5 reasons why I’m ready to retire my Steam machine for the ROG Xbox Ally

When it was It was first revealed in 2021the Steam surface It blew every gamer’s mind, especially me. The idea of ​​playing a PC game as easily as on the Nintendo Switch seemed unbelievable, but it’s now the norm. While Valve’s Steam Deck is still the go-to portable gaming rig for PC,… ROG Xbox Ally Going for the crown.

the Xbox ally It’s just a few days away from its release on October 16th, and I personally can’t wait for it. I’ve loved the current trend of PC gaming on the go, and Xbox Ally could finally get me to leave my Steam Deck with its own controller designed for Xbox gamers.

The $1,000 price tag of the Xbox Ally Here’s why.

1. Your Steam Deck is outdated

I love my steam platform. It’s a versatile machine that can do practically everything I need it to do — except run the latest AAA games smoothly. However, Steam Deck is almost 3 years old and was designed when handheld gaming consoles were not popular (except Nintendo Switch).

My Steam Deck has become a standalone gaming machine for me, since they don’t require a lot of processing power to run. This makes the idea of ​​a proper laptop gaming rig like the Xbox Ally very attractive. It can run graphics-intensive games without having to return it to the lowest settings, as I currently do with the Steam Deck.

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2. I can use a convenient Xbox on the go

I have a lot of games on my Xbox account, and many of them are not available on Xbox Game Pass, so they can’t be played on the cloud. Also, if you’re playing on the cloud and then on the installed game, cloud saving can be an issue. That’s why I prefer to operate my Xbox Series console remotely.

It’s a bit annoying to play Xbox games on the Steam Deck. An app called XBPlay makes remote play easier, but it’s still not as easy as getting a proper Xbox app for your Steam Deck.

Xbox Ally is designed to be your Xbox on the go. It allows games that are part of Xbox Anywhere to be installed directly or played remotely using the Xbox app on Ally. There is no longer any need for an additional application, internet browsers or other workaround. It will be ready to go out of the box.

3. ROG Xbox Ally: More ease of use without more work

Xbox Ally is more useful than Steam Deck because it has Windows 11. Steam Deck runs the Linux operating system, and while some developers have created Linux versions of Windows software, it would be much easier to get a Windows-only console.

With Xbox Ally for Windows, there will be more access to other launch platforms – most importantly the Epic Games Store. To play these Epic Games Store games on my Steam Deck, I have to download a launcher, then download the games and perform various updates. I’ll worry that a new update will ruin everything, or wait for whoever created a particular app to update it so I can play the game I want.

Xbox Ally will make it easy to jump from one platform to another.

4. Xbox Ally has a better display

Another aspect of my Steam Deck that looks very dated is its display. It is an IPS LCD display with a refresh rate of 60Hz and a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Again, at the time of its release, it made sense to use a cost-effective screen to keep the price down.

Although the Xbox Ally doesn’t have an OLED display, it still has a 120Hz HD display that runs at 1080p with 500 nits of brightness. It’s not a huge jump from the Steam Deck screen, but it’s still noticeable.

I played Hollow Knight: Silksong briefly on Xbox Ally last month, and one of the biggest differences I noticed right away was the presentation. Sharpness and brightness were an improvement over the Steam Deck display, which became less dynamic over time.

5. Xbox Ally’s design looks smooth

Another notable difference with Xbox Ally is ergonomics. The Steam Deck had to walk a fine line because the controls had to be suitable for a wide range of games. Two touchpads are included, one on each side of the screen. But those touchpads make using the Steam Deck a bit difficult for longer sessions.

Games that require precise timing, like Silksong, simply don’t feel right on the Steam Deck. The spacing between the analog sticks, shoulder buttons, and triggers is a little awkward for me, likely because I use the Xbox controller a lot. It’s the same way I feel about the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation Portal. Their control settings are off by just a hair, and this can be noticed once you’ve played long enough.

It’s night and day when playing on Xbox Ally. The entire controller, which is lighter than the Steam Deck, fits perfectly within my reach. The ROG Xbox Ally feels completely natural. I can play this game for hours on end without any problem.

Do I think Xbox Ally would be perfect? Absolutely not. There will be some growing pains as she discovers herself. However, I’m excited for Xbox Ally because it will allow me to switch off my Steam Deck after years of gaming on the go.