Make me much more appreciative of the steam deck OLED, comes with all its big and small upgrades + a LOWER price (compared to the original release with same SSD size).
The worst product reviewer out there is ETA Prime... Mofo says anything under the sun is the next best thing. Retro Game Corps is probably the only channel I watch besides gamers nexus because these guys are truly honest and not biased
@@hiozero his videos have high quality and great lighting and stuff... I just don't like the fact he's such a sellout (he also never talks about pricing in his vids or do comparisons)
It's semantics. Some people think advertisements by definition must be positive and contrived (and possibly cringe), meanwhile large corporations use Influencers to get Product Exposure. In their accounting its still itemized as advertising expenses.
its not rare almost all youtubers now need to say "this is a sponsered video" most of them tell you who sponsered it if they dont they get in shit with the FTC
Russ, you’re one of THE most honest reviewers on the platform. You’re NOT a sell out and I trust your opinion. Thanks for the first impressions video! Greetings from the Dominican Republic
Thank you so much for your integrity. There are just wayyyyy too many sponsored channels out here that are only interested in profit. So its really grear to have you out here giving us an honest opinion.
Yes but some of these benefit from sponsors I mean they still are people who need money. It’s the companies who are at fault not the people who take sponsors
Great review! I’m playing my OG Ally as I listen to your review. I’ll just wait for the Ally 2 or SteamDeck 2. The original model does everything I need.
it's just steam deck OLED vs rog ally X at this point and even then warranty is the main thing even holding that as a competition. Faster and better battery life is kinda a killer deal
And all of them are either underpowered for big screens, poor controls on small ones, 90% of them have horrible switch style sticks, or most of the good ones are so expensive for an emulation device that I want to puke. The market is still dumb at this point.
It's been 12 months, Asus never fixed their GPU drivers to run certain games (Mirror's edge, etc.) That paired with their warranty fiasco makes anything Asus releases an absolute no go for me going forward.
@@kewa_design Not Mirror's Edge Catalyst, the Original 2008 Mirror's Edge. You have to disable all AA in the game's config ini file just to launch it without crashing on the Ally, it's been like that since launch.
Russ, to clarify something, the Gamers Nexus video wasn't about the return process, this is because Asus doesn't really handle that. That's actually handled by the vendor from which you bought the device, whether that be Best Buy, or Newegg, or Amazon. The video was about the repair process specifically, which does go through Asus. For those who haven't watched it, there was a lot of moving parts to the video so I would highly suggest that you watch it, but a big aspect of it was that Asus, upon finding the tiniest of cosmetic flaws in the Ally will contact you and tell you that you now need to pay $200USD for the repair since you're now out of warranty.
Asus should make some type of connecter to the USB port for users that bought the XG mobile so that it wouldn't feel like a waste to upgrade for them. Some of those XG mobiles was $1,200-$1,500
@RGGeek With all the different cord adapters and converters I've seen over the years from the surface this seems like a simple thing but maybe not because of the amount of data that needs to be transferred idk.
Yea that’s pretty messed up for people who bought that. Some of those were 2 grand! Hopefully someone can make a converter bc for asus to make something that’s compatible with other eGPU’s but not theirs who their own customers invested in would be pretty shitty.
I`m so glad you`re growing! i`ve been watching you since you had like 20k subs and i really hoped you would grow and do well because you are such a nice guy! All the best to you mate!
Most important here is talking about what Asus has been doing to their customers - *abusing them and ripping them off.* by forcing unnecessary repairs, not recalling faults, and generally lacking customer care - all Asus products should be an absolute hard pass, on principal for what they're doing to their customers, imo. Russ, good approach to disclosure, I think it's fair for situations like this to fund reviewers getting and staying in a central location, don't see any issues with that ethically.
Idk about hard pass given their quality, but in terms of customer service, the definitely gotta step up. Though it seems like they are hearing the audience seeing as the Ally X is answering all their concerns
Not every Asus customer lives in America, even though you Americans like to think the world only revolves around America. Asus warranty policy differs in Europe and Asian markets. It's better there, because we fight for our rights and have institutions in place that won't allow companies to scam it's citizens. We don't overconsume like Americans do.
@@xPhantomxify Still a company taking advantage of consumer law. Worth talking about and at least something to bring up issues with consumer law over. You seemed more bothered by the experience and appearance of Steve from GN than helping anyone here though going by other replies of yours. People were still taken advantage of by a company so people will bring it up regardless of how contemptuous you are about things those individuals are affected by who cannot change those things other than by using their voice and by not doing business again with ASUS. I would argue that conza likely agrees with you anyway and having these discussions at least has some talking about their laws of which GN has been covering.
@@xPhantomxify The warranty issues may not exist here (been too long since I regularly dealt with their warranty dept. to know the current state of affairs locally), but the reputational damage will be international regardless. A lot of us do have better consumer protection than in most US states (although I think Hawaii is one of the better states in that regard), but we also have to pay a significant premium over American prices. For instance $799 USD doesn't convert to $1599 AUD or $1799 NZD.
@@rosa22330 GamersNexus covered it, no need to repeat what he said here. Most of it are generalizations and are unconstructive and just jumping on the performative outrage bandwagon. Find out what the Asus warranty policies are in your own country and for what product. This video has nothing to do with consumer law and you're not a law professor. I'm helping people here by telling everyone to start thinking for themselves instead of being a GN blind sheep.
I hope so.. mine was faulty and started failing 2 days outside of Best Buy's return window. It's been sent into Geek Squad and I'm reeeaaally hoping they can't repair it, and instead junk it and do what they say they would and provide a gift card as a replacement. Then I'll wait for the X.
The SD card readers are all rated for working up to certain temperature. People for whatever reason push their Ally above 28w which just cooks the unit. There's no point in ever going above 28w with proper fan curves. My Ally has not ever gone above 60°c
You, John, and Bob are my Big Three. You guys are all the reason I got into the hobby of retro and emulation tech and seeing you all in the same room, for the Next Big Handheld, is crazy but awesome and I love it! Love all your videos and your breakdowns are what sells a device I'm considering.
You know what people should do? They should take 5 minutes out of their day to research whether X product from Asus has better/good warranty in their country. It differs per product and country.
I have the rog ally z1e. My SD card slot did die but the unit itself is AMAZING no other issues. I do find their new scandal to be pretty scary and I'm glad they have been called out!
Seriously I don't think it's so bad as ppl think. I've send my Ally on RMA and they replaced bad fan without any problems and it's still working fine (whole Ally) to this point (almost 1Y). Many big manufacturers have problems with quality and/or warranty so I hope Asus will get better in that matter after recent events. Ally X will be probably the best handheld that's made by big company with warranty and support in UE/US so yea we should be careful but I don't think they''ll screw it up again :)
Been watching your videos for around a month now. Thank you for an excellent review of the Retroid Pocket 2s (my first ever emulation device). All you've shown is that you are willing to help, and producing high quality videos for the people is at the top of your list, not corporate sponsors or money. Keep up the good work and good luck. Thanks for all the videos!
The issue in Australia is not the warranty, it's the price. This upgrade costs us $200usd compared to the original ally's price. Literally 100% mark up compared to the US. They listed the X at $1599aud or $969usd accounting for our 10% tax. It will literally be cheaper to ship a unit myself from the US.
I used to recommend Asus having owned so many of their products through the years, but the Asus these days is not what they used to be. I've also been one of the many that have had to go through their nightmare RMA process for previously owned laptops, PC parts, and most recently the Ally. I say all this so you'd know that when I say, NO, JUST PLEASE STAY FAR AWAY FROM ASUS, you'd know it isn't without prior experience. Asus has been busted multiple times in the past already. They will now once again do their tired song and dance about being better going forward, but just know that they've also said this multiple times before in the past. They will put out some BS statement once again, so that suckers will buy their new toy, and then wait for things to cool down. But I can almost guarantee that a year from now, Asus will not have learned from this or change their shady practices.
I had to send my ROG ALLY back with ASUS RMA without a single problem and it was pretty fast. But the price of the X is 900€ in France and it’s way too expensive.
@@mydadspulloutgametrash Americans as usual like to think the world revolves around America. So if there's an Asus warranty issue, it must mean it's the same in all countries....
I do love that yourself and Phawx have immediately, up front, disclosed the ethical side of the current arrangement with Asus, and also did not shy away from their current RMA/warranty issues. Much appreciated in being so upfront about it.
When are you guys starting a Retro Con? So many great RU-vidrs for retro gaming are out there, almost as many as consoles released by anbernic in a week😂
I don’t own a pc let alone a handheld but I still enjoy your videos and they are so informative for when I finally do decide on what to get. We appreciate you!
I find it pretty amazing, honest, that you go so in-depth on your reasoning for going to the event. I love it! Your integrity seeps through this video, which I really appreciate.
I like that they're doing a refresh, as opposed to a full upgrade. It keeps the target 'steady' for developers, and makes me think they're more likely to continue supporting the devices (drivers, updates, etc ).
MSI really dropped the ball, oh and with Linux the hardware will be supported for way longer than it will be on Windows. That’s assuming Linux programmers are developing for this handheld, sometimes they have to reverse engineer certain components because hardware vendors can’t be bothered to officially support Linux. The Radeon graphics drivers will almost certainly get way more updates on Linux at least.
no developer aim to this format apart from steam, who sells hardware that will not charge you 200 for a scratch and will kill your microsd card in a future when the deck 2 comes and sells well, perhaps, but now witha sus company that sells expensive crap, no
The ally x still a joke if it had an faster variant amd apu from the z1 extreme plus with a oled screen instead of a led/lcd panel from the z1 extreme then it would be a good minor upgrade from the z1 extreme version.
Russ, there's nothing wrong with getting sponsors for unrelated brands to what you're reviewing. Vacumms, cereals, displates etc, you have bills to pay, and the more you earn, the more you can reinvest into the channel. No one in this day and age is going to judge you for that. Everybody who has a job is a "sellout". MKBHD is a great example of having sponsors while maintaining integrity. I don't think you should disregard having sponsors when it could help you and your family out greatly.
i like his honesty and integrity, even tho he promote something or endorsed by the company, i think it's fine because people like him deserve to have more income to sustain his works
The amount of thought you put into a decision is wild. It is so awesome that you do that and consider your audience to that degree. Keep up the great work!
They literally fixed every issue I had w the ally More ram Bigger battery More storage sd slot relocation Smaller back buttons And extras better grip & buttons.
As a gamer and a photographer/filmmaker who subscribes to both hobbies on RU-vid, I’m very glad to see this new wave of transparency from creators on sponsorships. A handful of other channels still choose to hide it or have been defensive, so I appreciate you spending a handful of minutes going over what was covered by Asus/what wasn’t. Keep up the great work and congrats on 500k subs!
@@rubendiaz671software from valve in steamdeck is gens above all of course since stemdeck os babyfied the user where the software does everything for you meanwhile so you dont have to think at all of what to do. Windows OS is more hands on and you don't need secondary program like Proton to get pc games to work like on Linux base systems.
I'm probably gonna buy this. I have a ROG Ally and honestly my big gripe that keeps me from enjoying it is the battery life. Upping that will be a HUGE win in my book, so yeah it makes perfect sense to me.
You are my goto for everything for handhelds. You are the best. Also, where do you post your charity auctions?I'd love to contribute. Thanks for everything.
After the Gamers Nexus videos it really turned me off the Ally. I was deciding between the Go and Ally and although I was already leaning towards the Go and then it turns out that Asus has the worst customer service I've ever seen and that sealed the deal.
2 year Warranty for the USA Only! Unacceptable for anyone living outside of the USA like myself who lives here in the UK and owns the original ROG ALLY 😭
How many years does your local consumer law allow? In Australia for instance, a company can say 1 year, but if it is an expensive device, the consumer law will make it 2 years minimum, or it could be considered more if the product is suppose to last a very long time (like a handheld PC should).
A lot of people don't mention the 2280 SSD form factor change in the showcase for the Ally X, which would support up to 8TB drives and drives tend to come cheaper in that more standard form factor and in a wide variety of speed tiers. To me besides the bigger RAM and battery, the 2280 SSD form factor change is a huge plus as well. No need for 3D printed mods to fit a 2280 like you can on the Legion Go. As for a mid-life upgrade or sequel to the Legion Go. It has to keep all the uniqueness & options of the original Legion Go, but change the SSD size from 2242 to 2280 (support Gen 4 as well), bigger RAM either 24GBs like the Ally X or go one step further and just do 32GBs of RAM, and 80+ battery like the Ally X.... I'll pretty sold with those upgrades while keeping everything else the same. For extras: Change Z1 Extreme chip for a more standard 7840U or 8840U equivalent so we don't have to deal with this extreme wait times on OEM drivers... let us get the regular AMD drivers from a regular AMD adrenaline app or from Legion Space if people don't want to interact with AMD adrenaline... but makes them available as soon as any other 7840U/8840U chip gets it in other platforms/form factors of any other PC. If they want to go the extra mile, change the screen to a 16:9 Native Landscape panel to avoid the finickiness of Portrait panels with some apps/games... if not... well... it's a PC, it can be mitigated with Software and some tweaking... but at least that's fixable through software. What's under the hood is priority, and improve the speakers & maybe add an extra USB4 next to the other top one like the Ally X, while keeping the bottom one = making it 3 USB4 ports. They would come out later with it... so it gives me hope that they have the timing advantage to 1-up the Ally X (basically copy their last homework and use the Ally X as a blueprint to further improve on the original Legion Go) further and even undercut in cost with more hardware features. I for one on the change to USB4 eGPUs, is that it's your more versatile can use the ports for other stuff... universal compatibility if most of other devices use the same and forward compatibility for an eventual leap in USB bandwidth and speeds later on with some of a USB5 tech... where it would a very inexpensive upgrade to just change the GPU docking station/enclosure... or the cable & USB output module of the enclosure/dock already supports higher bandwidth then it is just plug and play on a future device that can take higher bandwidth inputs.
Awesome video Russ!! Love the block at the start around disclosures and ASUS's brand - so dope to see that and how it shows people you can actually run a very successful channel that doesn't just shill to get ahead. The Ally X does also definitely look like a great refresh. That battery especially. Of all the Windows handhelds the Legion GO has been the one I've had an eye on just since that huge screen offers the biggest (literally) experience difference from my LCD Deck, but for a more compact option this is looking good. Fingers crossed ASUS acts with awareness of how their brand rep is basically in the dumps right now and come out with a banger. Cheers!
Here's an interesting idea for a lower-cost SKU for Asus, MSI etc.: one with a battery that only gives 5-10 minutes of battery life. The use-cases where I'm playing a game and don't have access to power are... well, they don't exist. At home I would play a) in bed, b) on the couch, c) at my desk (probably docked), d) on the living room TV, or e) on the patio. I use my Switch for all but c). Once in a while I would bring it on a trip, so I might play f) in the airport (briefly), g) on the plane, or h) in the hotel or bnb. I only need enough battery for a "hot swap." I've never minded plugging my Switch in at all of these locations, in fact I've never actually played my Switch on pure battery, the longest it's been "on" and on battery was probably 2 minutes to move it from one location to the other. The doubled battery in the Ally X therefore is completely uninteresting to me. How much would a 5 minute battery rather than a 3 hour battery save in terms of cost and weight? Curious. If you are reading this and you use your handheld PC or Switch on pure battery for extended periods, where are you using it that you need that? The bus?
I really appreciate the opening discussion. a lot of people don't understand just how much content out there is sponsored, nor how complicated it might be for reviewers to consider accepting a sponsorship. I think a lot of people would be content to let their viewers just think, "oh, it's totally normal to be flown around by companies, and no one ever has to stop and think about whether they should accept that, which is effectively a payment of a kind," and so I think it's important for folks such as yourself to address that stuff head on, and with a reflection more substantial than a quick "FULLDISCLOSURETHISCOMPANYPAIDFORMYFLIGHTANYWAYBACKTOTHEVIDEO" at the start of a video.
I do love how your videos never have any sponsors, but it does confuse me how you're able to do this full-time without them. You hear from RU-vidrs all the time that RU-vid ad money isn't good, even Jenny Nicholson says her ad revenue from RU-vid isn't very much and she gets views in the millions. And even though you have a Patreon, you never mention it in your videos. Honestly if you took sponors like TechDweeb, etc does then I would still love the videos.
Thanks for the feedback! I don't like watching ads/sponsorships in other videos and I prefer to make the videos that I would personally like to watch, if that makes sense. So adding any sponsored content to my videos isn't really of interest to me, even if it does result in less income. I'm also retired from the military and receive a modest pension for my service, which allows me to not rely as much on youtube revenue to sustain my family.
Glad I never bought ROG Ally and waited for ROG Ally X, given how problematic issue with the now version 1 ROG Ally. Can't wait to buy ROG Ally X to replace my heavy weight old gaming laptop. Also I upgraded my old ROG Phone 1 to ROG Phone 7, no issues during those 5 years so ASUS has done no wrong to me so I still trust them.
Russ thank you for being so open about your monetization and how you like to do things. Nothing worse than other "review" channels talking about an awesome product offering a solution without a problem. I really like the fact that you take the time to go over possible use cases, who devices/accessories might be for and why it could or could not be a good solution. I could heap praise for the rest of the day, but I do not want to type that much.
Just like with the release of the Steam Deck OLED, the best value is going to be buying the previous model used. Yes, the new iterations are better, but it's not like it's been that long since the originals came out. They're still fantastic. When you can find a LCD or Ally for $250-300, that right there is unbeatable value.
I'm picking up a 256GB LCD with 400GB SD card for $250 today actually, yeah the OLED is better but I straight up can't afford it so it might as well not exist, i am already stretching my budget as it is lol.
@@agrisimfarming Right on! I sold my OLED 1TB with a Jsaux dock for $630 and bought a LCD 256GB with another Jsaux dock for $250 lol. The aftermarket price difference between these is utterly insane. They are largely the same machine.
@@pixelmentiathe z1 extreme and ally x are the same except for faster ram and more ram and bigger battery that's it but with same the panel and apu in the ally x but with the SD oled it was very much improved from the SD lcd.
If Legion Go announced a Legion Go 2, it would absolutely blow Asus Rog Ally out of the water. If I could rename the Rog Ally X, I would call it "Rog Ally Community Edition."
Absolutely disgusting from asus ! All the folks that had to RMA their original ROG ally should be offered this as a trade in for the manufacturing faulty ally !!! This is the one we should have got in the first place instead of a faulty device which should have been shelved and removed from public sale !
My favorite Handheld gaming channel and i just subscribed about month ago. Appreciate the transparency. I been waiting to the X to decide which of these handhelds is going to be my first handheld of choice, and the X is making me think twice sbout the Steamdeck OLED now. Ill wait for a full review but so far sure looks promising, only thing is though that i can get s Steamdeck OLED cheaper, so that $799 price may ultimately make me think twice. Good times we live in when it comes to choices!
Don't be a braindead sheep of HippieNexus that just regurgitates what he says. Take 5 mins out of your day to research whether X product from Asus has good warranty policy in your country. It differs.
I’m happy to see the ROG Ally getting these improvements through the X, but I’m still absolutely loving my Legion Go and I’ve had such a good experience with Lenovo’s customer support process. From what I’ve heard, Asus is going to have to step it up quite a bit in the customer service department before I’d even consider buying my next handheld from them.
$800 for Ally X. Subtract the $300 resale value for the Ally. $500 total to upgrade. Ally 1 - $600, subtract $300 resale + $800 Ally X being $1100 total cost. Total cost =/= upgrade cost.
My experience with Asus rma was excellent. And they just extended everyone’s warranty to 2 yrs for free just out of good will. Not many companies do that
I really liked and appreciated the high level of transparency at the beginning of the video, before I get to the meat of my comment. I have an ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, and love it a lot as a handheld PC and my main general use PC. While I’m very tempted at the prospect of the Ally X, I think I’m probably gonna skip it and wait for the eventual Ally 2. For my own use case, I don’t play any really high end PC games as it is, and while the upgrades and such in storage/power/battery are definitely nice, I typically keep it docked/plugged in at any given time, and it easily runs any game I’d wanna play on it as well. I typically have a few hours after work each day plus two full days off available to allocate gaming time to, so if I wanna play something on the Ally for just a bit, I always have it plugged in anyhow to alleviate the battery issue, then can dock it when I need to use it as my main PC I’m definitely excited that ASUS is listening so intently to feedback on the original Ally, and I do hope that the Ally X is successful in its launch!
Oh boy the best Windows handheld just got better, its near perfect and I'm gladly pre-ordering since its basically still a Rog Ally (with months of drivers and updates). Regarding Asus, I never had any issue with the brand. I switched from Steam Deck to Ally and I love both but prefer Windows, and it just runs great almost flawlessly with the games I play. I also have a almost 4 years old Asus M16 laptop and, aside from issues with the Bluetooth, I is still going strong and I love it. So in my experience, Asus has always worked great and I will keep getting my handheld and laptops from them.
After the revelation that their warranty fulfillment is a complete scam and ASUS despises their customers I will say all ASUS handhelds are a hard pass.
Not everyone lives in America, even though you Americans like to think the world revolves around you. Asus warranty differs per product and country. Guess what, thr warranty is actually good in Europe, because we have institutions in place that protect the consumers from companies that want to scam them. God abandoned America.
As an original Ally owner, I must say that the Ally was one of the best purchases that I have made in a long time. If you are on the fence please just go with the Ally, the VRR is a game changer.
ASUS, no buy. Not all things have issues but always plan for the unexpected. Who you have to rely on for warranty matters. Ex. I don’t even like Dell that much but I buy their monitors because they stand by them under their warranty.
Dell warranty is fishy. If you did some research, you would know Dell customer service likes to twist words around their warranty policy. For example, their new QD-OLED Alienware monitors say 3 year return warranty for burn-in, but thats ONLY if you buy their package. Otherwise its just 2 years and its different depending on the degradation. You people are not using your brains, just wasting oxygen.
$800 for essentially a budget slight refresh device at this point? LMAO! Especially after their RMA issues. No thanks. Glad you were so transparent about everything.
I thoroughly enjoy the design updates. If the SD card issue ends up being truly fixed, and if Asus shows it's really tackling the customer service issues, I'll probably get this down the road or jump onto the next generation at launch.
It's taking everything I have in me not to sale off my current Ally in preparation of this. Great overall improvements that speak even more to how great of an improvement the eventual Ally 2 will be.
Then you shouldn't trust any of these computer companies, they all do it, but Asus got caught.. and as of today. Are correcting it and extending warranties for everyone for another year...they fix the issue.
Thank you for not taking sponsorship. This is what separates you from most others on RU-vid. I specifically pay for youtube premium just to limit the ads I see. I also am not going to become a member of any said channel for a similar reason (that I already pay for premium). I never, ever click on affiliate links either, but I will from your channel if I want to buy something. I understand this is your job and how you support your family. Since you keep all the other money grabs in check, I will begin to use your affiliate links. It is a small thing I can do to say thank you for your hard work.
I pay 12 euro a month foe RU-vid premium so I really appreciate channels that don't have sponsored ads for stupid mobile games or whatever. Thank you for not including that rubbish as it has made me unsubscribe from many channels in the past. I wonder if its just me or whether sponsored content is actually more damaging money wise for large channels. Great review .
I love how transparent you are in your videos. Thank you! Looking forward to your testing! If I had money to burn u would get one of these. I mean you're burning money if you buy anything from Asus lol
Looks very promising in almost every way. I cant tell you how disappointed I was in the og Ally's dpad (especially in the context of retro gaming, false diagonal nightmare). I have spent the last couple of months trying everything to mod it. I was hoping they'd just switch to plus style for the X. Im hyped for your full review to see how it performs!
You are definitely not a sell out especially now so many content creators are doing that sly sam crack style slide in commercials Thanks for your clean informed reviews
