Kingston Technology - Handheld Gaming: ROG Ally – DIY in 5 Ep 213

Gaming on the go used to be tough, but now there are multiple PC gaming handhelds on the scene. This video focuses on the ROG Ally from ASUS. The Ally is built for playing games in high fidelity on the go, with no need for a massive setup. The Ally can handle games from libraries such as Steam, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, the Epic Game Store, the EA App, GOG Galaxy 2.0, and Android’s App Store among others. Impressive! Besides the Ally’s outstanding game library, its hardware is also noteworthy. It has a 7-inch IPS panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 1920x1080p resolution, as well as 500 nits of brightness, 7ms response time and a 120Hz refresh rate plus freesync. This tiny display with Gorilla Glass Victus is no joke. The buttons are tactile and feel high quality, with two paddles on the back as well as two joysticks, ABXY buttons, and a d-pad. ASUS has clearly considered ergonomics, considering the placement in relation to the screen. The joysticks have LED rings around them, augmenting the device’s overall gamer aesthetic while still looking sleek and sophisticated. The power button is also a fingerprint sensor for easy Windows login. Most importantly for long gaming sessions, the ASUS ROG Ally is not too heavy or large! Previous handheld gaming PC prototypes have been large and unwieldy, so the Ally is a welcome departure. In terms of the Ally’s innards, there are two spec configurations. One with the AMD Ryzen Z1 processor, and one with the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme. Both processors are built on the 4nm process with Zen 4 architecture and brand new RDNA 3 graphics, upscaled with the help of AMD’s upscaling FSR and Radeon Super Resolution. The Ryzen Z1 has 6 cores and 12 threads to the Z1 Extreme’s 8 cores and 16 threads. In testing so far the Ryzen Z1 has been very capable, and the Z1 Extreme will likely be even more effective. Anandtech found that the Ryzen Z1 Extreme outperformed the Apple M1 by 10% in single-core performance and 38% in multi-core performance. Additionally, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme was 3% faster than the M2 Max in single-core performance. Both models have 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD onboard storage, expandable via microSD. The Ally has a headphone jack for audio (as well as Bluetooth connectivity for audio), a type C combo port with support for USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 1.4, a microSD card slot and a ROG XG Mobile interface, if you wanted to connect ASUS’s eGPU for some extra graphical power. However, in spite of all these positive aspects, battery life is a legitimate concern. The Ally has three power modes: Silent, Performance, and Turbo. The latter has the best performance, but if it’s not plugged in you’ll burn through your battery quickly. Silent keeps the fans silent and power consumption low, extending battery life, but especially for AAA games you’ll notice a difference in performance. Performance mode balances Turbo and Silent. You can change operating modes via the Control Center in Armory Crate SE, which has its own dedicated button on the device’s front. The Control Center also lets you adjust a multitude of settings, remap buttons, monitor your performance, limit frames, and more. Via the same button you can also access the Game Library, which collects your games in a single location instead of multiple different launchers. Very convenient! One gripe some users have is how difficult Windows 11 is to use for navigation, if the user is unfamiliar with PC gaming. You may have to install multiple different game launchers so that you can install and play your games, then add them to the Games Library for a more intuitive experience. Another issue is that the exhaust fans at the top can heat up when playing on Turbo and plugged in for long periods. It’s rare that your hands will be in that position, but be careful if you need to grab the top. Lastly, there is support for users to attach a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and multiple controllers, if interested in using it as a traditional gaming PC. It may be worth investing in that eGPU in that case, though. If you have any thoughts on the ROG Ally or questions about it, leave a comment below! Got questions about the video or Kingston products? COMMENT or contact us on SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: Instagram: Facebook: LinkedIn: SUBSCRIBE for more DIY in 5 videos, and receive updates on the latest in Kingston’s memory & storage development, plus guides on getting peak performance from your hardware: Timecodes: 0:00 Intro 1:10 Hardware 2:19 Processor 3:48 Battery 5:17 Outro