By Lucas Coll
The Steam Deck OLED and Asus ROG Ally X are two of the best PC gaming handhelds, but only one can be the champ. Let's see which comes out on top.
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Asus ROG Ally X
Editor's choice
With more RAM, a sleeker chassis, better joysticks, a bigger battery, and improved thermals, the ROG Ally X brings some serious refinements to Asus' original PC gaming handheld. Software updates also provide a better handheld gaming experience on Windows 11, even if there are still some kinks to work out. This is a seriously impressive PC gaming handheld (with a price tag to match).
Pros
- Newer, more powerful chipset
- 1TB storage is standard
- 120Hz refresh rate
Cons
- No OLED is a let down
- Expensive
$799 at Best Buy
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Steam Deck OLED
Excellent value
The Steam Deck OLED faces serious competition, but it's still an excellent PC gaming handheld for the price. Its mobile hardware is starting to age, and Steam OS doesn't offer compatibility with all games across the board. Nonetheless, the OLED display looks great, and the Steam Deck works well right out of the box with minimal fuss.
Pros
- Gorgeous OLED display
- Affordable price
- Steam ecosystem integration
Cons
- Bulky design
- No hardware upgrades from LCD model
Mobile hardware has advanced to the point that you can now hold a gaming computer in your hands. PC gaming handhelds like Valve's Steam Deck are only growing more popular, too, and that means that other brands like Asus and Lenovo are getting in on the action with portable devices of their own. Asus just revealed the ROG Ally X, which brings a few notable upgrades to the original ROG Ally. Likewise, Valve refreshed its Steam Deck last year with a new OLED model. Both are very impressive handheld gaming PCs in their own right, but if you're stuck wondering which one to buy, read on. We'll take a deeper look at the Asus ROG Ally X and Steam Deck OLED to help you decide.
Price, specs, & availability
Valve released the Steam Deck OLED last November as a follow-up to the original model. Asus revealed the updated ROG Ally X at the June Computex expo, and it's now available for pre-order from Best Buy. The Steam Deck OLED is available for purchase directly from Valve, with pricing starting at $549 for the 512GB model. For $649, you can upgrade to 1TB of storage. There's currently only one Asus ROG Ally X model, and it's launching with a retail price of $800.
Asus ROG Ally X Steam Deck OLED Dimensions 11.02 x 4.37 x 1.45 inches (280mm x 111mm x 36.9mm) 11.7 x 4.6 x 1.9 inches (298mm x 117mm x 49mm) Weight 1.49 pounds (678 grams) 1.41 pounds (640 grams) Chipset AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor (8 cores/16 threads, up to 5.10 GHz boost) Custom AMD Zen 2 APU (4 cores/8 threads, up to 3.5GHz boost) RAM 24GB LPDDR5 7500 MHz 16GB LPDDR5 6400MT/s Storage 1 TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe G4x4 SSD 512GB or 1TB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot Display 7-inch 1920x1080 IPS touchscreen, 120 Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium 7.4-inch OLED 1280 x 800 touchscreen, up to 90Hz Ports 1x USB-C (with DisplayPort 1.4), 1x USB4, 3.5mm audio combo jack, microSD card reader 1x USB-C (with DisplayPort support), 3.5mm combo audio jack, microSD card slot Battery 80Wh 50Wh Wireless Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E & Bluetooth 5.2 Wi-Fi 6E & Bluetooth 5.3 Headset Compatibility Yes Yes Graphics AMD RDNA 3 Radeon Graphics AMD RDNA 2 Radeon Graphics Speakers Dual speakers with smart amplifier and Dolby Atmos Dual stereo speakers Price 800 549
Related
The Asus ROG Ally X is here with a new chassis, better battery life, and more
It still has a Z1 Extreme, but better thermals should boost performance
Related
Steam Deck OLED review: More than just a screen upgrade
The Steam Deck OLED dropped by surprise recently, and it's a fantastic handheld that's more than just a screen upgrade.
Design
Asus brings some refinements the Steam Deck lacks
Source: Asus
Valve hasn't changed much from its original Steam Deck design, with the OLED model looking and feeling the same. It has a slightly larger display than the LCD model (7.4 inches now instead of just 7 inches), but that's pretty much all there is in the way of updates. In contrast, the Asus ROG Ally X features some refinements to the chassis, thermal setup, and port configuration from the original model. It's a bit smaller and slimmer than the Steam Deck, but it's worth mentioning that the ROG Ally X has a smaller 7-inch display. However, it's slightly heavier, likely due to the larger battery.
The Steam Deck OLED features one USB-C port with DisplayPort support, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a microSD card slot for optional storage expansion. The Asus ROG Ally X has all that plus an additional USB-C port, which offers USB4 support. This means you can use the ROG Ally X with an external GPU to considerably boost its gaming horsepower. Of course, that naturally requires a separate graphics card, eGPU housing, and some know-how on your part. Still, it's a nice option to have.
Winner: Asus ROG Ally X
Display
The Steam Deck OLED truly shines
The highlight of the Steam Deck OLED is right there in the name. For this late 2023 refresh, Valve replaced the original model's 7-inch LCD panel with a gorgeous 7.4-inch OLED touchscreen that offers up to 600 nits of brightness for SDR content and up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness for HDR content. It looks lovely and makes it clear that we're heading towards a future where OLED screens are the standard.
In contrast, the Asus ROG Ally X features a 7-inch IPS touch panel with a peak brightness of 500 nits, which isn't quite as nice as the Steam Deck OLED screen. On the bright side, it offers a more pixel-dense 1920x1080 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate, which compares favorably to the Steam Deck's 1280x800 90Hz display. It also supports AMD FreeSync Premium, which, combined with the better refresh rate, should offer a smoother gaming experience. However, between the two, we still prefer the OLED, even with its minor shortcomings.
Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Software
Windows is not quite up to snuff (yet)
The Asus ROG Ally X runs on a modified version of Windows 11, while the Steam Deck runs on Steam OS, a custom Linux-based operating system. In our review of the original Asus ROG Ally, we encountered problems with the software (both the BIOS and the operating system) and noted that this device does not run well right out of the box. Asus has been responsive to this problem, though, and has issued updates that have solved most of these problems.
Related
Asus ROG Ally review: Windows makes this difficult to recommend
Plagued by Windows-related problems and quality control issues, the ROG Ally is a fantastic device that's hard to recommend currently.
Asus is working to improve its software interface, but the Windows 11 experience is still a bit touchy on these gaming handhelds. On the other hand, game compatibility isn't much of a concern, as most PC games are made to run on Windows. Furthermore, you've got native support for PC Game Pass, which is an excellent value (if you want to do this on Steam Deck, you'll have to install Windows on it or set it up through cloud gaming). Admittedly, many of the problems with Windows 11 on the ROG Ally aren't the fault of Asus, but it's clear that Microsoft's OS still needs some work to be a great fit for gaming handhelds like this.
Overall, Steam OS is more slick, intuitive, and just better "out of the box" than Windows 11. The Steam Deck OLED also has the obvious advantage of seamless integration with Steam, which is the biggest PC gaming platform and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. For now, we prefer the software experience of Steam OS, even if game compatibility isn't as broad and it doesn't offer native Game Pass support. That said, we expect further improvements to Windows in the coming months and years as these PC gaming handhelds become more popular.
Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Performance
The Deck could have used more than a new display
Source: Asus
The original Steam Deck launched in February 2022. While it's not exactly long in the tooth, a few compelling competitors have popped up recently that leave Valve's handheld behind in the performance department. The OLED upgrade doesn't bring any major changes to the interior hardware aside from faster RAM and more internal storage. We like the Steam Deck design, and it performs admirably, so this isn't necessarily bad considering its reasonable price.
However, it's running on mobile hardware that's more than two years old now. Its custom AMD Zen 2 APU features four cores, eight threads, RDNA 2 Radeon graphics, and a maximum boosted clock speed of 3.5GHz. Performance is good for Steam Deck-verified titles, even demanding ones like Cyberpunk 2077 (which can run at a consistent 30fps on this handheld, with the occasional dip here and there). The AMD APU is backed up by 16GB of RAM. The OLED model has faster 6400 MT/s RAM than the 5500 MT/s memory in the original LCD model, one of the few upgrades besides the display.
The Asus ROG Ally X runs on an AMD Z1 Extreme processor with eight cores, 16 threads, RDNA 3 Radeon graphics, and a boosted clock speed of up to 5.10 GHz. On top of that, it packs 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM clocked at 7500MHz. Being a newer and more pricey device than the Steam Deck OLED, the ROG Ally X is the more powerful of the two. We got excellent performance from the original ROG Ally (which runs on the same Z1 Extreme chipset) in our time with it, noting that Grand Theft Auto V frequently ran as high as 90 to 100 frames per second. Simply put, the Asus ROG Ally X is sure to be one of the most powerful PC gaming handhelds you can buy in 2024, and Valve would do well to take notice.
Winner: Asus ROG Ally X
Battery life
The ROG Ally gets a serious upgrade
Source: Asus
The Steam Deck OLED got a noticeable bump in its battery life. Valve said that it has a 25% larger battery than the LCD model, and on top of that, its APU is built on a more energy-efficient 6nm process. In our review, we could play many games on this thing all day, with certain titles like Half-Life 2 getting as much as nine hours of playtime before the Deck needed a charge. Sure, that's an older game, but that's still very impressive for a handheld gaming PC.
The Steam Deck OLED's battery life certainly doesn't disappoint, but as with other hardware specs, the Asus ROG Ally X benefits from some newer hardware and a more refined design than its predecessor. The ROG Ally X packs an 80Wh internal battery, which is twice the size of the original ROG Ally's 40Wh battery. That's also considerably larger than the 50 Wh battery inside the Steam Deck OLED. The 4nm architecture of the Z1 Extreme APU is also more efficient than the Steam Deck, meaning that you can expect even more longevity from Asus' handheld.
Winner: Asus ROG Ally X
Which gaming handheld is the better buy?
When you compare these two devices side-by-side, the Asus ROG Ally X has several advantages that put it ahead of the Steam Deck OLED. It's more powerful, offers wider game compatibility (and support for Game Pass), and improves with every update. Asus is serious about having the best PC gaming handheld on the market, and in 2024, the ROG Ally X is a strong contender. However, we'd like to see an OLED display at this price, and Windows 11 still needs some work to become truly ready for handheld gaming.
Asus ROG Ally X
Some compelling upgrades
If the price doesn't turn you away and you're prepared to tinker with the software a bit, the Asus ROG Ally X is the best Windows-based PC gaming handheld there is. It may lack an OLED display, but it outpaces the Steam Deck in most other ways, including gaming performance.
$799 at Best Buy
Nevertheless, whether the Asus ROG Ally X is the better device for you depends on whether you're willing to shell out 800 bucks for it. For a $550 starting price, you can't go wrong with the Steam Deck OLED, which is still one of our favorite PC gaming handhelds. It offers a smooth "out of the box" experience, integrates beautifully with Steam, and looks gorgeous, thanks to its 7.4-inch OLED display. Plus, the price is right. It's also a great choice if you're heavily invested in the Steam ecosystem, don't feel like tinkering with Windows, and don't care too much about things like Game Pass.
Steam Deck OLED
Still a great choice
The Steam Deck doesn't have the horsepower of some of its recent competitors, but it's still a very compelling PC gaming handheld made even more attractive by its lovely new OLED panel. It offers a better out-of-the-box experience than Windows-based handhelds like the ROG Ally X, and Steam integration is a huge draw for many PC gamers.
