More from Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more: all the news about the handheld PC gaming revolution
If you’re relying on the original May reviews of the ROG Ally for your purchasing decision, you should know that those reviewers didn’t get final hardware and software. I’m still seeing lower performance today with my retail unit than I did with my original review unit, despite Asus’ new statement and AMD’s graphic driver hotfix.
Could be a bad unit. But I’m not the only one who saw the dip.
Turns out they’re sometimes just picked off a list. That’s the case with Jsaux, whose founder told me “There’s not any specific meaning.” Yet the brand cornered the market on Steam Deck accessories by beating even Valve to the punch.
Its Chinese name is Shenzhen Wuyishi Technology Co, which sounds like many Shenzhen-based gadget makers — save the “Wuyishi,” which means consciousness. Jsaux told us it symbolizes freeing your mind to think of innovative designs.
So there is more to some of these brand names.
How Jsaux rode the Steam Deck to escape the Amazon wilderness
A Chinese accessory maker with an alphabet-soup name struck while the iron was hot. Now, it wants to be the next Anker.
We knew that swapping the Windows gaming handheld’s SSD and battery was a breeze — but it turns out most every Asus part is easier to remove than Steam Deck!
Unfortunately, Asus hasn’t yet committed to actually offering replacement parts. Valve, meanwhile, lets iFixit sell almost every Steam Deck component at its website.
I keep thinking about the ROG Ally’s weird internal layout. Lotta unused space — see how two smaller batteries are connected with a bridge instead of a single bigger one? Why a small vertical SSD slot instead of a long horizontal one? Email me if you make it better!
ETA Prime just got a fork of SteamOS running, and while there’s no indication of battery life (he plays plugged in), it looks like Windows won’t be the only answer for long. I can confirm that HoloISO is also working to support the Ally’s processor.
In a recent Q&A, Asus says owners can absolutely install whatever they like, but it won’t provide customer support for SteamOS issues.
Valve, March 14th: “The idea that you could just swap in a new screen and be done—it would need more than that to be doable.” Today: F(x)tec reveals “DeckHD”.
Even if Valve’s exaggerating, the Deck’s advantage over competitors is battery, which might suffer with a “better” screen, and F(x)tec is best known for a mediocre crowdfunded phone that arrived two years late. Plus, 60Hz is so last year. (via GamingOnLinux)
Aokzoe is now claiming to have the “world’s first AMD Ryzen 7840U handheld.” Ayaneo is naming it too.
AMD would rather you pay attention to the Z1 Extreme, a chip that’s apparently identical save “entirely new power ranges and optimize[d] voltage curves specifically for this use case” that “should not be trivialized,” AMD’s Don Woligroski tells The Verge. Those sound important, but will AMD really not share them with anyone but Asus?
