I’ve always been fascinated by portable gaming devices. I still remember seeing a Game & Watch in the wild for the first time as a kid and being amazed at the idea of being able to play games wherever I wanted. After I got my hands on this ASUS ROG ally For a few days I have noticed that this childlike amazement is rising again.
Since its release last month, the ASUS ROG Ally has garnered a lot of attention: are the specs legit? If so what will it cost? Now the details are coming out, and if you want the judgment of someone who does this all the time, the choice is yours. For me, the most compelling aspect of the ROG Ally is the promise of taking the extensive Game Pass library with you wherever you go, so I’ll focus on that aspect here. (To see if your favorite Xbox games support Xbox Play Anywhere so you can pick up where you left off on another Xbox or Windows 11 PC, Check out the official Xbox Play Anywhere website here.)
The difference between the ROG Ally and most other handheld gaming devices is that it runs the full version of Windows 11. As soon as I signed in, the ROG Ally immediately recognized that I was a Game Pass Ultimate member and even automatically connected to my home WiFi – it’s the little things! Of course, it’s also the big things, like access to all the games I’ve previously bought from the Windows Store, seamless syncing of my progress thanks to Xbox cloud saves, and access to Steam, Epic, Battle.net, Ubisoft+, and EA Play , and much more. If your gaming PC can play it, the ROG Ally can probably do it too.
I can’t stress enough how exciting it is to load up a brand new device, launch the Xbox app, and start playing so much right away. Ghostwire: Tokyolet’s do it. The Last Case of Benedict Fox And Ravenclaw just fallen; added to the queue! Vampire Survivor Traveling is a must. And Persona 3 wearable is actually wearable again!
In addition to the hundreds of titles available to Game Pass members, you might be surprised at how many games you have access to even if you’ve never played on a PC. I’ve (re)discovered dozens of titles waiting for me under the Xbox Play Anywhere umbrella that I’ve purchased over the years: mug head, Hadesthe excellent oasisAnd Like a dragon: Goods! (The full list of XPA titles can be found here). And of course I can pick up exactly where I left off with all of them.
After some closet shopping, if you will – downloading games that are good for portable or shorter sessions – it was time to actually play. The first thing that catches my eye is the Ally’s 7-inch screen. Incredibly sharp, bright and smooth up to 120Hz. I was quickly drawn in by the vivid scenes in titles like… Tetris Effect, RavenclawAnd Grounded.
Being primarily a console gamer, I don’t spend any time tweaking settings other than inverting the Y axis (I know, I know) and I’ve spent very little time on it. If the game looked great right off the bat, cool. On a few titles, I lowered the general graphics settings a bit to boost framerates, and off we went. Of course, this is a handheld Windows PC – if you want to tinker, you have all the options.
For my Xbox console peers, most of the buttons are where you’d expect them to be. Even the menu (or “hamburger button” if you prefer) and view buttons use the same icons. Just below you’ll also find two handy buttons: one opens a guide-like overlay for changing the brightness, toggling the framerate counter, taking a screenshot, or a bunch of other quick-access functions. it is fully customizable. The other button provides quick access to Armory Crate, ASUS’ touch-friendly interface that puts all your games at your fingertips – a fantastic way to bring all your countless PC game libraries together in one place.
The Armory Crate interface also provides quick access to the device’s most important functions: those related to performance and battery life. Gamers can choose ROG Ally’s “mode of operation”; Set profiles from Turbo to Silent or manually adjust settings to balance CPU and GPU performance with power consumption and fan speeds. In Armory Crate, gamers can also customize the lighting effects around the sticks (or turn them off entirely) and access an extensive list of display presets optimized for different game genres or other functions like watching videos on your ROG Ally.
While the main advantage of the ROG Ally lies in the ability to download and play games natively on the device, this is Windows, so Xbox Cloud Gaming is at your fingertips: launchable via the Xbox app or by typing Xbox.com/play In the included Edge browser you can stream games just a few seconds later. On my “fairly good but hardly Wi-Fi 6” network, Forza Horizon 5 played smoothly and responsively. I quickly forgot I was streaming and even finished first in a technical rally adventure race – something I would consider an achievement on any device.
My Forza Horizon 5 The cloud gaming experience doubled as a great reminder of ROG Ally’s excellent speakers: the sounds of revving engines, scurrying gravel, and Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” came through in a way that enveloped me in the game… and the volume was just humming 40%
The ROG Ally’s A/V capabilities seem powerful for such a small package; The brightness, decibels and overhead are so great that I kept them on all the time down. Considering you’re not plugged into the wall, I would never expect that from a handheld. Battery life tests are more stringent by reviewers, but I was able to play without any problems Vampire Survivor during my child’s soccer training without having to search for a place to plug in.
If my time with the ASUS ROG Ally has taught me anything, it’s that you want to take this thing with you wherever you go, and for that I’d highly recommend a protective case. I threw my tester into my backpack’s laptop bag and wished I had another layer of protection for the screen. But that’s something I’ll worry about when I get my own ROG Ally. And I’ll get one; Since my review unit is back at ASUS, there’s a gap in handheld form in my gaming routine.
ASUS ROG ally Pre-orders are now onlineand includes 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
