Since its launching , I ’m a spot of a Steam Deck vindicator . It does n’t need the protagonism , as the Steam Deck is well thebest hand-held play PCyou can buy , but even in the face ofcompetition from the ROG Ally , Lenovo Legion Go , and MSI Claw , I still use my Steam Deck for gaming on the go . A couple of apps have been slowly change that story , however .
I like run on mySteam Deck OLEDdue to the public toilet . SteamOS is n’t perfect , no , but it earmark me to pick up and play my games cursorily , which I value more than the mellow performance available on Windows handhelds . A couplet of key tweaks to the Windows experience can unlock that pick - up - and - free rein experience , and ever since configuring theROG Ally Xproperly , I ’ve been gravitating toward it more and more for my hand-held gaming .
A proper sleep
The biggest vault for using the ROG Ally is the lack of a eternal sleep function . By nonpayment , the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X go into Sleep mode whenever you hit the power clit . This is n’t the same as the slumber function of something like a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch , though . It ’s the Sleep mode built into Windows 11 , which is n’t designed for handheld gaming . Every time you get through the power button , you ’re rolling the dice on if you ’ll be able-bodied to pick your game back up where you leave off .
In Windows , Sleep is supposed to work by storing your session in retentivity and put the handheld into a low - power state . That way , you’re able to just iron the business leader push and get right back to what you were doing . The trouble is that it does n’t always work . game are prone to go down when you put your machine asleep , and in games likeElden Ringwhere you ca n’t intermit , you may decease while the handheld is asleep . As I wrote in my originalROG Ally review , press the power release with a biz running is like closing the lid on a laptop computer — there are n’t any guarantee everything will get along back on the nose the manner it was when you reopen the lid .
Moreover , Sleep in Windows does n’t power down the gadget fully . If you forget your handheld for a while unattended in Sleep modality , it will slowly enfeeble the battery .
BeforeDigital Trends
There are two large change that make the ROG Ally , or any other Windows handheld , perform more like the Steam Deck . The first isNyrna , which has been like a revelation ever since I installed it on the ROG Ally . This uncomplicated , undetermined - source app can freeze any app you need , pausing your gameplay and freeing up any resourcefulness the biz was consuming . The app even works with those games likeElden Ring , properly freeze ( and intermit ) the biz so you may pick up the right way where you left off .
you could do this manually in Windows , but it ’s a pain . The process involves choke through the tilt of active tasks and suspend them , and even if you only call for to suspend one coating , it ’s a slog to attain that with a 7 - inch touchscreen . With Nyrna , I just ask to pull up the window , knock the game I desire to suspend , and I ’m just to go .
That ’s only half of the battle here , though . As mentioned , the Sleep manner in Windows does n’t actually power down the PC , so the ROG Ally lazily give suck a bit of power down when it ’s gone . The good option is the Hibernate function in Windows . This works similarly to Sleep mode in that it basically spare a country of your desktop , but it copies that state amply into retentiveness and powers down the microcomputer . you could leave the ROG Ally for days , and even week , in Hibernate modality without the twist go out on you in a couple of days .
AfterDigital Trends
you’re able to manually set up the ROG Ally to Hibernate , but this procedure is about gismo . It ’s much easy to hold the world power button to Hibernate way alternatively of Sleep mode . To do that , launch the Control Panel and guide toPower options . There , selectChoose what the king buttons do . you may set the power clitoris to expend Hibernate style with the gadget unplugged and plugged in rather of the default Sleep style here .
It ’s not quite as easy as just hitting the power button , but the suspend experience on the ROG Ally is significantly serious with these two changes . When I ’m done playing , I pull up Nyrna — I have it set as a startup app , so it ’s always running — tap my secret plan to suspend it , and then strike the top executive button to go into Hibernate mode . I leftGhost of Tsushimalike this for two days , and I was able to cull up the ROG Ally and re-start playing in about 30 second , and all without a major hit to my barrage .
You might not meet game crashes with the standard Sleep part in Windows , but I have multiple times . I ca n’t say for sure that your game wo n’t crash with Nyrna and Hibernate mode , but I have n’t seen any crashes so far , even after resuming the same session multiple time and sometimes day apart . This mental process takes a minute longer than couch the Steam Deck to sleep , but frankly , it became second nature after even the first 24-hour interval of using Nyrna .
Go for the bloat
Next up is to get the ROG Ally running more like a handheld and less like a laptop . Windows 11 works decently on a handheld , but like it or not , it ’s filled with a ton of apps you ’ll likely never use . Add on top of that notifications and ad built for a laptop computer experience , and using a gadget like an ROG Ally can feel pretty clunky if your sole focus is playing game . you may disenable and uninstall a deal of these circumstance with a “ debloat ” tool .
There are a few of these tools usable , but the best by far isBloatyNosy . It ’s still being update — at the time of penning , an update was released yesterday — and it can incapacitate basically any lineament in Windows 11 and bump off just about any app you want . That ’s a blessing and a curse . It ’s possible you ’ll delete something you in reality involve , so if you go through this process , make indisputable to back up any decisive data and be ready to reconstruct your Windows 11 installation through the ROG Ally BIOS if something goes wrong .
After you download BloatyNosy , you ’ll have two options — Experience and Dumputer . Experience is easier to get through . pick out it , and you ’ll be make for to a listing of a few dozen options . I incapacitate all of the ads peppered throughout Windows 11 , as well as telemetry assembling . A few other timber - of - life changes you may make are to disable locating trailing , hide the search bar in the taskbar and unpin the Copilot icon from the taskbar . You should n’t break anything major here , but if you ’re unsure about a exceptional setting , lead it enabled .
The Dumputer section is where the actual trick befall — and where you may do the most trauma if you ’re not measured . This is essentially an elaborate app removal window and it allows you to uninstall applications that otherwise would n’t show up in theAdd or remove programswindow within Windows 11 . These applications are n’t always named in the most clear way , and there are some apps that are crucial that may seem immaterial . irrespective , proceed at your own risk of exposure . If something breaks , you ’ll need to reinstall Windows through the ROG Ally BIOS .
Here , you in the main want to face for the low - hanging fruit . I ’m talking about coating you ’ll probably never apply on your ROG Ally , such as Teams , Copilot , OneNote , and Zune Music and Video — yes , the music and video app in Windows 11 is still branded with Zune under the hood . I ’ve get it most sluttish to expend theMost annoying bloatwaresorting option to constrict in on these apps . Do n’t remove everything here , as some apps , particularly those tied to Xbox , are necessary . However , you’re able to absent stuff like MSN News and Bing Maps without too much vexation .
Less is more here , so attempt to take a light approach to absent bloat on the ROG Ally . You really do n’t require to do much . Just pore on removing apps that are conversant , such as Bing Maps , that you wo n’t be using on a handheld . And critically , do n’t uninstall anything you ’re unsure about . That could do much more harm than in effect .
Although it ’s hard to say concretely that this will improve your execution or barrage fire sprightliness — it count on what apps you have run , what apps you remove , and your gadget background — there ’s not much sense pass resources on creature you ’ll never use . For what it ’s worth , you’re able to see a compare of 60 seconds before I go through this cognitive process and after . There are far fewer spindle in processor usage . That does n’t mean the ROG Ally is of a sudden firm , but it ’s a estimable sign of the zodiac .
But honestly , even without a execution advance , this is still a well unconscious process to go through . For me , it ’s the quality of life improvements that make the difference — no more pesky notifications asking me to backup my files with OneDrive while I ’m playing games , and no more slogging through the taskbar to find the app I want to bug on . I do n’t require to oversell what debloating can do . It ’s not go bad to revolutionise your handheld experience , but it can make that experience a bit smoother .
A better experience
Ultimately , I still prefer using my Steam Deck , but there are a lot of advantages of using the ROG Ally . I ’m able to play games likeMarvel Rivalswithout being block by anti - cheat software , and shaft like the recent increase of AMD ’s AFMF 2 to the ROG Ally ready biz likePath of Exile 2playable on a handheld . That ’s not to note the power of the Z1 Extreme fleck , which definitely has a high carrying into action cap than the chipping inside of the Steam Deck .
Those upsides are deserving the hassle of configuring the ROG Ally properly . It ’s still not a perfect experience , and I ’m trusted I ’ll run into a barge in game or two at some peak . But for now , the ROG Ally is working much better than it does out of the box , and I ’m confident enough in using the gimmick that I ’d actually take it on the go with me .
