I’ve been considering buying a handheld computer, either the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally. Although I already have a decent computer, I am currently studying abroad and want to avoid the hassle of transporting it back and forth. My main use cases for it would include playing games such as GTA 5 (single player), Far Cry 5, Watch Dogs 2, Far Cry 6, Minecraft, Terraria, Hitman 3, and possibly the new Zelda game, depending on how well emulation works. It’s important to note that many of these games I would play through Xbox Game Pass or own through launchers other than Steam. Any advice on which one I should purchase would be appreciated.
Quick note battery life doesn’t matter and as its on sale the Ally is 50 dollars cheaper
Right, Deck advantages: Far better screen if you buy OLED. Far better battery life if you go OLED. Slightly better on LCD. Cheaper (I mean, you can literally buy 2 steam decks 64GB for the price of 1 ROG Ally) Ease of use. SteamOS is incredible. Things like sleep resume work flawlessly and the game interface is just incredible. User interface and ergonomics.
Same performance as the Ally at 15W. And this one is very important for me as even when considering an ally or a legion go, I play my deck on the move in trips and stuff. So I want that battery to last. I undervolted my LCD deck instead of overclocking for this reason. I want long lasting battery.
Ally advantages: Much better screen compared to LCD deck. Better performance. When plugged into the mains it is more powerful. Anywhere from 50 to 80%. This means that you need to compromise a lot less to get higher framerates or just bump image quality up. Some games are not compatible with the deck due to anticheat. If you only play Destiny 2 then the deck is not the handheld for you.
Same performance as the Ally at 15W.
According to DF’s testing the Deck OLED actually pulls ahead of the Ally at 15W.