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They definitely each have their own strengths and weaknesses, if I had to pick a winner, I'm going with Steam Deck, you just can't compete with their controller API and the Deck's assortment of input options; that alone makes everything else obsolete.
Raw horsepower(Rog v Deck) is a meaningless metric; Using the Rog is like driving a 911 without tires, just rims; you literally can't control it.
i cannot speak for the ROG Ally, but one thing I really like about the Steam Deck is how comfortable it is to hold compared to the Switch.
also, with the switch, my hands start to feel numb after 20 to 30 minutes of playtime when I'm lying down on the couch or bed.
yeah, the switch is a nightmare to hold for anyone that has adult hands.
Not sure if you've tried this but, I've recently embraced playing with split joycons and i love it
I almost always play with split joycons if I'm docked. I recently got the Nyxi wizard controller, which is like a split GameCube wavebird, and it's way more comfortable in handheld. I wish the buttons were higher quality but otherwise I'm digging it.
Have you tried anything like Guild Wars 2 or Apex Legends? I don't have a huge list of games I play but if anything sticks out for games Wirth mentioning their pros and cons on them LMK. Are the key bindings for in game control on the Asus just a controller or is it more custom layout possible like the Steam Deck? I don't have either but I'm curious about them. Would be kind of nice to bring one on trips when the rest of the family is asleep I can quietly play. Or when on the couch.
The Rog Ally is going to be able to play just about anything with a decent framerate, the real issue is the controls.
When it comes to controls, the Ally is way more complicated to get setup that the Steam Deck. Here's an example...
I really wanted to play BattleBit on my Ally, it's mechanically deep Battlefield-esque game built with mouse and keyboard in mind with many, many controls.
The first issue is that the Rog Ally doesn't natively support the gyro it has, so I needed to install Handheld Companion to be able to access it, which required paying a Patreon sub, and also installing third party drivers for the gyro.
Handheld Companion is another control interface i have to configure, in addition to the armory crate controller interface because Steam doesn't recognize the rear buttons(the rog ally just broadcasts itself as a XB360 controller WITH NO XBOX BUTTON), then finally the steam input controller interface once I'm in game. It's far more complicated/awkward than the deck.
I was able to get a great control setup for the game and it's awesome, but it took probably 6 hours of combined research and configuration.
hard agree. although i haven't personally tried the rog ally, i just don't think i can ever go back to a handheld without trackpads and the ability to customize controls with such granularity. though those leds are pretty sexy...
I'm with you on the leds lol, they're awesome. but yeah, you're in the right camp, valve got their stuff right this time.
I have been considering a switch to the Ally. I agree that the Deck has more input options built-in, but there are several games I've been aching to play that aren't supported in Proton(and don't load on the Deck, I tried). I also would like to install Battle.net and play Diablo IV.
I realize there are hacks and workarounds to get a lot of things working on the Steam Deck, but I want to play games, not spend an evening doing Google searches and troubleshooting.
Yeah, but you can just install windows on the deck. OS compatibility arguments aren't really valid(no intentional offense), since at the end of the day.... these are just pocket PCs.
I will say tho, the switch is def the most limited. I think if you're in the market for a good handheld in 2023 and love Nintendo games, pick the rog(if you know your way around emulation)
I know this literally contradicts your last sentence, but I got Diablo IV up and running on desktop Linux really easily and it runs great. I followed these instructions minus the ProtonUp-Qt part (Proton Experimental runs it): https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/03/heres-how-to-run-diablo-4-on-steam-deck/
It amounts to: