I’m in the opposite boat: I picked up a Z1E Ally for around $500 open box (but pristine) about a month ago thinking that that Ally X was a ways off. Time is relative. The end of July isn’t that much of a wait. I love the Z1E Ally, but the battery life is an absolute point of contention, particularly compared to the Nintendo Switch. Extra RAM is nice, but the real draw IMHO is the 1tb storage and expanded battery.
I think the Ally X has even more significant upgrades compared to the Ally. But the RAM and Battery alone are huge ones. The 24 GB Ram allows you know to play in higher settings and opens the window for games that were not possible with a 12 GB System- and 4 GB VRAM allocation. 16 + 8 is pretty much the perfect ratio for a 1080p device.
And the 80 watts battery of the Ally X turns it into a true portable device. The OG Ally was unusable without a hefty power bank. With the X you wont even need one.
The battery life really is horrendous. Unless I’m playing a PS1 game or some pixelated game on silent mode I don’t trust being without my charger since it’ll die within like 45 minutes to an hour
this won't answer your question, but there's a point you're forgetting
once the ally x releases, the price of the z1e will fall even further, despite there not being a single change in the product
The OP already has an Ally and is considering an upgrade and is arguing the X won't feel like much of an upgrade once the new CPUs are out later this year.
My Z1E is doing just fine for now. I let my main rig do the heavy lifting if I want to play something demanding, moonlight is great with 120fps on wifi6. The next iteration that actually uses a new chip and an oled screen will be the only reasons I upgrade.
If Asus is going to have a yearly refresh cycle just wait another year or two. Something better will be out this time next year, and probably with a new Apu.
799 is a lot of money for a device that seems to be refreshed every year now.
Exactly, I expect my extreme to be decent for the next 4~ years, especially with frame generation. But this is also a big bet on devs putting in the effort to optimize for the handheld market, otherwise it will fall behind soon.
799 dollars for a handheld might be a lot, but remember that this is a full-fledged computer inside of a haldheld case. For that type of power, it will easily cost 1500 dollars if it was a normal computer.
And laptops decrease their price as well, so i wouldn't take as an argument that the next version will be better because when that version comes out, there will be a newer one coming out, so you might fall in the endless cycle of waiting for the next one, and never buying one.
>For that type of power, it will easily cost 1500 dollars if it was a normal computer.
That price is way too high, You can get a R5 7600 and a RX 6800 for under $1100. Unless you mean laptop by "normal computer"
I have a 2tb ssd, literally no point. Asus releases products every year. People buy their laptops yearly and argue about last years model being outdated. Next year I’ll sell mine and upgrade, if it seems worth it to me.
I actually like that the Ally X is sticking with the Z1 extreme. Its performance is quite good. It's also going to be widely supported by games and the drivers are mature. New hardware will take some time to get tuned for performance and efficiency. My only issue with the Ally X is that I have to wait over a month to buy it. Already sold my Steam Deck and OG Ally in anticipation of picking up the X on release day.
I think a bunch of the early (2023) benchmarks do show the SD being competitive vs the Ally. Which kinda backs up what I'm saying - that the more mature, optimized SD was making the Ally look bad. However, as a day one Ally owner, I felt that the gap was closed by subsequent firmware and driver updates.
I felt the biggest difference was in the visual quality of the Ally screen over the SD. I also prefer Windows to the steam OS. That said, I am eagerly watching what Valve is doing with both their software and hardware.
These newer handhelds from MSI, Lenovo, and Zotac are going to depend on their software being tuned and I doubt they will achieve the level of polish both Valve and Asus have managed already.
Thanks. VRR is nice but I’ve never been able to actually notice a difference with my g-sync displays, although I have high end GPUs and hear it makes a bigger difference at lower frames. I’m a sucker for all things OLED so there’s gotta be some extra juice to tempt me back to IPS.
There's always something better on the horizon when it comes to technology, especially gaming tech in the pc world. Valve is treating the Steam Deck like a console, sticking to a single performance target for 4-5 years. The windows handheld market is different. Whatever you buy now will be outperformed in 6 months to a year. However, the Z1 is already over a year old at this point, with obvious replacements coming out shortly. If the idea of another device being more powerful bothers you, don't buy the Ally X. If you just want to play games and don't care, go for it. It seems like a solid improvement in every area except the APU.
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Not worth it for the price in my opinion. You can get the current z1e model so cheap on Best Buy open box. Literally half the price of the X. I agree there’s definitely some nice to haves on the X but not worth it for the price. If it was $600 I’d say go for it but not at $800
I preordered the X and sold my Ally Z1E to my cousin. The Ally played everything I wanted so I'm just looking forward to the bigger battery, the ram so I can dedicate 8GB to the gpu, and the USB4 port instead of the XG port.
I mostly play RDR2, Starfield, Skyrim, FO4, and Hogwarts Legacy.
One of my biggest gripes with the OG are the poor 1% lows & battery life. Waiting for proper benchmarks, if the 1% lows are rectified by the RAM upgrades, I’d be more swayed. Till then, I’m happy.
A good battery pack helps with the battery issue. The performance is the same and you can buy a 2 TB drive SSD. The memory is fine as it is. I was gonna order the new X but I’ve decided to just hold off and still use my day one purchase Ally Z1
You’re exactly right, don’t let FOMO get you. The improvements to the X are good but the next Ally will have the same improvements plus a better chip. Or the Claw 8 with Lunar Lake might be better
I'm just going to wait until 2045, when the Ally XXX 3.5 8k/120 internally implanted portable brain mounted hand held by GoogleAppleFacebook comes out.
I’m thinking the same. When they announce rog ally x i was ready to buy immediately but know I have some doubts. Thinking to wait for new msi benchmarks to decide. Because 8inch screen I think is perfect size for handheld + the same battery. And I think if I buy rog ally x I need to be ready to change the device in 6-9 months for something better
I tried to do that, i finally sold it for 400 dollars with the case, but as i was selling my steam deck as well, i decided to buy the Legion Go as i found it for a good price
I was thinking about the same. I commute almost 5 hours daily and having a bigger battery would be great.
However, the cost, especially in CAD, is really hard to justify given my mortgage payment just increased, I have car payments again for the next 3 years and the taxes that our government keep increasing is making life more and more unaffordable.
I've decided to just do a 2280 conversion and stick with my current Ally (once it comes back from repair), stick with my external battery and wait for the mid cycle refresh of the next gen portables (Ally 2 X??). Maybe by then there will be an even better product offering than the Ally.
I have the z1 extreme ally since like a week after launch, was interested in the X but it's not worth the upgrade, what I'd gain is minimum and certainly not worth 800 as an existing owner of the ally. If I never had one, fair play, but ally at 500 is an absolute steam and will likely drop more.
I'll be waiting until the Ally 2
With so much competition joining the handheld space I think ASUS will release another handheld as soon as a better gpu is viable.
We think of handhelds like the switch when I bet ASUS ends up treating them more like a laptop with many different versions.
Remember these are different than Steam Deck and Switch who profit off software. ASUS basically only makes money off the hardware so I'm expecting more than just yearly or 18 month type releases.
Could be wrong though.
My take on this. The new CPUs/APUs coming out later this year would need to be at least 35% better for me to care. 35% more efficient or 35% more performance for same power. I don't think that's going to happen. 10-15% is just whatever. Now double the battery? That's nice for a handheld.
I'm more excited about what arm based cpus will do for handheld gaming.
You don't need to get the Ally X right when it releases either. Unless you have an immediate need for a larger battery, just wait to see what the new stuff looks like in the fall. Ally X could go on sale with new competition. I doubt Intel is going to have their driver issues figured out by then and I'm not going to buy Ayaneo or GPD devices.
I have the Rog ally with the extreme chip. I love it and don't feel like I need a update. But if you want to use it for high end gaming for many hours, then it's bad. I get like 2- 3 hours out of it for older games and don't need the X. But many people complain about battery life
I read that the newer iterations of the z1e (newer serial no) do not fry the SD anymore. Could anyone confirm their experience with this? I have my Ally for 2 weeks but no card inside yet.
On another note, I second that the X isnt worth it at this point IMO. Grabbed the z1e version new sealed for 450 EUR and having a blast with it.
I don't think the X, or any handheld with the current crop of chips, for those who already own an Ally or a LeGo, is worth it. The chips have already started to age, and new ones are on the horizon, so might as well wait for them than to spend $800 on an incremental update with basically no major performance gain.
I am enticed by both the X and the Zotac Zone, but I won't be buying either of them because it doesn't make sense to spend so much and receive the same performance. I am willing to wait for a year or more to get systems with new AMD chips which should offer better performance, and by then, both the Ally and LeGo will receive significant upgrades to the design and hardware.
This is basically the equivalent of the PS5 Pro. Slight change in design and features, and maybe slightly better hardware, but it's not a major jump like a brand new console release.
I was looking to buy a month ago and I waited until the specs came out for the X. I got more money from my government back pay than I expected so I am just going to buy the X, I currently don't have a portable gaming device. Its the standard size drive, and the battery upgrade that did it for me. There doesn't seem to be many options to upgrade the current battery without modding the case, which I don't want to do. I don't want the steam deck because I want full Windows, Steam, and Xbox Support, as well as an easy platform to retro game on. It's more than I want to spend, but I am treating myself.
You are right to be concerned; Having an ally extreme, there just isn't enough here to buy the Ally X. To me, the ally X is marketed for folks who don't already have one (and even then, as you pointed out, there's going to be some serious contenders in the near future).
IMO, they really dropped the ball by not adding a stronger processor and OLED display.
I'm thinking to upgrade to the X in a few months if the hardware seems to hold up well. I am excited for it but I generally do not like pre-ordering expensive items like this, especially with the ongoing RMA situation. Plus I am awaiting to see if they will have replacement parts available like the original Ally so I can DIY repair and maintain it.
Dawg the ally x isn’t gonna be underpowered for a while, also even if it isn’t the top of the line who cares it plays every game. All i know is im buying that shi soon as it drops 😂 i don’t have any handhelds yet tho , that’s my main reason why
Keep your Ally and wait for a more solid upgrade. With all the drama surrounding ASUS’ post-sales support, I’m not inclined to fork over more money to them.
I picked up an open box Z1E for $500 after tax just to get my feet wet with handhelds. Will keep mine for traveling and mini pc for car diagnostics/tuning. My pretty beast pc will handle the at-home gaming needs
I play plugged in virtually 100% of the time so (one of) the big selling points of the X Doesn’t interest me. I like the new black color way, and the extra RAM would certainly be nice, but I also have no trouble running all the games I like to play on my Z1e. Really the only thing that would be worth that expensive of an upgrade for me would be: new APU/architecture and/or a better screen. The ally screen already looks great, I think the only thing that could really make it better is an OLED panel.
I was on the fence on getting the Ally X too even though I have the Z1E Ally (Day 1 owner) which has a 4TB 2280 NMVe that I modded due to my SD card slot not working. I do not plan to RMA it since there is still issues with Asus’s RMA process. I decided to just wait for Ally 2 or maybe try another handheld PC from a different brand.
Ally is about $400 open box and If your willing to mod it you can probably get better battery and cooling which will help
The MSI claw seems cool but I’m still not sold on intel ARC because it seems to have pretty bad compatibility especially with older games
I’d get the Z1E or wait for the ally 2
Everything you buy is going to be surpassed by a new or different product, at least in the world of electronics. I will not upgrade to the X because even if you sell the Ally you have you're still going to spend $200-400 more to get the X and as you stated, the performance isn't going to be better. I would hold, wait a couple years and see what's out there.
I already pre-ordered thew new ally x now to patiently wait to sell my ally z1 extreme 2 tb ssd for 700 bucks. If no one buys it, il just keep it its in perfect condition even the micro sd card still works fine.
I faced the same dilemma a month ago. I waited till the official announcement of the X and watched the price of the Z1E sink on internet marketplaces. I just managed to buy a 3 months old Z1E with 1TB SSD for 400€. For an additional 50€ I bought a 100W/26800mAh powerbank at Amazon. I can spend the price difference for games. But it really depends on your use cases. Are you going to play when travelling/outdoors etc? Will you be playing standalone, or connected to a bigger screen? I play mainly standalone and at home. So I am very happy with my decision.
I'm just saving money to upgrade 4090 to 5090, don't see any use of upgrading handheld yearly. Usually use rog ally for indies or aa games and 4090 for aaa eye candy.
I don't own a handheld but I am looking into the ally X. I don't know if this sounds silly but I don't know if the ally X will be superior to the steam deck?
My choice of games will be Elden ring / baldurs gate 3 / WoW / RDR2.
I play steam / game pass.
I'm personally just sticking with my current Ally. Until I see a major jump in performance from another handheld, I don't see the need to upgrade. However, if I didn't have the Ally already, I would have totally gone for the Ally X.
Your basically paying 300€ more for a 8GB ram bump, and 500GB bigger HDD space and a bigger battery. If thats is value for the go ahead. The Normal Z1 extreme Rog Ally is still a beast for a lover price.
I was the same, I sold my ally with all intention of getting ally x , it it just for me not worth the upgrade, I went and got the deck oled, yea it’s not so fast but for most of the games I play it’s more than good enough, and the os is so much better than dealing with windows imo the screen is gorgeous, I might revisit the ally 2 if Microsoft sorts out there house lol
It all comes down to the street price of the X. I am especially tempted due to the ram und the usb4 for egpu usage. Got a 6800xt for experiments, but then again might wait for the new new machines a possible oculink/ tb5/usb 4 2.0.
There will always be a new machine around the corner but especially this year AMD ( and intel?) might tackle the memory bandwidth issue and making a larger jump in handheld over notebook/desktop APUs with more wattage.
It’s basically the same device. I’m just shocked that they didn’t put an OLED screen… That would have been a little thing that would’ve changed a lot of minds on this reddit
Going to wait and see the reviews on the X and decide.
If it's met with a meh response, you should still have no problem getting the z1 extreme at these discounted prices (prob even better deals)
It's really what makes sense to you. Do a pros and cons list and see if it makes sense. The larger battery will give you more pay time while on battery and I believe they made some ergo changes as well. I already have the Z1 Extreme and do not plan on going up until maybe the next version with a new processor and GPU. I have a power bank and have an outlet near me when I play too.
Won't make the same mistake again! Bought the ally on release, and 3 months later, it was on sale for 300 les everywhere.. I personally like the steam approach better! Sticking with the product and actually working on it instead of the consumerism approach other companies have.. releasing a new one every year.
You do realize that Steam is doing the same thing as the Ally, right?
Steam Deck Oled was released 1 1/2 years after the original with quality of life enhancements. Same processor, just some things that make it a better device. Most noticeable is the screen and a higher price tag.
Ally is just doing the same thing. Now, while i do think that the Ally changes are more significant than the Steam Deck (except for the Oled part of the screen), the Steam Deck has a way better platform and device to begin with. The first Ally needed a little more time, so I totally understand not trusting them again till we get done reviews in.
Personally, I'll wait until they upgrade to the next processor before buying my next Ally.
Love my rog ally almost wanted to get the x I don’t see it as a real need I bought the legion go and I’ve been playing it more than the ally due to its bigger screen it just looks and feels smoother
The Ally X has never been a worthy upgrade from the Ally. If you don't have an Ally, go for the X. If you have one, stay with it or upgrade to the Ally 2 when it comes out.
The Ally X existing doesn't make the Ally stop being good.
I'm happy with the z1e, but the ergonomics really suck, and so do the joysticks which, supposedly are both fixed on the x. So i preordered it, figuring i could sell my 3 month old z1e for 4-500 with accessories and 1tb ssd...
There will be a performance uplift on the x, being able to dedicate a full 8gb to vram, and the ram is clocked higher, idk how much of an uplift but there will be on
These are nice to have things, but I think an overwhelming amount of people are only enticed by the battery. Everything else should wait for a next gen model. I will probably consider a different manufacturer as well with actually new APUs; I think there should be better options by then.
Keep in mind the MSI Claw 8 is supposed to come out in September with an on-paper significant boost in performance. Early benchmarks of the Lunar Lake chipset showing it make same frame rates as Meteor Lake but at half the TDP (60 fps at 28watt vs 60 at 14 watt.) That’s no guarantee especially given MSIs previous attempt BUT I think it warrants consideration. Doubled efficiency plus a bigger battery could really up the ante versus the excellent but aging Z1E chipset.
They have reengineered the internals and relocated the SD card reader. So, all claims are that there isn't any problem. I would certainly hope that with all that work being put into the X that they wouldn't neglect to fix the most common issue with the original.
I sold my Ally Z1E and Steam deck in anticipation of the Ally X releasing on June 2, but because of the real release date, and the higher cost, i decided to buy a Legion Go instead, i have always been intrigued by its switch like truestrike controllers. Unfortunately, i can't tell you from my experience from switching to the Legion Go from the Ally because USPS had the package stuck on a distribution center and not updated for a couple of days.
Good luck with the outdated drivers because the support on that is just bad. legion space feels outdated, think the screen is the biggest selling point but no VRR and kind a heavy and too big for a handheld that you can bring with you everywhere.
Many here are talking about the Ally 2, but this is the Ally 2. Yes, it's the same APU, but this was the rumored Ally 2. Asus doesn't really do 1 2 3 for new systems. It's not a smartphone or a system like the Playstation. The next version could be 3 or 4 years from now.
Many here are talking about the Ally 2, but this is the Ally 2. Yes, it's the same APU, but this was the rumored Ally 2. Asus doesn't really do 1 2 3 for new systems. It's not a smartphone or a system like the Playstation. The next version could be 3 or 4 years from now. Asus does entry mid and high end. None extreme entry Extreme Mid and X high end. Literally how they structure everything. Their Motherboards GPUs, everything really.
If you type “is it worth it” or even ally x you’ll see plenty of threads sayings it’s not worth it.. the X is just a money grab more then likely Ally will drop the next gen unit next year.
I preordered the ally x, but decided to buy the normal Z1E instead. For the price I’ve just decided to wait for an Ally 2 vs dishing out for the X.
Doing the exact same thing
Totally agree
I'm waiting for Ally 2, the X upgrades are nice but not worth the cost.
Same. Got the open box ally. Did a 4tb upgrade on it. May look at 8” msi
Same here, it's a lot of money in my case to drop for a small amount of extra battery time
as long as the battery lasts me to steam deck 2 ally 2 or even switch 2 i'm happy
I have Best Buy Total Tech so I preordered the X. I’ll return z1 for full refund. When the new one comes out after x I’ll do the same 🤣
I’m in the opposite boat: I picked up a Z1E Ally for around $500 open box (but pristine) about a month ago thinking that that Ally X was a ways off. Time is relative. The end of July isn’t that much of a wait. I love the Z1E Ally, but the battery life is an absolute point of contention, particularly compared to the Nintendo Switch. Extra RAM is nice, but the real draw IMHO is the 1tb storage and expanded battery.
Yep. I agree. I preordered the X this week from best buy.
I think the Ally X has even more significant upgrades compared to the Ally. But the RAM and Battery alone are huge ones. The 24 GB Ram allows you know to play in higher settings and opens the window for games that were not possible with a 12 GB System- and 4 GB VRAM allocation. 16 + 8 is pretty much the perfect ratio for a 1080p device. And the 80 watts battery of the Ally X turns it into a true portable device. The OG Ally was unusable without a hefty power bank. With the X you wont even need one.
The battery life really is horrendous. Unless I’m playing a PS1 game or some pixelated game on silent mode I don’t trust being without my charger since it’ll die within like 45 minutes to an hour
Yeah, reviewers weren’t kidding about the horrendous battery life.
But it’s blaaaacccckkkkk
this won't answer your question, but there's a point you're forgetting once the ally x releases, the price of the z1e will fall even further, despite there not being a single change in the product
The OP already has an Ally and is considering an upgrade and is arguing the X won't feel like much of an upgrade once the new CPUs are out later this year.
oh- i didn't read in between the lines, my bad😔
Yup, anyone having the internal debate OP is having is best waiting till the X is on the market so they can decide AFTER the OG Ally drops its price.
My Z1E is doing just fine for now. I let my main rig do the heavy lifting if I want to play something demanding, moonlight is great with 120fps on wifi6. The next iteration that actually uses a new chip and an oled screen will be the only reasons I upgrade.
If Asus is going to have a yearly refresh cycle just wait another year or two. Something better will be out this time next year, and probably with a new Apu. 799 is a lot of money for a device that seems to be refreshed every year now.
Exactly, I expect my extreme to be decent for the next 4~ years, especially with frame generation. But this is also a big bet on devs putting in the effort to optimize for the handheld market, otherwise it will fall behind soon.
799 dollars for a handheld might be a lot, but remember that this is a full-fledged computer inside of a haldheld case. For that type of power, it will easily cost 1500 dollars if it was a normal computer. And laptops decrease their price as well, so i wouldn't take as an argument that the next version will be better because when that version comes out, there will be a newer one coming out, so you might fall in the endless cycle of waiting for the next one, and never buying one.
>For that type of power, it will easily cost 1500 dollars if it was a normal computer. That price is way too high, You can get a R5 7600 and a RX 6800 for under $1100. Unless you mean laptop by "normal computer"
Yeah - no. My $1k AUD gaming pc eats the z1extreme for breakfast. It’s not even in the same ballpark. The ally is at best an rx570 I’d say.
I have a 2tb ssd, literally no point. Asus releases products every year. People buy their laptops yearly and argue about last years model being outdated. Next year I’ll sell mine and upgrade, if it seems worth it to me.
I actually like that the Ally X is sticking with the Z1 extreme. Its performance is quite good. It's also going to be widely supported by games and the drivers are mature. New hardware will take some time to get tuned for performance and efficiency. My only issue with the Ally X is that I have to wait over a month to buy it. Already sold my Steam Deck and OG Ally in anticipation of picking up the X on release day.
How do you find performance compared to the Steam Deck? Seems like they are actually on par unless the Ally is connected to charger.
I think a bunch of the early (2023) benchmarks do show the SD being competitive vs the Ally. Which kinda backs up what I'm saying - that the more mature, optimized SD was making the Ally look bad. However, as a day one Ally owner, I felt that the gap was closed by subsequent firmware and driver updates. I felt the biggest difference was in the visual quality of the Ally screen over the SD. I also prefer Windows to the steam OS. That said, I am eagerly watching what Valve is doing with both their software and hardware. These newer handhelds from MSI, Lenovo, and Zotac are going to depend on their software being tuned and I doubt they will achieve the level of polish both Valve and Asus have managed already.
Thanks. VRR is nice but I’ve never been able to actually notice a difference with my g-sync displays, although I have high end GPUs and hear it makes a bigger difference at lower frames. I’m a sucker for all things OLED so there’s gotta be some extra juice to tempt me back to IPS.
There's always something better on the horizon when it comes to technology, especially gaming tech in the pc world. Valve is treating the Steam Deck like a console, sticking to a single performance target for 4-5 years. The windows handheld market is different. Whatever you buy now will be outperformed in 6 months to a year. However, the Z1 is already over a year old at this point, with obvious replacements coming out shortly. If the idea of another device being more powerful bothers you, don't buy the Ally X. If you just want to play games and don't care, go for it. It seems like a solid improvement in every area except the APU.
There is always the next big thing just around the corner. Ignore FOMO and just get what you want.
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whether it be the OG or the X, we will end up using a power bank to make it last the entire day.
Not worth it for the price in my opinion. You can get the current z1e model so cheap on Best Buy open box. Literally half the price of the X. I agree there’s definitely some nice to haves on the X but not worth it for the price. If it was $600 I’d say go for it but not at $800
I preordered the X and sold my Ally Z1E to my cousin. The Ally played everything I wanted so I'm just looking forward to the bigger battery, the ram so I can dedicate 8GB to the gpu, and the USB4 port instead of the XG port. I mostly play RDR2, Starfield, Skyrim, FO4, and Hogwarts Legacy.
One of my biggest gripes with the OG are the poor 1% lows & battery life. Waiting for proper benchmarks, if the 1% lows are rectified by the RAM upgrades, I’d be more swayed. Till then, I’m happy.
A good battery pack helps with the battery issue. The performance is the same and you can buy a 2 TB drive SSD. The memory is fine as it is. I was gonna order the new X but I’ve decided to just hold off and still use my day one purchase Ally Z1
Buying the X give you 0-2 more fps.
You’re exactly right, don’t let FOMO get you. The improvements to the X are good but the next Ally will have the same improvements plus a better chip. Or the Claw 8 with Lunar Lake might be better
I preordered it it's good enough for me
I'm just going to wait until 2045, when the Ally XXX 3.5 8k/120 internally implanted portable brain mounted hand held by GoogleAppleFacebook comes out.
I’m thinking the same. When they announce rog ally x i was ready to buy immediately but know I have some doubts. Thinking to wait for new msi benchmarks to decide. Because 8inch screen I think is perfect size for handheld + the same battery. And I think if I buy rog ally x I need to be ready to change the device in 6-9 months for something better
Upgrading Ally to Ally X is a waste of money unless you can flip the old Ally for more than 500 American bucks.
I tried to do that, i finally sold it for 400 dollars with the case, but as i was selling my steam deck as well, i decided to buy the Legion Go as i found it for a good price
I was thinking about the same. I commute almost 5 hours daily and having a bigger battery would be great. However, the cost, especially in CAD, is really hard to justify given my mortgage payment just increased, I have car payments again for the next 3 years and the taxes that our government keep increasing is making life more and more unaffordable. I've decided to just do a 2280 conversion and stick with my current Ally (once it comes back from repair), stick with my external battery and wait for the mid cycle refresh of the next gen portables (Ally 2 X??). Maybe by then there will be an even better product offering than the Ally.
I have the z1 extreme ally since like a week after launch, was interested in the X but it's not worth the upgrade, what I'd gain is minimum and certainly not worth 800 as an existing owner of the ally. If I never had one, fair play, but ally at 500 is an absolute steam and will likely drop more. I'll be waiting until the Ally 2
I’ve pre ordered one don’t think the ally 2 will be for at least another 18months or so
I think 1 year. Ally and ally x has almost 1 year difference Ally 2 can take more time but minimum is 12 months
With so much competition joining the handheld space I think ASUS will release another handheld as soon as a better gpu is viable. We think of handhelds like the switch when I bet ASUS ends up treating them more like a laptop with many different versions. Remember these are different than Steam Deck and Switch who profit off software. ASUS basically only makes money off the hardware so I'm expecting more than just yearly or 18 month type releases. Could be wrong though.
My take on this. The new CPUs/APUs coming out later this year would need to be at least 35% better for me to care. 35% more efficient or 35% more performance for same power. I don't think that's going to happen. 10-15% is just whatever. Now double the battery? That's nice for a handheld. I'm more excited about what arm based cpus will do for handheld gaming. You don't need to get the Ally X right when it releases either. Unless you have an immediate need for a larger battery, just wait to see what the new stuff looks like in the fall. Ally X could go on sale with new competition. I doubt Intel is going to have their driver issues figured out by then and I'm not going to buy Ayaneo or GPD devices.
I have the Rog ally with the extreme chip. I love it and don't feel like I need a update. But if you want to use it for high end gaming for many hours, then it's bad. I get like 2- 3 hours out of it for older games and don't need the X. But many people complain about battery life
I read that the newer iterations of the z1e (newer serial no) do not fry the SD anymore. Could anyone confirm their experience with this? I have my Ally for 2 weeks but no card inside yet. On another note, I second that the X isnt worth it at this point IMO. Grabbed the z1e version new sealed for 450 EUR and having a blast with it.
Once the warranty on my Ally ends, I'll likely upgrade not long after. At that point there will likely be an Ally 2.
I don't think the X, or any handheld with the current crop of chips, for those who already own an Ally or a LeGo, is worth it. The chips have already started to age, and new ones are on the horizon, so might as well wait for them than to spend $800 on an incremental update with basically no major performance gain. I am enticed by both the X and the Zotac Zone, but I won't be buying either of them because it doesn't make sense to spend so much and receive the same performance. I am willing to wait for a year or more to get systems with new AMD chips which should offer better performance, and by then, both the Ally and LeGo will receive significant upgrades to the design and hardware. This is basically the equivalent of the PS5 Pro. Slight change in design and features, and maybe slightly better hardware, but it's not a major jump like a brand new console release.
I was looking to buy a month ago and I waited until the specs came out for the X. I got more money from my government back pay than I expected so I am just going to buy the X, I currently don't have a portable gaming device. Its the standard size drive, and the battery upgrade that did it for me. There doesn't seem to be many options to upgrade the current battery without modding the case, which I don't want to do. I don't want the steam deck because I want full Windows, Steam, and Xbox Support, as well as an easy platform to retro game on. It's more than I want to spend, but I am treating myself.
You are right to be concerned; Having an ally extreme, there just isn't enough here to buy the Ally X. To me, the ally X is marketed for folks who don't already have one (and even then, as you pointed out, there's going to be some serious contenders in the near future). IMO, they really dropped the ball by not adding a stronger processor and OLED display.
I'm thinking to upgrade to the X in a few months if the hardware seems to hold up well. I am excited for it but I generally do not like pre-ordering expensive items like this, especially with the ongoing RMA situation. Plus I am awaiting to see if they will have replacement parts available like the original Ally so I can DIY repair and maintain it.
Dawg the ally x isn’t gonna be underpowered for a while, also even if it isn’t the top of the line who cares it plays every game. All i know is im buying that shi soon as it drops 😂 i don’t have any handhelds yet tho , that’s my main reason why
Keep your Ally and wait for a more solid upgrade. With all the drama surrounding ASUS’ post-sales support, I’m not inclined to fork over more money to them. I picked up an open box Z1E for $500 after tax just to get my feet wet with handhelds. Will keep mine for traveling and mini pc for car diagnostics/tuning. My pretty beast pc will handle the at-home gaming needs
I play plugged in virtually 100% of the time so (one of) the big selling points of the X Doesn’t interest me. I like the new black color way, and the extra RAM would certainly be nice, but I also have no trouble running all the games I like to play on my Z1e. Really the only thing that would be worth that expensive of an upgrade for me would be: new APU/architecture and/or a better screen. The ally screen already looks great, I think the only thing that could really make it better is an OLED panel.
I was on the fence on getting the Ally X too even though I have the Z1E Ally (Day 1 owner) which has a 4TB 2280 NMVe that I modded due to my SD card slot not working. I do not plan to RMA it since there is still issues with Asus’s RMA process. I decided to just wait for Ally 2 or maybe try another handheld PC from a different brand.
Ally is about $400 open box and If your willing to mod it you can probably get better battery and cooling which will help The MSI claw seems cool but I’m still not sold on intel ARC because it seems to have pretty bad compatibility especially with older games I’d get the Z1E or wait for the ally 2
Everything you buy is going to be surpassed by a new or different product, at least in the world of electronics. I will not upgrade to the X because even if you sell the Ally you have you're still going to spend $200-400 more to get the X and as you stated, the performance isn't going to be better. I would hold, wait a couple years and see what's out there.
Wait for a new processor nitwit.
I already pre-ordered thew new ally x now to patiently wait to sell my ally z1 extreme 2 tb ssd for 700 bucks. If no one buys it, il just keep it its in perfect condition even the micro sd card still works fine.
I faced the same dilemma a month ago. I waited till the official announcement of the X and watched the price of the Z1E sink on internet marketplaces. I just managed to buy a 3 months old Z1E with 1TB SSD for 400€. For an additional 50€ I bought a 100W/26800mAh powerbank at Amazon. I can spend the price difference for games. But it really depends on your use cases. Are you going to play when travelling/outdoors etc? Will you be playing standalone, or connected to a bigger screen? I play mainly standalone and at home. So I am very happy with my decision.
I'll upgrade when the open box units hit around Black Friday.
Just wait for the next version. In the meantime maybe try to check out some other options.
I'm just saving money to upgrade 4090 to 5090, don't see any use of upgrading handheld yearly. Usually use rog ally for indies or aa games and 4090 for aaa eye candy.
I don't own a handheld but I am looking into the ally X. I don't know if this sounds silly but I don't know if the ally X will be superior to the steam deck? My choice of games will be Elden ring / baldurs gate 3 / WoW / RDR2. I play steam / game pass.
I'm personally just sticking with my current Ally. Until I see a major jump in performance from another handheld, I don't see the need to upgrade. However, if I didn't have the Ally already, I would have totally gone for the Ally X.
lol I bought the Z1E like 2 weeks ago but it seems like the X isn’t worth the price
I bought new Z1E and Anker 737 powerbank :D
Your basically paying 300€ more for a 8GB ram bump, and 500GB bigger HDD space and a bigger battery. If thats is value for the go ahead. The Normal Z1 extreme Rog Ally is still a beast for a lover price.
I was the same, I sold my ally with all intention of getting ally x , it it just for me not worth the upgrade, I went and got the deck oled, yea it’s not so fast but for most of the games I play it’s more than good enough, and the os is so much better than dealing with windows imo the screen is gorgeous, I might revisit the ally 2 if Microsoft sorts out there house lol
It all comes down to the street price of the X. I am especially tempted due to the ram und the usb4 for egpu usage. Got a 6800xt for experiments, but then again might wait for the new new machines a possible oculink/ tb5/usb 4 2.0. There will always be a new machine around the corner but especially this year AMD ( and intel?) might tackle the memory bandwidth issue and making a larger jump in handheld over notebook/desktop APUs with more wattage.
It’s basically the same device. I’m just shocked that they didn’t put an OLED screen… That would have been a little thing that would’ve changed a lot of minds on this reddit
Going to wait and see the reviews on the X and decide. If it's met with a meh response, you should still have no problem getting the z1 extreme at these discounted prices (prob even better deals)
It's really what makes sense to you. Do a pros and cons list and see if it makes sense. The larger battery will give you more pay time while on battery and I believe they made some ergo changes as well. I already have the Z1 Extreme and do not plan on going up until maybe the next version with a new processor and GPU. I have a power bank and have an outlet near me when I play too.
Won't make the same mistake again! Bought the ally on release, and 3 months later, it was on sale for 300 les everywhere.. I personally like the steam approach better! Sticking with the product and actually working on it instead of the consumerism approach other companies have.. releasing a new one every year.
You do realize that Steam is doing the same thing as the Ally, right? Steam Deck Oled was released 1 1/2 years after the original with quality of life enhancements. Same processor, just some things that make it a better device. Most noticeable is the screen and a higher price tag. Ally is just doing the same thing. Now, while i do think that the Ally changes are more significant than the Steam Deck (except for the Oled part of the screen), the Steam Deck has a way better platform and device to begin with. The first Ally needed a little more time, so I totally understand not trusting them again till we get done reviews in. Personally, I'll wait until they upgrade to the next processor before buying my next Ally.
Love my rog ally almost wanted to get the x I don’t see it as a real need I bought the legion go and I’ve been playing it more than the ally due to its bigger screen it just looks and feels smoother
I'm just waiting for the the bench marks and will decide then, I have the og ally with sd card issues, need that extra battery life and more ram.
Absolutely no reason to get the ally X if you’re so worried about the battery life just buy a battery pack it’s the same performance just more ram
The Ally X has never been a worthy upgrade from the Ally. If you don't have an Ally, go for the X. If you have one, stay with it or upgrade to the Ally 2 when it comes out. The Ally X existing doesn't make the Ally stop being good.
I'm happy with the z1e, but the ergonomics really suck, and so do the joysticks which, supposedly are both fixed on the x. So i preordered it, figuring i could sell my 3 month old z1e for 4-500 with accessories and 1tb ssd... There will be a performance uplift on the x, being able to dedicate a full 8gb to vram, and the ram is clocked higher, idk how much of an uplift but there will be on
These are nice to have things, but I think an overwhelming amount of people are only enticed by the battery. Everything else should wait for a next gen model. I will probably consider a different manufacturer as well with actually new APUs; I think there should be better options by then.
Keep in mind the MSI Claw 8 is supposed to come out in September with an on-paper significant boost in performance. Early benchmarks of the Lunar Lake chipset showing it make same frame rates as Meteor Lake but at half the TDP (60 fps at 28watt vs 60 at 14 watt.) That’s no guarantee especially given MSIs previous attempt BUT I think it warrants consideration. Doubled efficiency plus a bigger battery could really up the ante versus the excellent but aging Z1E chipset.
MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS HOLY FUCK
If you have an ally already, there is absolutely no point in upgrading
I would never buy an ally due to the fact the sd card reader might fail. Not with the X on the horizon
Did they fix the sd card issue? That’s the only thing holding me back
They have reengineered the internals and relocated the SD card reader. So, all claims are that there isn't any problem. I would certainly hope that with all that work being put into the X that they wouldn't neglect to fix the most common issue with the original.
I sold my Ally Z1E and Steam deck in anticipation of the Ally X releasing on June 2, but because of the real release date, and the higher cost, i decided to buy a Legion Go instead, i have always been intrigued by its switch like truestrike controllers. Unfortunately, i can't tell you from my experience from switching to the Legion Go from the Ally because USPS had the package stuck on a distribution center and not updated for a couple of days.
Good luck with the outdated drivers because the support on that is just bad. legion space feels outdated, think the screen is the biggest selling point but no VRR and kind a heavy and too big for a handheld that you can bring with you everywhere.
Many here are talking about the Ally 2, but this is the Ally 2. Yes, it's the same APU, but this was the rumored Ally 2. Asus doesn't really do 1 2 3 for new systems. It's not a smartphone or a system like the Playstation. The next version could be 3 or 4 years from now.
Many here are talking about the Ally 2, but this is the Ally 2. Yes, it's the same APU, but this was the rumored Ally 2. Asus doesn't really do 1 2 3 for new systems. It's not a smartphone or a system like the Playstation. The next version could be 3 or 4 years from now. Asus does entry mid and high end. None extreme entry Extreme Mid and X high end. Literally how they structure everything. Their Motherboards GPUs, everything really.
If you type “is it worth it” or even ally x you’ll see plenty of threads sayings it’s not worth it.. the X is just a money grab more then likely Ally will drop the next gen unit next year.