The Rise of PC Gaming Handhelds: Steam Deck vs. ROG Ally

Portable PC gaming is having a major moment. If you want to play massive open-world adventures or competitive shooters on the couch, you are no longer chained to a bulky desktop. Today, we are looking directly at the two biggest competitors in this space: the Valve Steam Deck and the ASUS ROG Ally.

The Core Hardware and Performance

When comparing these two devices, you have to look under the hood. They take completely different approaches to processing power.

The Valve Steam Deck runs on a custom AMD processor built on older Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architecture. This might sound dated, but Valve optimized this chip specifically for low-wattage gaming. It features an 800p display, which means the processor does not have to push as many pixels as a standard high-definition monitor. Because of this, games like Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077 run surprisingly well at medium settings, usually hitting a solid 30 to 40 frames per second.

The ASUS ROG Ally takes a different route by using raw power. The premium version of the Ally uses the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. This chip is built on the newer Zen 4 and RDNA 3 architecture. On paper, the Z1 Extreme is significantly faster than the Steam Deck. The Ally also features a 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate. When you plug the ROG Ally into the wall and turn on its 30W “Turbo Mode,” it can run circles around the Steam Deck. You can easily push 60 frames per second on demanding titles. However, when unplugged and running at lower wattages, the performance gap between the two devices shrinks considerably.

Game Compatibility and Software Experience

Hardware is only half the story. The software experience dictates how easily you can actually play your games.

Valve built a custom operating system for its device called SteamOS. It is based on Linux, which historically could not run many Windows games. To fix this, Valve created a compatibility tool called Proton. Proton translates Windows code into Linux code in the background. The result is a console-like experience. You turn on the Steam Deck, open your Steam library, and click play. Valve even created a “Deck Verified” system. If a game has a green checkmark on the store page, you know it works perfectly right out of the box.

However, SteamOS has limitations. Because it is Linux, you cannot natively install competing game stores like the Epic Games Store or Xbox Game Pass PC without complicated workarounds. If your library lives outside of Steam, the Steam Deck requires some technical tinkering.

The ASUS ROG Ally runs on a standard version of Windows 11. This is both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness.

The advantage of Windows 11 is total compatibility. If a game runs on a normal PC, it will run on the ROG Ally. You can easily download the Xbox app to play Game Pass titles natively. You can install the Epic Games Store, Battle.net, or EA Play. You do not have to worry about Linux compatibility layers.

The disadvantage of Windows 11 is the user interface. Windows was designed for a mouse and keyboard, not a 7-inch touchscreen with thumbsticks. ASUS includes a custom software overlay called Armoury Crate to help you launch games, but the experience is still clunky. You will often find yourself tapping tiny Windows close buttons or fighting with the on-screen keyboard.

Battery Life: The Handheld Challenge

Battery life is the biggest point of friction for handheld PCs. Packing desktop-level power into a small plastic shell drains batteries incredibly fast.

The original LCD Steam Deck features a 40Wh battery. If you play a demanding game like God of War, you can expect the battery to die in about 90 minutes. However, the Steam Deck is incredibly efficient at running less demanding games. If you lock the screen refresh rate to 40Hz and play a 2D indie game like Stardew Valley, you can easily stretch the battery life to 5 or 6 hours. Valve also released a newer OLED version of the Steam Deck. The OLED model features a larger 50Wh battery and a more efficient processor. This pushes the battery life closer to 2.5 hours for heavy 3D games and up to 10 hours for light 2D games.

The original ASUS ROG Ally struggles significantly with battery life. It also features a 40Wh battery, but its high-resolution 1080p screen and power-hungry Z1 Extreme chip drain it rapidly. If you play a modern AAA game on the Ally without plugging it in, you will be lucky to get 60 to 80 minutes of playtime. Even for lighter 2D games, the Ally struggles to pass the 3-hour mark.

ASUS recently acknowledged this flaw and released a new version called the ROG Ally X. The Ally X is priced at $799 and features a massive 80Wh battery. This completely solves the battery issue, allowing the Ally X to outlast even the OLED Steam Deck in most scenarios. However, if you are buying the standard $599 ROG Ally, you need to keep a charger nearby.

Display Quality and Ergonomics

Holding a device for hours requires good physical design. The Steam Deck is very large and wide. Despite its size, it is incredibly comfortable to hold. Valve gave the Deck deep, ergonomic grips that fit naturally in adult hands. The Deck also features two trackpads below the thumbsticks. These trackpads are perfect for playing mouse-heavy strategy games like Civilization VI or Age of Empires. The standard Steam Deck has an LCD screen, but the premium $549 model features a beautiful HDR OLED screen with deep blacks and vibrant colors.

The ROG Ally is smaller and lighter than the Steam Deck. It feels closer in size to a Nintendo Switch. It lacks the deep hand grips of the Deck, which can cause some hand cramping during long play sessions. The Ally also lacks trackpads. However, the screen on the Ally is fantastic. It is a bright 1080p LCD panel with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). VRR is a game-changer for handhelds. If a game’s frame rate drops from 60 to 45, VRR smooths out the image so you barely notice the stutter.

Pricing and Value

Price is often the deciding factor. Valve subsidizes the cost of the Steam Deck because they make money when you buy games on the Steam store. You can buy the entry-level LCD Steam Deck for just $399. The premium OLED models cost $549 for 512GB of storage and $649 for 1TB.

ASUS does not own a game store, so they have to make a profit on the hardware itself. The standard ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme chip officially retails for $699, though it frequently goes on sale at Best Buy for $599. The newer ROG Ally X with the larger battery retails for $799.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play Xbox Game Pass on a Steam Deck? You cannot install the native Xbox Game Pass PC app directly on a Steam Deck without installing Windows. However, you can stream Game Pass games to the Steam Deck using Xbox Cloud Gaming through the Microsoft Edge browser.

Which device is better for a casual gamer? The Steam Deck is generally better for a casual gamer. SteamOS provides a seamless console-like experience. You just buy games on Steam and hit play without worrying about Windows drivers or launch settings.

Does the ROG Ally have an OLED model? No. As of right now, all versions of the ASUS ROG Ally (including the newer ROG Ally X) use an LCD screen. However, the screen does support Variable Refresh Rate and 120Hz, which the Steam Deck lacks.

Can I use the ROG Ally as a regular desktop PC? Yes. Because the ROG Ally runs a full version of Windows 11, you can connect it to a monitor, pair a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, and use it exactly like a normal desktop computer. You can browse the web, watch Netflix, or even edit Word documents.