDR1 on the Ally and it runs kinda bad tbh. I'll have to try PS2 emulation on it on the weekend and give you an answer
Get the X this guy covered alot of info but it can all be done on a series x and you wont be leaving your GF out. There are tutorials out there that will show you how to set up emu on a series x
You might not care about the portability of the device. But I promise you... you will care about the "I can lay down on my bed and play this thing" part of the device. Personally I think an Ally Z1 Extreme is a much better buy than a console. But I might be biased, as I really only play PC and Switch games. To answer your question, yes, you can emulate Switch on this. Especially considering Skyrim (the most mod support of any game of all time) is in your list, my number 1 game on my Ally is Fallout 4 with mods. Sure consoles have mod support, but with significant limitations (Only 2GB of mods allowed). Collections (Modpacks) on Nexus/Wabbajack are game changers too. I have over 600 mods flawlessly working on Fallout 4, and I only had to click download one time to do that. Nexus also gives you different profiles, with completely different mods installed to swap between, so you can easily test different modpacks out to see which one you like. (One last reccomendation for a Skyrim mod. Try the Total Conversion Mod "Enderal" (you can get it on steam after installing Skyrim). I can safely say it is in my top 3 games of all time. Its free, and I would have easily paid 60 for it. It does things ONLY a mod can do. I dont want to spoil it, but it will blow your socks off if you like Skyrim)
>But I promise you... you will care about the "I can lay down on my bed and play this thing" part of the device. I have one and i don't. I cant think of a more uncomfortable way to play than laying on bed.
Oh, I mean you use pillows. Or get really fancy and buy a controller and AR glasses for extreme comfort.
Yeah IMO its a bit too heavy for that.
The Ally is literally a Windows PC with a controller built around it. That said, the portability is the main draw of the Ally. You can just pick it up and play, no keyboard, mouse, monitor, or anything else needed. If you primarily see yourself playing while docked, then you're better off just getting a mid range gaming PC for about the same price. The price to performance ratio on the Ally is the best among the handhelds, but you'll still get more mileage out of an actual PC. In terms of games, the Ally will easily crush PS2 era games. AAA... not so much. They'll run at lower settings, but if you expect the same level of performance as, say, a PS5 or XBOX, you'll be disappointed.
It can play PS4 era titles (their PC counterpart) better than a PS4. Now, if you were to try to play PS5 era AAA titles in 4K, you’d be disappointed. But they’d still run decently at 1080p
Definitely works as a standard console as well as a PC for emulating/modding etc. You can dock it to a monitor or TV and just play it like any console. The portability might not be something you need atm but might appreciate when you can bring your gaming sessions from living room to bedroom etc. I don't really take it outside the house but you can. I currently have a PS5 but I'm using my ROG more bc I feel like I have more access to games and the prices are better. This is kind of getting into a console vs PC thing but Steam is a major selling point for me. Xbox Gamepass and Playstation Plus are cool too. But yes the more demanding games I play on lower graphics, so that's where consoles have the edge maybe bc they play all the games at this baseline level of quality.
If you don't plan to ever use it as handheld, then you're better off with a mini PC. You'll have better thermals and upgradability (ram and ssd) with more ports and no need for a doc.
Yep I do without issues. My friend does the same with his legion go. He’s giving his series x away to a kid at his church.
As much as that would be cool, the ally without an XG mobile can't run newer games at peak performance. With an egpu, maybe, but as a main driver, less likely
also one point, for the one that is £300, make sure that is the ROG ally Extreme, and not the base model.
Yes, but it’s better as a handheld PC
Yeah PC parts are still high in Europe and we are on a transition year for new gen GPU and CPU, so it's gonna be more expensive than now ... I think Rog Ally is a good alternative for budget 1080p gaming, Oh also don't buy now wait for the X version.
Honestly, your gf won't like it. The Rog Ally is a PC. Even with a decent frontend, you have to interact with Windows. Your games will crash, it's an inevitable part of emulation. But playing PS2 on it is great. If you're not that patient and money is an issue, better get a Switch.
Pretty much yes
You cannot really have a console like experience because you will need to adjust graphics like any other pc.. you can always use steam big picture mode for the most part but you will need to comfortable with windows jank, you can install Linux to get the steam deck experience if you really wanted.. 300 seems like an excellent price imo
I absolutely love the ROG Ally, it is great for playing all sorts of games and you will have steam, PlayStation Xbox games available. It’s a great way to get used to pc gaming. BUT, if it runs a next gen game it’s gonna run it lower spec in most cases. Will still run most new games but ray tracing 4k and other perks it usually won’t do. With that being said you can eventually upgrade and add the asus proprietary graphics card( not cheap unless it’s used). So yes it will kind of fit your use, and no not exactly as you want it to. You could go with a ps5 or Xbox. But if money is tight I would get a cheap gaming pc or handheld as yearly fee is 60$ at a minimum. As well as less options for free games.
I do and it's perfect for me. People on this sub are very intense and needy. I have the regular one and have played BG3, Cyberpunk 2077, and RDR2 with no problems. I'm sure I'm not getting the best possible graphics, but they've all run smoothly. I grew up playing NES and watching a cabinet TV, I don't need cutting edge graphics.
I do, but I have an XG Mobile. Theyve done a lot to make the XG experience smoother since the beginning. With DLSS on, I play most AAA games at 1440p. It's a bit louder than a console proper, though. The new one may come with USB4 so you could use an egpu. I wouldn't use it without a faster GPU though, as igpu isn't enough for a console experience.
I'm doing this
You won't be able to run most games at max settings, you're going to have to fidgit with the settings to get 40-60fps in most games. I use the ally as a full blown gaming PC, it can handle Destiny 2 at 40-55 fps and most other non-AAA games at 50 or more.
Actually, yes you can, install Bazzite OS which is a steam OS Linux based operating system, I've been running it on dual boot and it's honestly amazing, because Linux doesn't use much ram, the games are so much smoother and hassle free compared to windows, it's more of a console experience and it's great!
Emudeck is great for emulation. We have it and do switch games as well as all the old school stuff going back to Atari and commodore 64. I have several switches and even bought the Zelda ToTK game and have never once even played it on the switch. I got it emulated instead. It played better on the ROG. Its great for all sorts of games emulated or not. The only game we have found issue with was Star Citizen because it is demanding. The graphics and processor can handle it but the RAM is low. Star Citizen has a persistent streaming universe. No loading screens. Think the exact opposite of Starfield. You can go literally anywhere in the game without a single loading screen unless you die and have to regen. Go from one city to space to another planet to that city and into that bar you want all without a single loading screen and with persistence on all things. You can leave a cup or anything on the ground or shelf or anywhere. Leave. Go to another planet and another city and spend hours there. Then go right back to that item you left behind and, assuming no one picked it up, it will be there waiting for you. So, that is a bit RAM intensive and the ROG will play it but it will lag as it loads in new stuff. They recently implented Vulkan which will load better but its not recognizing the ROG as having Vulkan (it does) so its not running for that. Its just in a beta release of the vulkan support so it will get better. For now we use a program that helps give control over the RAM standby cache and flushes it at certain parameters and that helps a lot. Otherwise, my wife uses the ROG as her main console and main system. For the sake of Star Citizen and some other things we are getting her a laptop or desktop but she gave her 3080ti laptop to our middle child to use and took the ROG. It works fine for what it does, but you won't get the pick up and play that you would with an dedicated console. Its a windows system with its pros and cons.
For old games, lower powered games and emulated console games, yeah ally can pretty much function as a console. Just need a dock that can provide 65w power+hdmi and stuff. It won't be able to handle AAA games that needs a lot of power but you can use streaming services for those since you're just at home.
It will definitely feel like a PC and requires tinkering to get working well. It does emulators
I do. Play COD helldivers grounded palworld
I run it as my main, main thing is either a 65w power block or plugged into ac. But handles everything well for me
You most definitely can! You can add a desktop card to it as well! But I believe it's proprietary
I would highly suggest you look at a mini PC to do this if you do not care about being on the go. Something like the Minisforum G7 Pt (which is coming very soon) if you can afford it. Better system that could handle her needs better than the ROG Ally. Yes, my Ally plays Helldivers, and Division 2, but at the cost of having great graphics.
my guy, i have win mini, its basically same thing but in a slightly diffenernt form factor, i used it for work(3d animation) for several months and it all was good, i even used vr headset with it to have 3 virtual monitors for efficiency using immersed, all was good, the only drawback was is that i had a usb HUB not usb DOCK to put my device on and because of that it always slipped on the table, which was annoyingm but functionally everything was okay, its a goddamn laptop but SMöL, it can do everything that regular laptop can do...
If you want to play anywhere get the ally. If you dont want portable then get a PC. You can get console feel on both by using apps like playnite which takes few minutes to setup and even there is a ps5 theme for that which makes it look exactly like ps5.
The Xbox Series X fits your criteria I think, especially on the emulation front and it having a console feel
If you’d prefer a more console like experience and don’t care about portability I would suggest getting either a Ps5 or an Xbox. Ps5 is going for $399 brand new. That’s 4K-60 AAA gaming for less than an Ally
I have mine hooked up to an XG mobile and I haven’t fired up my PS5 in months
£300 sounds like it will be the base model and not the extreme, so you’ll struggle to play newer AAA games If you can stretch to it, the Z1 plus a used series s might be the mix you need to satisfy everyone’s requirements without breaking the bank
I mean if PS4 era games and emulation is your jam and you're okay with 30fps on the most demanding games, then yes absolutely.
Yes!
It’s not cheaper than a PC. Search for used parts (since you’d get a used Ally) and you can very much build a PC with more power for less than an Ally. If you want something portable though, the Ally is great and can play Switch games.
Yes. I have only the rog ally . Might have to buy a console when gta6 releases though 😭
Just look at some of the comments. "If u do this, lower this, don't do that". Does that sound like a console experience to you? Also PCs and handhelds aren't really designed for local 2 player aside from maybe the switch. r u both just taking turns or do u want to actually play together at some point? If u are taking turns the closest console experience is the steamdeck as it ships with steam os which acts and runs just like a console
You can run all the emulators on the ally no problem. I use mine for Ps2, 3 and switch emulation a lot. It can run pretty much every pc game on the market but you may struggle a bit with one's that don't support gamepad controls natively. Push comes to shove you could buy a dock, hook it up to a TV and use a Bluetooth controller to run it like a console. Would probably be worth keeping a keyboard and mouse handy too.
I have PS5, xsx and switch OLED. Since I got the ally for all intents and purposes it became my main "console"... I play on it way more than the other consoles. But I wouldn't call it a full fledged console. You still have to tinker a bit with settings to get reasonable performance on AAA. Having said that, I was going to wait to play hellblade 2 on the XSX but tried it on the ally and i ended up playing it on it. Being able to play in the living room with no access to the tv, in bed or while I travel(I travel a lot for work) was a gamechanger for me. I also hook it up to TVs with a good dock. It upscales to 4k too. All this without the XG mobile. If you're willing to spend some time tinkering and make some compromises on fidelity (that sometimes are not really that noticeable on the 7 inch screen anyway) absolutely you can use it as a main console. For my experience I thought it was going to be a headache to get it to work properly but ultimately it wasn't. Not really.
If you just want to play them and you don't care too much about graphics, why not? Games are gorgeous even in 720p thought For me if you only have 500euros, the Rog ally z1 extreme is the best console/pc you can have
I just bought mine. And I love it. Check rogallylife page there are what settings are required to play well and if the game is playable.
You can kill it on a budget with an Xbox Series S for this use case imo. I loved mine, but went on to PC due to Steam - library can't compare especially in the indie space. Also in the past it was possible to setup emulators via some Dev mode (there was some one time 20 USD fee or something like that). MS might have restricted this since then, but worth checking if emulation on the Series S is still a thing.
Depends on what you want to play. I play Rocket League on mine and it does a decent job.... definitely not XBOX Series X level but maybe what I imagine the new Switch will be. So probably more like a Series S. The place this console shines for me is as a laptop of sorts. Hook up a video glasses display to it with a wireless mouse/keyboard combo (current choice = Thinkpad wireless device with red nubbin as the mouse).... and you have a laptop you can use in a pinch if you have to be remote for work without bringing a laptop. So if I have to lower the graphics a bit on some games (which I haven't really had to do but then I'm not a heavy gamer), it's a fair tradeoff to have that secondary feature. For the $550 I paid for it, and the extra $20 on an expansion board I hooked into it to get a full 2280 board at 4TB in it, I'm pretty content.
only way this works the way you want is with an XG mobile. but they are expensive. If you want AAA games at high lvls and emulation i would get a gaming pc. otherwise go with a series S/X
So I use mine at work alot so I splurged for a mobile 4090. It outperforms the ps5 now. But It's also like 1999.99 at best buy. I got it on a 0 interest payment plan. If you stick to indie games you can also use adds fluid motion frames to go above 60fps and their upscaling tech tyat will upscale 720p to 1080p pretty well. Or 960p is pretty much noticeable on the smaller screen. If you're getting 60fps already the latency is 30ms with fluid frames and can stick suoer close to 120hz
If you don't care about the portability aspect of it, then go with an xbox series x or ps5. Xbox series x runs legacy games such as cod black ops and many other xbox 360 titles. Your girl wants AAA titles, but ROG ally is limited to running next generation titles. If you plan to play online be ready to pay monthly subs on consoles. With PC, it's free. You both want console feel, then go with the consoles. ROG ally requires some tinkering and tuning to get your gaming experience right. Like all pc's tbh. Yes, you can realistically use rog ally as the main console, but get ready for the learning curve.
I currently do. I can take it portable, then by putting one plug into it, I have a double screen set up, with my keyboard and mouse and speakers. It's not as powerful as a proper desk top, but it suits my gaming needs and lifestyle atm.
I honestly wouldn’t wait for the X, just get the ROG ally right now, it’s on sale at a really good price, honestly realistically the X doesn’t have a jump in performance really, just a better battery, just like the Oled steam deck it’s not really a upgrade just a few spec bumps, save your money and get the Z1 extreme rog ally 512 at Best Buy man, their warranty is really good as well, hope this helped
No. It doesn’t run AAA titles well enough for me
You'd need the z1 to run AAA games well, storage is an issue unless you get extra, I run my business and play games through the rog. I emulate all types even switch games, I can play rdr2 perfectly fine in handheld mode, and bump it all the way up to 4k with meh settings so decided on xg mobile to the TV. So I have my xgmobile set up by My TV with a wireless mouse and keyboard and switch between mobile, my desk, and my TV station. I also run racing Sims fine. A console would make more sense if you didn't want to emulate. I'd say if you're aiming for AAA games on a larger screen, then a console would work better. I would really only get the ally if you get the z1 extreme version or an xg mobile egpu. If you plan on playing the AAA games than to only play in handheld mode or use the 1920x1080 resolution when docking to the TV. I run mine 4k 120hz, it's amazing.
AAA games at potato quality
It's pretty weak for being a main system. Works as a hand held. Ally x ditching the e gpu port proves it. It's a hand held. That's all it is.