The conversation around the ROG Ally Xbox handheld device

When the Switch was announced I was very interested. As a PC gamer I have always looked for a way to play my PC games on the go as there have been many times I have been away from my PC and wanted to play games, be that outside my house, on the train plane or in the car or just mooching on the couch at home where I can be with my wife who is watching telly instead of in another room playing on my PC. Anyone who has kids and busy lives know that finding time for this gaming hobby is difficult enough and requires sacrifice of some sort.

So, I stood in the shop with a PS4 in one hand (the Horizon Zero Dawn bundle one) and the Nintendo Switch in the other and a decision came down to which would give me the better value. The PlayStation has great games, but they are not generally my cup of tea. God of War would have been a day one buy if it was on PC, Horizon I really enjoyed when it came to PC (I know many are not that keen on Horizon but I actually like it) and I have zero interest in Days Gone or Last of Us even if they are seen as fantastic games. Ratchet and Clank didn’t interest me, and I don’t have nostalgia for PlayStation games so the Astro Bot games, although they look like fun, don’t hit for me. The Switch on the other hand was portable, seemed well made (OK that didn’t pan out as well as I thought) and most importantly had a swathe of games and the promise that more 3rd party games would be following along.

Now again I don’t have any deep connection to Nintendo and my opinion of them has drastically and rapidly dropped since the Switch but my first ever console was a Nintendo console in 1982 for my 6th birthday. I received a Donkey Kong Jnr game that was the beginning on my obsession with gaming. I played that non-stop and how my parents managed to buy a house and pay for food with the number of C batteries I went through still amazes me. From there it was an Atari console and then onto PCs. I did have the Wii, but who didn’t. I never played Pokémon, or Mario or Zelda or any other well know iconic Nintendo games.

I bought the Switch in the end purely based on the fact that I already had a PC and this would serve another purpose. It would also be a family device for the kids to play games on. I probably took a month to figure out that this was not what I had in mind. I had said to friends about 10yrs ago now, that I really felt Xbox was in a prime position to make a proper handheld device as they already had Windows and all they needed to do was create a device that could play PC games on lower settings (at 720p, or lower at that time, you would have no issues) and de-bloated Windows with a version that was contained like the Xbox or PlayStation OS and was aimed specifically for gaming. No one agreed with me and felt it would be too expensive and nobody would want it.

A few years later Valve announced they were working on a handheld PC device. I knew that Valve would get this right. They have a habit of making device that are ahead of their time such as their controller which is still highly rated but sold poorly as did their Steam Link. They also reactivated people’s interest in VR as well. I was concerned when I heard it was going to be a Lynix device. I know there are lots of PC gamers who swear that Lynix is the best OS out there as you can pick and choose and mould your OS to your needs. The issue is you also need a deep understanding not only of Lynix but of PCs as well and that is not for everyone. But the engineers and developers at Valve outdid themselves and created a base system that was user friendly and solid.

After all that rambling and setup here is where this is important for the topic at hand. When the Steam Deck was announced there was a lot of confusion around. The conversations were along a few lines. Most commentators (included well read and respected magazines, websites and tech gurus) all stated with confidence it would fail as it was Valve (fair point based on their history of devices) and the main definitive reason was they didn’t know who this was for. It wasn’t a console. It wasn’t a PC. Neither the console crowd nor the PC master-race would want this. It was anathema to who they were. They said it was never going to be strong enough to play games at the fidelity or quality that anybody wanted. The battery was going to be useless, and you would get no playtime out of it. On and on the detractors went denigrating the console before anybody had actually seen or had hands on experience with it.

The release day came, and Valve had done a few things that blew these peoples minds. I saw multiple commentators change their minds when they saw that the device was not only selling well (although they repeatedly compare it to the switch, Xbox and PlayStation sales which is ridiculous on so many levels), but that people actually liked it. There was also the previous concern about Lynix, but due to Valve and the community engagement the software became better and better over time. The Apple adage of ‘there’s an app for that’ mirrors Valves OS system and community additions. They found ways to make the other game stores work via Heroic Launcher, they managed to get Game Pass on it and via many easy-to-follow tutorials online, you could customise your Steam Deck to work for you as you wished. This would not necessarily be possible with Window which, lets be frank, is a bloated bit of software for all that doesn’t work for you individually. I am not anti-Windows but facts are facts. They could benefit from a system that can be mixed and matched to fit your needs.

Steam also manged to do something that the other console makers could not, have availability of the device. They cut the legs off scalpers in a way the others could not. As we know graphics cards, consoles, shoes and other desirable goods are snapped up in an instance and with AI and bots getting more sophisticated, us normies don’t stand a chance. Valve made people buy the device, via a pre-purchase, directly from them and they were given a number in the que so you knew when you would be getting your console. I think the number of interested parties shocked even them, but they ramped up production and within a short while they were steaming ahead. I ordered mine within a few hours of them listing the device (I kept putting it in and then removing it from my basket before I bit the bullet and bought it) and I was still WAY back in the que.

The Steam Deck is directly responsible for many new things. There are podcasts, YouTube channels and communities that exploded purely down to their Steam Deck coverage. The handheld market is a direct response to the Steam Deck popularity but for people that feel that Lynix is too much or they are looking for the familiarity and stability of Windows. All of these devices are good but many think the Steam deck is the best device based on various preferences such as price and therefore value for money, the software that just works and gets regular updates, Steam’s verified system that, although not perfect, gives a good indication of how things will work and of course Steam’s huge collection of games. Many of the initial detractors are now firmly big supporters of the Steam Deck.

Enter the ROG Xbox Ally X (another award winning roll off the tongue Xbox named console). And we are back to the detractors naysaying the device before it has even had a chance to get off the ground. People were already looking for excuses to dismiss this device. The same arguments have been levelled at this device as the Steam Deck when it first came out. I am not sure if this is just the anti-Xbox rhetoric that I see out there or just a need for negativity, but I felt that this was a positive move by Xbox, hardly proactive, but a move towards something their direct competition didn’t have.

The price is the first major sticking point. It was initially suggested the price would have to be ridiculous as the ROG Ally X was already £800. So this new updated system with an OS that was specifically paired down with all bloat not needed being surgically removed by Microsoft for this device specifically this was going to cost way more. It then was leaked that the price was still going to be £800 for the top 1TB version with the new chip and 24GB of RAM. People didn’t believe it and felt it was too cheap to be able to sell it and at the same time too expensive for people to buy it. There are cheaper handheld PC devices out there already. Then the price was released and surprise it was £500 for the cheaper version and £800 for the expensive version. It is not a cheap device by any far stretch. The top versions of the Xbox and PlayStation consoles are around this price point and are more powerful and most importantly times are tough for most at the moment so price should not be disregarded.

The logical next argument is that if you have a PC or a console this device is underpowered and cannot do what the other devices can do. I do find this argument obvious, but it doesn’t make sense. Consoles and PC handhelds are not the same thing and do not perform the same function. I have wanted to say to some of these people who want to bash this product on this basis, that I will create a test between their Xbox Series X or PlayStation Pros on and I will destroy them with my base model day one Steam Deck. All we need to do is go on the bus, train, car, plane, to the beach, on holiday or up a mountain. If we compare these devices on the basis on which these handheld devices are designed, then handhelds will win. It is pointless to compare them based on something it is not designed to do. You can dock these devices, and they work fine but they were designed to be portable. It is like comparing an ultra-fast train and a car. The train will get you to where you are going fast, efficiently and will perform as it was intended but it cannot leave the rails they are on. Whereas a car may not get you there as quickly, will cost a little more (this may not always hold up as train prices increase) but you can go where you want while doing it.

I hear people asking the age old question ‘Who is this for?’ This was the exact same question that was asked about the Steam Deck when it was revealed. People say it is not for the console gamers, and it is not for the PC gamers or, a new one, it is a Game Pass machine. We have heard this before and although it may not go the same way as it went before for the Steam Deck until we give it a chance and at least see what people think about it when they have it in their hands, we will not know. Now I do feel it is slightly different from the Steam Deck as we are not dealing with scrappy little Valve but 2 Billion Dollar Microsoft. The scrutiny of this is different to the Steam Deck and Steam users are not console gamers. The didn’t really pay much attention to what people said about the Steam Deck they weighed it on the value they personally placed in it. The console war and various other discussions that follow console gaming can scupper this or at the very least taint the narrative around this device before it is even given a chance. When gaming news outlets and well-known gaming commentators are showing disinterest in this device or at worst disregarding this device people are going to listen to them. And unlike the Steam users who went out, researched and then promptly bought the device that began all of this, irrespective of what all these ‘experts’ said, there is a more than good chance that people will just forgo this thinking that it is just not worth it. I do feel this will be a loss to gaming as by all accounts of people who have actually had hands on with this are beyond impressed by it.

The last argument is realistically not worth speaking about but for some reason it is also a talking point that I have heard reiterated by gaming journalists, many of which I have respect for. The argument is ‘this is not an Xbox’. This is ridiculous. It is a device sold by Xbox, for Xbox gamers, with a console designed OS that is streamlined and simplified with a controller in mind. This is no different from your PlayStation, Switch or Xbox. This is no different from the Mega Drive, SNES, Atari, 3DS or any other console that has come before. They all use third party components. People are losing their minds, and I maintain that this is more for the engagement and for arguments sake rather than any actual interest in the device. If anyone is remotely interested in this device (or any future devices), don’t listen to these people. Find out for yourself.

Overall I think this device lis really cool and I will be buying it. I have my Steam Deck but to be able to play games from other libraries and Game Pass natively is better. I love my Steam Deck. My playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 is almost entirely on the Steam Deck. I took the Syteam Deck on Holiday with me since I have had it and it has been a brilliant way to continue to play while I am not at my PC. Although Xbox Cloud Gaming and gForce Gaming is really good, you need internet. I cannot wait for this device to come out (and to be available in the stores and they sold out immediately). Now I just need to find away to get it past my Department of Acquisitions in my household…..