A New Way of Looking at Things
If you happen to point out the fact that the Steam Deck is not the best handheld gaming console, then you can expect me to argue with you for hours as a proud Steam Deck user. Which doesn’t even require it, knowing its status as the best handheld gaming PC in history. Such a statement holds true even today, as my favorite handheld device for my gaming on the go has been the Steam Deck, despite there being competition such as ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and the MSI Claw. Recently, though, I have started to view the ROG Ally in a different light because of some optimizations and capabilities it has.
Even though Steam Deck is quite great in terms of ergonomics especially during handheld usage, some of the recent modifications I made to my ROG Ally made it better. SteamOS is not the best but it has always served its purpose of start and play conveniently, and that has always been its appeal for me. With the right tools and alterations, the experience could be created on the ROG Ally, which is why I have been using it more frequently.
Enhanced Sleep Functionality
In relationship to the internal power challenges, the issue of sleep mode being translated as its default configuration poses the biggest concern toward the full utilization of the ROG Ally. This is caused by the fact that it features an integration with the sleep mode that’s part of the Windows 11 setting, rather than the handheld device sleep mode available on the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, where the functionality provides a seamless service. Windows sleep mode can be somewhat buggy in the context of gaming. Pressing the power button when aiming to put the machine to sleep more often than not feels as though one is playing the lottery- sometimes the game doesn’t crash, however, on some titles like Elden Ring, one is not going back to any winning situations.
Furthermore, if a handheld device is unattended, sleep mode does not fully turn off the device which means battery wasting is quite an expected predicament.
Two tools have been a total game-changer in overcoming the issues. The very first is Nyrna, an application which is open source and enables users to suspend applications by simply tapping on a button, bringing remarkable convenience and ease of use to application management. Nyrna proved to be able to suspend even resource-intensive games that do not allow users to stop them normally and gamers were able to continue the game exactly from where they stopped it without any hassle.
The second one is changing the default sleep mode to Hibernate as a change. Hibernate adds the capability to record the current state of the device in memory and switch off the device to the point where the battery is fully drained while saving the gaming session. I have found this to be a totally new experience since I have set up sleep mode to activate when I press the power button.
Streamlining the Interface
Creating a more streamlined user interface has been crucial in assisting ROG Ally and its developers. In conjunction with the use of BloatyNosy app, a program which is effective in eliminating unused apps as well as disabling ads, telemetry and location tracking that unnecessarily clutter the screen, we were able to more efficiently simplify the Windows environment and enhance overall Ally usability. Having achieved that further significantly improved the overall experience we had. However, that seemingly easy task of app removal, warrants a hefty amount of caution when it comes to removing essential system files, as in the past removing such files fractured the device rendering it inoperable. But now, any interaction with the desktop or the search for apps is far less complicated and devoid of any bad interruptions that would butt in between the gameplay – much like the OneDrive backup notifications. Overall the integration of these features has had a huge positive impact on the gameplay.
A Handheld Worth Considering
When it comes to devices I have a certain fondness with Steam Deck, however, in spite of there being clear weakness and downsides when comparing Ally to Deck, the results I achieved from it were surprising and endearing to say the least. The use of Z1 Extreme chip inside the device gives it not only hardware advantages, but in conjunction with the anti-cheat compatible games it boosts the device performance greatly. When compared to the performance of Path of Exile, Crossfire X, and Cyberpunk, standalone Estranged is more playable during the movement among lights, as well as in the pre game lobbies. The recent updates in AMD’s AFMF 2 have greatly enhanced the devices’ capabilities.
It does take some time to set up the ROG Ally properly, however, it is well worth it in the end. While it is not a flawless piece of technology and there are bound to be some problems, it has become a better option for handheld video game consoles. At the moment I am confident enough in its performance and durability to take it with me on the go.
