Gaming Handhelds

Steam Deck vs the Asus ROG Ally: Pros and Cons

by

The Steam Deck is finally getting some interesting competition! Asus is coming out with their own PC Gaming Handheld for their Republic Of Gamers line, and it actually looks pretty interesting!

It boasts a Full HD 1080p 120hz display, whereas the Steam Deck is 1280x800p 60hz. It’s a little bit thinner, the analog joysticks look more similar to the Nintendo Switch in terms of placement and it has a small bit of RGB going on for it! It’s also missing the trackpads and two back buttons, meaning that if you were to choose between the two PC’s you’d have to choose between Screen Res and Refresh Rate, or buttons and more customization.

As much as I like the more updated screen I like the Steam Deck for its customization, the track-pads make for great touch menus, and in FPS games I tend to favor the right trackpad, although I am learning how to play with the right stick with the gyro enabled. Still, it’s nice to see other variations being made!

It’ll be interesting to see what the cost will be at launch.

Happy Birthday, Steam Deck!

by

I’ve only had my Steam Deck for about half a year now, but it’s been daily driver status since the day it arrived back in August! In case you happen to be in the market for a handheld PC, here is a list of regularly played games on Deck:

  • Abyss Odyssey
  • Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night
  • Commander Keen (Complete Pack)
  • Cloudpunk
  • Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy
  • Dust: An Elysian Tail
  • Freedom Planet 2
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • ICEY
  • Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series
  • Okami
  • Outland
  • Overload
  • Portal Reloaded
  • Shantae: Half Genie Hero
  • Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed
  • Spyro Reignited Trilogy
  • Super Tux
  • Trine
  • Yakuza 0

I seem to have a better time playing Metroidvanias when I’m on the go, and it also handles most of the 3D games I throw at it – even modern ones! My back has gotten tired of lugging a gaming laptop around for daily commutes. It’s easier to just pick it up and play whatever you want in the palm of your hand with just a button press, and in some cases it even doubles as an effective hand warmer and social shield from asshats.

I’ve been wanting a handheld gaming system for years, and the nice part is that I don’t have to rebuy any games. I can even download them directly from my desktop!

Overall: I give the Steam Deck 9 Sub Sandwiches out of 10!