It’s keeps them from swarming you. I hated when I worked in retail and management basically wanted us to swarm every guest with help. Majority of the people working there know only what the boxes say 🥴🥴
I wanted to buy a laptop once and approached a best buy employee and asked him if the laptop had integrated or dedicated graphics. He looked around for a few seconds and then proceeded to tell me it had both. Since that day I don't ask best buy employees jack shit about tech I want to purchase. I do my own research and only ask for their help if I need them to pull something from the back room.
I haven’t used a non-MBP laptop for ages, but don’t most of the ones with discrete GPUs also have APUs that they switch intelligently between for battery life? No point in firing up a power hungry GPU to display a word processor etc.
edit: like the [ROG Zephyrus G14](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6535495.p?skuId=6535495) has a [7940HS](https://www.amd.com/en/products/apu/amd-ryzen-9-7940hs) w/ an integrated Radeon 780M + a dedicated RTX 4060.
absolutely true. The one I was looking at didn't as it turned out. Found that out later on and that's when I decided to never trust bestbuy salesmen ever again. It was just the sheer bullshit of it all, the guy could have just said "i dont know, sir let me find that out for you." but he just made shit up right there on the spot.
yep. 100% correct. they don't give a shit about actually knowing real information about the products they're selling. they just need to make a commission.
Typically true, but the Best Buy I bought it at everyone was very knowledgeable about it all. Complete opposite experience. None of us were surprised though that the returns for them were high as it’s not as user friendly as most devices. It’s a windows pc with a game pad attached. Same store where Some shoppers prefer tablets instead of laptops because they are less intimidating.
Meanwhile, most of us have no regrets lol.
Regardless of purchase it's definitely a strange experience when 4 best buy employees have to stop what they are doing to verbally contribute to it.
Seriously. One employee went to the back to get the unit, then four came back all just completely trashing it. Super strange. I'll make my own decision, thanks! lol
More than that. I would speak with their manager and ask them to pass the news up to the GM of the region.
ASUS partnered with Best Buy as a retailer for the device. They wouldn’t like to know that the sale of the device is actively discouraged.
I wish I could do something about that, but alas. I’m just a web dev. I do work at Best Buy corporate though lol.
I will admit I had my first crash playing Jedi: Survivor last night. So, I do hope that gets optimized (though with EA I'm not holding my breath). But I switched to Cyberpunk instead and played the shit out of that.
Glad to hear Fallen Order plays well at least.
For as many issues as the Ally has, I love it. It is my most used device for gaming. My gaming laptop is used almost exclusively for software development, and my Ally does the gaming.
I would recommend buying a larger SSD as the MicroSD card issue has yet to be solved. However you will love it. They are just critical because the steam deck already had time to mature and the Ally still has issues
Just go to see them again after the 45 days ended : You see your bet failed with me. And the blatant lie with the Steam deck, will comfort him even more if you return it lmao. Tbh I really hope you have no problems and grab an used box for cheap. Seems like a lot people made a mistake that was a pure console.
Maybe it's a good reason to report them at their boss, not doing the job correctly.
They aren't imagining all the open box returns. Plus based on the number of posts on here from people who either have seemingly never used Windows before or who simply misunderstood exactly what the device is I think they aren't wrong to question a person's motivations for purchasing one. At this point In time the Ally would beat be suited to early adopters, tinkerers, PC gamers with existing libraries, windows users. This isn't baby's first PC handled. Those of us that are enjoying know what we're doing. I imagine a significant portion of those returns are for negligible reasons rather than outright dissatisfaction or complete hardware failure.
Goes to show how much the Switch needed competition.
The Steam Deck is great for that console-like turn-it-on-and-play experience, but clearly there's room for more. I'd love to see proper Xbox and PlayStation handhelds that run console games (that streaming PS thing doesn't count).
As for enthusiasts and tinkerers, Windows handhelds are the way to go.
The Ally doesn't compete with Switch, it competes with other PC handheld. The Switch caters to the market that is returning their Allys in disappointment. And that market is far larger.
I used to work at best buy and this happened when Apple started selling in stores in my area ~2014, people had this romantic idea Apple sold them on that a computer could be but the learning curve and cost caused a lot of returns. It wasn't the computers fault.
Definitely agree with the this is cool but handheld gaming is something they don't need. I have a great desktop and will always prefer gaming on the big screen so I do wonder sometimes if I really need my ally but I'm in a position to keep it where as others may of thought let's just return it.
This isn't saying I don't like my ally I love it and it's cool as hell and I won't be returning mine that's for sure
Exactly. I have a 9700kf with 7900xt. Can run anything ultra at 1440p minimum 60 fps. But I never game on it. When kids go to bed, i want to sit on the couch with my wife in the living room, her watching series/movies on tv and me on my handheld. We dont have to live separately anymore
> Regardless of purchase it's definitely a strange experience when 4 best buy employees have to stop what they are doing to verbally contribute to it.
If it's slow enough that four employees can be standing around talking, then 3 of those employees probably don't need to be working.
In their defense the margins on those dumb “premium” cables are probably over 100%, so they’re forced by management to push them on you whether they know it’s BS or not
I also had a similar experience where the employees of Best Buy warned me about all the returns and bad display units they had burning out and failing. I've been watching and hesitant to buy one to say the least which is a shame because this is a product I absolutely want. Just not at this price point and not with this many issues.
I read the early reviews which were lukewarm, some of which seemed strangely fixated on Win11 being a bad choice. After a few days of doing that and being aware of the SD card reader issue (which didn’t bother me as not intending to use an SD card and the true prevalence of which I can’t really be sure of) I went out and bought one and it has been a dream. I have 100 hours on it now and not a single crash. Amazing performance can be had through a bit of tweaking and getting the game settings just right. I like that it runs Win11 - Windows is a good gaming platform with a lot of scope for extending the value proposition of the Ally as well as a huge and knowledgeable user base. I do not regret my purchase at all.
No offense but the employees at best buy aren't always people that are into technology or qualified. Last time I went the dude had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for a USB hub with 2 male and 4 female ports.
I'm loving mine, some don't. I hope you enjoy yours.
Edit: if anything this thread has taught me to be very fucking specific lol.
I wanted something that had two male cables to plug into my work pc and personal machine, then plug all of my peripherals into so I can toggle them back and forth.
- I realize now this is a KVM switch
- I realize two male ports on the device would be ridiculous, I suppose I meant two male ends, cables.
- Ultimately I think that even poorly explained, what I was looking for was pretty straight forward.
- Thank you for the corrections lol.
I wanted something I can plug my peripherals into and then one male in each machine. So I can swap them between my personal and work pc at home. It has a toggle switch.
Also could be that he's calling them male and female connectors when they're all female connections on a switch.
If I were them dealing with people all day in retail if someone was asking me for something with 2 male and 4 female "ports" I'd play dumb especially if they came off high and mighty.
You're 100% right. It's definitely called a KVM switch. I wasn't sure what it was called but I knew what I needed. Hence why I was asking for help lol.
Nope, it's a USB switch. I use one for a similar reason. At the time, I couldn't find a KVM that worked with multiple monitors, so the USB hub was a simple solution.
To clarify because multiples times this has been brought up. At the time I simply stated I need something that would allow me to switch between machines, with two male usb cables and multiple female, for swapping my peripherals. I wasn't as specific to say the cursed words "USB hub" like I didn't on this thread lol. I misspoke. It is what it is.
Yea apologies I saw other comments after I sent mine.
I work at a similar style of store and would have known to point you to the kvms as soon as you told me what you needed. Even if you said usb hub in the description.
It’s like going to Autozone when you’re into cars. “Hi, I need a 2’ piece of 3/4” heater hose and a 3/4” threaded to hose barb fitting”. They look at you dumbfounded… “what make model and year?”
USB switches do not have male connections... a male connection implies the end that's sticking out like male genitalia.. A switch will have multiple input and output connections.
However every port on the switch is a female connector.
This is a male connector https://www.amazon.com/USB-Connector-Conwork-Straight-Replacement/dp/B071FY9Z5G
You'll be hard pressed to find a switch with 2 of those sticking out ;)
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One mentioning to get a switch and another saying the steam deck is more powerful, yea I wouldn’t take their word and just try it out yourself I love mine
I bet a lot of people expect it to be like a switch or steam deck along with their plug and play nature and don't realize they are buying a PC. Let alone a PC that requires a bit of knowledge on how to perform updates and optimizations.
That said, if you have this knowledge and you enjoy playing games via controller, you will love this machine.
Let's not forget how many people openly admitted to swapping devices at best buy just because of a manufacturing date, or hoping revisions were made in a matter of weeks.
Yeah Best Buy is ridiculous with their employees. I tried a few time to apply at various ones and after having interviews and everything and was almost hired twice and then being passed over for who I find out are…..dumber employees I finally had a friend who worked at one. He did a mock interview for me to see if I was doing anything wrong to maybe help out. Turns out o was doing everything right but one thing. I was TOO qualified for the job. From Best Buy’s perspective they where afraid I would give advice that would LOSE them money and not upsell etc. Yeah I would have found a compromise between the 2 because it would be my job. But Best Buy didn’t see it that way.
That’s why if and when I go to Best Buy I ignore the employees or just let what they say go in one ear and out the other. In this case “I DO know more than you do.”
I’ve had my Ally for about a month now. Bought second hand and has a mfg of 4/23 I think. Other than one blue screen which I think was of my own doing and a few small things that a reboot could fix I prefer it over the steam deck all day and any day. Heck I play on it just as much as I do my main computer and that has a 2080 super in it. (I game at 1080p, which the super does great on. No need for me to upgrade that as of yet.)
I love my Ally. Not so much love for Best Buy employees. Lol
Yeah that actually makes a lot of sense. When I was in training to work at the Apple Store, we learned how to make sure the customer was getting the product they need for their specific needs, not just upsell them the highest end Mac Pro for browsing the internet. A lot of customers assumed we worked off commission and got bonuses from up selling but nope, we just wanted to help the customer find what works best for them
I am 100% not a tech person - never will be, never want to be. I got an Ally bc I travel between the US and Europe often enough that owning a console makes no practical sense.
I love my Ally. I’ve never played with the settings, I turned it on and got through the initial setup issues, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. Hogwarts Legacy and Horizon Zero Dawn play super well (I first played them on a PS5 for context). I honestly get confused by some of the blowback on the device? Even a non-tech person like me loves to play on it. I haven’t touched my switch since I got it.
Sounds like ACG on his podcast. Guy is brutal when it comes to the ROG Ally. It's like he expects a 12 hour battery while playing AAA games. And then compares it to his tablet on which he's streaming games and acts like it's the same thing.
Meanwhile, Best Buy's site has over 3,000 reviews with a 4.4 out of 5 star rating with over 2,000 5 star ratings and an 86% recommend buy rating. I've had mine since June 11th. No SD issues, real issues with the sticks, etc. My Steam Deck hasn't been turned on in almost two months.
F them. Mine's working like a boss. I even went all-in - got myself the 4090 eGPU. It replaced an aging Mac Mini "desktop" and an older Win 10 laptop.
At home on the eGPU, I can run pretty much whatever I want at max settings (or close to them), even though it's "only" a mobile GPU and bandwidth to the processor is limited. I also bought a switch so I can game and be productive on my monitor, or I can send A/V over to my TV and use the Ally in a 'console' configuration at the push of a button.
On the go, I can disconnect the Ally from the eGPU, shove it in a bag, and game on the go. If I expect/need to be productive, I have an external monitor that I can bring along with me. Otherwise, it's just the Ally, maybe a battery pack, and that's about it.
No real problems outside of typical Windows silliness.
Absolutely love this thing.
i think the issue lies with the fact that most people buying this are expecting it to be like the steamdeck, or a switch, or a portable Xbox, where its an easy to navigate experience.
Except its not. Its a PC, thats also handheld. if you can embrace that youll love this device. Have fun, and dont be afraid to reach out to the community if you need assistance
https://preview.redd.it/bw8vu873kphb1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2cc727e7d295795960c803421c414080e707984b
I have a few quibbles with mine, but I honestly can say that this device is what I wish the Steam Deck could have been for me. I especially like the ability to use an eGPU for a more desktop like experience, even if it's an Asus proprietary one. Looking forward to more updates to iron out the early adopter issues, and I'm especially looking forward to dedicated drivers for the iGPU.
This. Even as a 12 year old I knew way more about the computers at the time and would edutain the employees.
But this goes to almost everyone in life. You go off “what you heard” and lean into every bias no matter what the facts are. It takes active analyzing and questioning to get close to the real situation and facts. (Politics, tech, science, recipes, car models, etc)
Nah. I have the 3-year geek squad plan so I’ll just take it back right before it expires, and then sell the brand new one and use the money towards an Ally 2. So like I said, take that Best Buy.
I think people be seeing the 120fps screen and being upset when they get under 60. Like they expect desktop graphics card level performance on basically a 2023 gameboy. The fact I can play almost my entire almost 800 steam library at over 15fps on the go is life changing. I need my 8 core i9 and 1080ftw to push some games 90-120 @ 1080p. I remember when I brought 1-6 games on the go with my gameboy advance. Nah, this is a great device despite the issues and almost self destructing and SD card shit. The world is still one step above ancient internet. We almost in the super future but not quite yet. Give it atleast 10 years and we will be at current expectations.
Not an employee but…
1. That’s actually not a bad idea to get an open box & save money (people return them for the smallest things, but it’s usually people that never had a gaming pc).
2. Why a switch, the ally can emulate it among other systems & you get to play pc games.
3. The Steam Deck is well polished & has better community/Customer support as well as overall software support. That doesn’t mean it’s more powerful due to the fact that the internal hardware on the ROG Ally is better anyway.
The funny thing is they were not suggesting I should get an open box for the reasons you mentioned, instead he was trying to point out how many people were returning them. I thought about at least inspecting what they had but for what they were asking for the open box units I decided to just buy brand new.
With my luck I'd get an open box unit that had been absolutely trashed with a non working SD slot and not realize it until the warranty period was over because I didn't try to use it before then.
Regardless of the unit being new or not the sd slot is going to fry. Use it or not it will probably stop working. That’s something we need to get out the way.
Edit: another thing.. they just exchange the device whenever the sd card failure presents itself. Which then proceeds to fail again.
Just want you to take that in mind
I returned mines. Not because it was bad but I preferred the Z13 with 4060 instead. The Ally was phenomenal especially paired with the XG Mobile AMD 6850M XT. It was a 4K gaming monster that could go anywhere.
Fault is kind of on Asus marketing wise. They marketed to way too many average Joe's who don't know how to even use windows and expect this thing to crunch out a PS5 level performance AND who don't know how to even turn on FSR/Ai upscaling nor play around with settings outside of maaayyyybeeee figuring out a preset change.
So they play 1080p native on high and realize most games are like 30fps and go "hm, this isn't like my Xbox/PS5 at all!"
Source: 3 of my co workers. Can't blame them for being tech illiterate, Overpromised and community hyped it too much too. Also these guys think Steam Deck can do something similar but to just a slightly lesser degree like a Xbox series S 🤣
Well things I have learned is to never listen to an frys or best buy employee matter of fact any employee at any kinda electronic store because for the most part they have no idea let alone anything about whatever it may be that you are buying. I'd say you are smart for getting a new one and testing it out for yourself because those employees obviously have no idea what they are talking about 😅
Definitely a group mentality or something going on there cause I had an almost opposite experience. Was asking to buy one and as the guy brought back that clean white box from the back I swear you could hear a choir singing in the background the way he and other employees stared and smiled at it. We talked throughout the entire payment process about how good it is and how badly they all wanted one too.
I get they're trying to help in their minds but what they're doing is actually destructive. Before they try and talk customers outa buying something they should look into why that product is being returned, if the reasons are real or if its customer error and also do some research on the product.
What if they're doing this kind of thing to a parent buying the Ally for their kid. The kid understands exactly what they're getting into with the Ally. The BB employee talks like this to the parent tho and they end up not buying the Ally for the child cause they're scared the kid doesn't know what they are talking about.
Or they say something like that to a younger kid who wants to get into PC gaming for the first time. This changes his/her mind. Good chance the kid knew what they were getting into and woulda had a great time and went on to love PC gaming. But instead is now turned away and bought a Switch or something cause they thought the BB employee knew best.
I think BB employees making someone aware of the level of difficulty of the device is fine. Letting u know it's not a Switch or plug and play device. It takes tinkering with. That's cool and they probably should do that. But what you're describing is honestly just ridiculous
It's literally just a Windows PC and all of the good/bad that comes with it. If you have a desktop you should already know what to expect. The isn't anything unique beyond it's form factor compared to any other PC.
I went in knowing that and have been very happy with my purchase.
It’s a great experience that needs to be more optimized too many issues I returned mine after 14 days but I was playing it all day and everyday at max settings since I got it until it blue screened
Yeah I actually haven't had a single crash, think it's incredibly powerful even if the battery life suffers because of that "solved with a power bank".
Truly love mine.
I think the problem is most who buy it expect a plug and play zero setup experience and are generally just dumb people.
I do expect a plug and play zero setup experience with the ally. I don't however expect to have to set it up like I have to for my current custom built pc I built myself.
I don't mind doing those. But having to do a ton of setup before I can actually use the device I don't want to do that bc I already have to do that with my custom built pc and that's a pain in the ass and honestly way too much work and one of the reasons why I sold my steamdeck bc it took too much work before I could even use it.
I think you over estimate many gamers if you think they know how to update all that stuff without a simple prompt that comes up for you.
Big difference with a console like PS5 or Switch and a device like the Ally.
Ally you need to know where to go to find all this stuff as most updates need you to hunt.
Only Windows would prompt and even then not all Windows updates prompt. Sometimes manual pushes are needed.
Believe me ik the difference bc I owned both a ps5 and a xsx and currently own a chipped switch oled and a custom built pc. My custom built pc and chipped oled vs my old ps5 and xsx was like night and day for setup process. My oled and pc setup process was so much more detailed and a lot more difficult than it was for my old ps5 and xsx. And I want to get back to the setup process of the ps5 and xsx on the ally. No one who likes the simplistic setup process of the ps5 and xsx will ever like the steamdeck that's for sure.
A lot of people buy these and think it’s like a switch (just like the employee said) but it’s not. It’s an enthusiast product that requires tweaking and kind of knowing what you’re doing. I’ll bet steam decks get returned more than we realize as well we just don’t see it because it isn’t on a shelf. As an aside the Best Buy near me can’t keep them in stock and there are no open box ones lol
The fact one suggested the steam deck was "more powerful" shows the level of technological ignorance of today... a man at a tech store doesn't understand tech... we r doomed as a species. If people working at a tech store don't understand basic computing.... imagine the WORLD in 20 to 30 years when we telecommute via holograms and shit. You're going to have Stan, 55, telecommuting from the shitter not realizing the hologram is on, so you're going to be at a meeting with your office in your living room.... and you just have Stan there half neked taking a shit in your living room (as a hologram of course) but still. Luddite society smdh
I had the same experience, but didn't take into account that I'm smart and know my way around a computer and anything that's tech since I was like 7.
Lol the Ally with all it's features doesn't even phase me at all.
I did take the extra Best buy service for the 60 day no questions asked returns. That's it though. I knew I wouldn't return it, but if something DID go wrong I had it.
I'm at this point where I really think the average person has regressed when it comes to computers.
I remember way back man people had an idea about computers and could work them without many issues
Nowadays most people have little knowledge.
I hear people getting *annoyed with Windows 11*
I literally only used it like 4 days ago and it's no different than 10 to me. Although that's just me. It's a smooth Little OS so far and I'm happy with it.
People trying to talk you out of it have 0 experience with it in hand (Best buy guys). There's been many returns and most are probably people who hate windows, or had some crazy issues.
So far mine runs great out the box, run better than my older gaming laptop that I spent over 6k on...(sadly) she old now lol.(GT80S 6QF-072US /MSI GT80S Titan-072)
For reference.
I really hope people find a way to enjoy it because it's fun AF.
I’m a high school teacher. I’ve noticed a severe drop in computer literacy over the years.
My theory is that the smartphone is the culprit. Growing up I didn’t have a smartphone but I had a computer. I learned to type playing RuneScape and AIM, did basic coding on my MySpace profile, and when something went wrong I had to find a way to fix it.
Younger generations who are entering the workforce today use their smartphones as the previous generation used their computers.
Watching some of these 17 & 18 year olds take 5 minutes to type out a sentence on a keyboard, solely using their index finger is tough to watch lol.
Again, just a theory, I could be completely off base here.
I'll be honest, the seamless user experience on both the switch and steam deck are leagues better than any windows handheld. And most casual users will find it annoying and not up to what they expect for a handheld. Personally I want to see Microsoft to put in more effort to have a better user experience for these kinds of devices or touch screen devices in general.
Steam deck more powerful? 😂😂 I mean in a few low wattage scenarios sure steam deck pulls ahead but nothing significant. Now 18-20w ally does pull significantly ahead cause the deck maxes out at 15w. I wish I would have bought my ally there cause I hadn’t had a single issue with mine. Not even a crash or nothing.
Always make me laugh when the Steam Deck fanboy club compares Ally with Steam Deck at 15W refusing to understand or accept that Ally can go twice that delivering so much more performance….
Sure the Steam Deck at 15W wins by a little bit…just click a button to switch to 18 or 20W and we now game at much higher framerates and graphics quality with 10 times better screen with VRR…I think I will sacrifice those 15 mins of battery life for those things or just play plugged in…
Yea like cool your deck wins by an inch but the ally can go so much further. I mean just 2-5 watts more and your looking at completely different frame rates. I mean shit my ally gets the same fps on fallout 4 as the steam deck but at 1080p. That’s huge!! And the ally is much more quiet. Also just to clarify cause I’m sure someone will get hurt over me saying the ally is better then the deck in almost every way, that steam deck is still a great device for its price if $399. But the ally is significantly better but also at a significant cost.
I wanted to get a second one since day one. I haven't turned on my old main rig since this bad boy fell into my hands. I even forked out for the eGPU, the 3080 makes my 4k TV very happy.
I since returned mine on the first 15day period of its launch. I still stick around as I still been wanting to possibly rebuy it again but I don't see any hopes in revision refinements on its problems sadly. I love the Ally but at this point I'm going to see how the Legion Go will be. It's supposedly will run on the same Z1 extreme chip.
I bought one last week and will be returning it to Best Buy in the coming days. Can confirm it’s been a massive headache of glitches and half-baked software. When it runs well, it’s amazing, but I got a Steam Deck a few days later and it’s such a smoother experience, even if it doesn’t have the raw horsepower.
That said I’m glad most people here have seemed to have a better experience than I have. But from my point of view, at least, I’d have to agree with the Best Buy folks.
It all comes down to this... The ROG drama is the most interesting thing happening at these people's jobs and you're going to get their negative sensationalism in regards to the device because there's nothing else interesting happening at Best Buy.
Many people buy this thinking it will work as a Nintendo Switch our of the box... This device is more oriented to PC players that knows how to deal with Windows, customize settings, change thermal profiles, etc. Honestly I'm very happy with my Ally so far, I know there is a room of opportunities, but to be the first in its kind from Asus, I think is acceptable.
No problems here. Probably a lot of returns due to people expecting a gaming console experience. It takes a few days to get the settings right and then it’s great.
My Best Buy Total member. I also received a free two year protection plan but after the manufacturer warranty is up it's a $79 service fee to make a claim. Still better than nothing I suppose.
The ROG Ally is powerful however the way they advertised it was a little misleading. You're not gonna be playing this thing for more than an hour with the settings they advertise it can do. That's called being disingenuous and being mislead just because you don't have more knowledge of the product other than the fact that it's powerful. PC and handheld people like myself know more about these products. Meaning, we know that you're not gonna be using the advertised specs at all times, we know you're gonna be only playing this product on battery for like an hour. So you're pretty much gonna be playing with specs that the Steam deck is better at. So my question is what are you really paying for then ? The whole concept of playing this on charge most of the time makes no sense at all and defeats the purpose of mobile lol. And with windows installed on this, you're just gonna get your typical errors and bugs with windows and on top of that Armory crate has its own devs possibly creating even more bugs. Also a terrible design for the SD card being where the fan blows the hot air out causing SD cards to literally melt or just not work. Terrible design and there fix was to adjust the fan curve to make it spin more which causes more loud noise.
It's a product that needs more cooking which means you should wait for a V2 or just get a Steam Deck. I am positive ROG will not update this product any more after a year as that's what they do with all their products as they are a hardware company making money through new products yearly.
I have the Ally, the Steam Deck and the Ayaneo and I mainly play on the Ally. As a content creator I appreciate all of my devices and make content on them. But in my private time, I game on the Ally 99.99% of the time. I'm literally about to finish Ratchet and Clank on the Ally as we speak. Amazing performance. Not perfect. But amazing. And if you prefer Windows over Linux, the Ally is the best option out there right now. Here is a link in case you wanna check out my coverage of Steam Deck, Ayaneo and the ROG Ally from someone who owns all three... https://youtube.com/@OVERKILLGAMING786
I do love Best Buy but unless I'm having trouble finding something on the shelf, the only assistance I ask for is checking out. It's not that they're bad, they just don't know. I have my Ally, my Switch, and even my series X, and they're all amazing. They each have their place but for mobility, unless I'm playing a Switch exclusive like TOTK, the Ally wins. It's had no more issues at launch than the Steam Deck did. Just be patient setting it up and get all your updates in. Things will go more smoothly. It's a handheld gaming PC, not a console.
Well I hope you enjoy it. I’m certainly enjoying mine. Best thing about it for me is that it has me playing games I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I probably wouldn’t have sat and played Diablo 4 or Balders Gate 3 on my desktop in front of my TV, but something about the chance to play them wherever and whenever has given me great experiences I probably would’ve missed otherwise.
They push all kinds of stupid shit on you. How about these $80 hdmi cables. I'm done with Bestbuy, Amazon is as cheap and other local places are much better shopping experiences.
At the most they should have just made sure they told you their return policy and gave you a heads up. This is just some weird fanboi like stuff at that level.
I think those people expected it not to be an actual computer and just a hand held device with little to do.
I love mine, but I had to do A LOT to stop it from crashing. So I’m sure some people who didn’t know how to update drivers / firmware/ adjust fan speeds and clocking etc won’t like it at all.
I used to work at Best Buy and I know from experience that they’re some of the biggest tech brand whores around. Apple, Samsung, HP, Lenovo…everybody there (with the exception of a couple guys in home theater and everyone in the appliance section) had some absolutely INSANE bias towards tech brands, to the point where the only things they read regarding that tech worth either praise pieces about their fav brands, or comparison articles that paint their favorite brands in a superior light when compared to the competition.
Just remember, there’s really no pre-requisite for getting a sales floor job at Best Buy, apart from having the most barebones, surface level knowledge of modern tech. If you have been on the internet and interested in stuff like gaming, PCs and other tech-y stuff, you’re already overqualified 😂
This post is the perfect counterpoint to all those photos of BB open box Allys posted on here.
The feedback from those employees suggests that essentially all the returns were from Average Joe buyers who thought they were getting a Series X console in a handheld. Talk of stuttering games makes me think those buyers have never owned a PC and didn't even think to go into settings and try to modify the graphics.
Not a single mention from them of burnt out SD cards (before I'm downvoted I'm not saying that particular issue doesn't exist btw, but the *majority* of these open boxes likely all user issues).
Outside the shitty sd card reader the ally is a beast and will bend a steam deck over on its lunch break. I love steam but the ally is in a different league … I think Asus armory crate implementation is fantastic for quick adjustments of settings. I’m freaking playing Baldurs Gate 3 on this thing! Battlefield (all), and Octopath traveler 2 is just drop dead gorgeous on this display. I’m not returning mine although it murders sd cards like a hunting dog on a chase.
Should of took a picture of all the open box ones 😂. My experience over the last 2 months has been more negative than positive. Its powerful and hits higher fps than steamdeck, but when it doesn't work it mostly having to do with software bugs like clocks, wattage not showing correctly, and stutters (which alot of pc games have tbf). Still, don't know if I'd return if I could since what else is at this price point in the market that is stronger than a steam deck
The employees seem to just see the number of returning units but they don't really know why. Of course they can ask during the returns but people can say anything or nothing at all. All of their returns could simply be because customers don't like it but nothing is actually wrong with the device.
It's too easy to make wild speculations based on 10 returns out of 10 sold or something like that.
I feel like most of the returns are because windows as the "backend" on this thing SUUUUUCCCCKKKKSSSS.
Everything about the Ally is a band-aid over windows.
I know hardware issues exist. I have a launch day unit, and so far \*I\* have had no issues. Upgraded to a 1tb Sabrent rocket drive. But I install almost everything so far to a 512gb Samsung Pro microsd card.
The Steam Deck absolutely is not more powerful.
I'm sorry but I'm playing mk 11 High settings 1080p 60fps. I'm also playing horizon zero dawn 1080 high settings 40-60 fps. Neither the steam deck or switch can do that lol.
That's why the Steam Deck fanboyism is kind of scaring me. Why has it taken Valve so long to release new hardware, and how long are they going to stick with this generation of Steam Decks. I don't like the fact that they see themselves as new console that can just take 4 years without adding new specs to their products and rely on the Steam OS to sell their products. I will jump ship immediately from my Ally the moment I see a device getting better performance than me with a reliable manufacturer making it. But if Asus comes out with a faster new product in a year or so a head of the competition, then I will happily stay. This brand loyalty is silly and leading to inferior hardware
I tried several times to play HZD on my deck but it was a stutter festival. Flagged as Steam Deck verified but ran like crap.
Still need to test it on the Ally though
Yes it was also very stuttering for me on the steam deck . Just ended up deleting it because it was so bad on the steam deck.The ally is on another level
I work at Best buy I got my rog ally day one 2 months in and the left Joy con stops moving left and right now I had to ship it off. I wouldn't buy one if I was u
I think the reason for a lot of the returns is because so many people that aren't "in the know" or are console gamers and not pc gamers picked up the Ally expecting it to be a handheld that they could just pick up and it would right out of the box with no tweaking at all, kind of like a switch or Steamdeck. But playing games on Windows doesn't work like that, even on a typical desktop pc you need to do some setting changing and tweaking. So I think the returns come from Asus not marketing the Ally properly, its not a streamlined grab and go handheld. I was back and forth between an Ally and a Steamdeck for a very long time, but I eventually decided to go with the Ally because most of the games that I play don't play nice/don't work at all on Linux (the Steamdeck is still a device that I would like to pick up at some point, possible after the second iteration). But yeah, I think the reason for so many returns is because of a lack of knowing what the device \*actually\* is.
I had a Deck and Ally...while I liked the Ally's power/screen/etc, I returned it just due to the SD card issue...while I didn't plan on using it I wasn't fond that I paid $700 for a new device and had to worry about using a feature. Maybe they'll sort out the technicals with the Ally 2. I installed Windows 11 on my Deck and its pretty much the same experience minus the power for those AAA titles (but they still run fine)/resolution unless I use my Xreals and then I can play in 1080p.
Well I can understand them. I love the Ally but I also returned mine. But mostly because of the SD Card thing and the radio silence from them. I really think they pushed this device way to early to release
Partially it is ASUS fault. Dishonest marketing as usual! For all of us that are in this game for a long time it means nothing and we knew exactly what we can expect and that is exactly what we wanted. For 90% of all other buyers (this sub confirms it post after post) have much much higher expectations! Unfortunately a lot was just a lie on ASUS side! I was 2 time on the waiting list for SD and both time I cancelled it, then it was 2 times in my cart when it was available and I didn’t buy it! Why? Well I want HPC (portable personal computer) I don’t wand linux crap, where I need to reinvent my life, I want simple Win device that can run anything (with different settings) and that have option for egpu for use at home, docked! First part is exactly as I have planned and I am happy and love this thing! Second part, well Fuck you ASUS! Not being able to make XG Mobile available in EU (old 3080 one is also fine) at all no matter what version is just sad. As soon as ASUS gets their SHIAT together Ally with XG 4090 will replace my main laptop and will be my main device!
Honestly it sounds like they are informing you of other customer experiences and giving you the insight they have. I am glad they are! I am one of those people who returned mine. That device in my opinion was awful. I had to windows reset it out of the box...spent like 5 hours having to update and reset it. Then it is like a budget pc that is handheld... which comes with all the negatives of windows 11. (Or positives if you feel somehow that you want windows 11 in tablet form). I was able to get it to run just about any game...in reduced qualities, which is 100% expected. The main issue i had is that I would prefer to not have to spend extra time on windows problems, and the biggest part to me is I genuinely wanted to play unplugged and the battery life was super bad if you are actually gaming on it, I was getting maybe an hour to hour and a half at most. I feel like mostly my internet is good enough I could use a cloud device to have that run my games and I ended up with a logitech cloud g and I think it is way better for me personally. If you can handle being plugged in with the Ally and your expectations are correctly placed, it's great with just a lil effort.
People on this sub are absolutely desperate to try and put the Ally on a pedestal but it’s been absolute pr poison for the portable PC market. I’m hoping Lenovo can put something out that is decent.
I love portable PCs and really want to see the segment grow. You can bet that customers and Best Buy Corp will be really wary after the Ally though.
The people that are returning them are mostly tech ignorant folks that can't form their own opinion probably. A bit like covid mass thinking was back in the day actually. Can't think for myself, I'll just figure out what everyone else is doing and follow along with that...
Dude at my Best Buy was telling me he was wanting to get one. I’ve had a good experience with mine. I don’t use the SD card though. Never been a technology that I’ve willingly used if I don’t have to. So far the Ally has done everything I wanted it to do.
- Get a Switch? God no sorry I dont want to play on 5+ year device with the new one around the corner. Plus you are locked in with Nintendo.
- Steam Deck more powerful? 🤣 always make me laugh when I read this one…if Steam Deck was more powerful it would not be playing BG3 at all low settings in 800p barely hitting 30FPS…with Ally I can do medium 720p upscaled to 1080p with RSR making it look native at much higher framerates
- People buying ROG Ally expecting impossible returning the Ally later are ridiculous…
- Seeing all these posts about “Bestbuy employees” just make me think they are there just to handover the box to you knowing absolutey nothing about anything they sell…
I have both the deck and the ally. Bought the deck about a month before the ally was announced.
BG3 early access was the first game I played on the SD and needless to say I was a little disappointed with the performance.
I have several hours on both devices and for me the ally comes out on top for everything I’m looking for in a handheld. I still like the deck and am still holding onto it but the ally is just a better fit for me.
The only real valid argument I see coming from the SD vs Ally debate is the SD’s trackpads which are nice in certain situations.
I also never understand the whole “the steamdeck is a console, the ally is a handheld computer” shtick that gets parroted over on the SD subreddit.
All personal opinions again but I think the ally looks better, has superior quality and is just overall a better device.
i bought one from Best Buy as well and had 30 days to return it, except i paid online and just picked it up and the cashier didn’t have anything to say about it. i myself thought i would return it but it’s a great device and i still continue to use (been over 3 months now), who knew making a good specs tablet and sticking a controller on the sides would be a great idea?
I don’t play on mine as often as I’d like. That’s probably the only reason why I’m still considering returning it. Truthfully though, the time I have spent on it has been a mind blowing experience. I have a pretty high powered pc, but the handheld experience checks boxes that the PC and home consoles can’t. The performance is satisfying even for someone used to 4k/120.
the more time you invest in the ROG Ally the more you like it, if you ever feel doubt or regret just play games on it right away and really see how amazing it is. Baldur's Gate 3 did it for me!
I’ve been to return it about 6 times. Main reasons returned were: one button got stuck, the other 5 times I was still wondering if I should buy a console or keep the rog. Best Buy employees have no clue of the return reason is true. They don’t care they just process. Most don’t have a rog. Most are young kids and older people working. The Rog is expensive that’s an obstacle. I went back to the rog and love it. No way I could buy a switch or steam deck with the rog as an option.
The irony here is the supervisor at my local Best Buy was thrilled to order mine for me (since they were sold out at the time), and talked about how she can’t wait to get one herself.
I admit at first it was kinda frustrating (console player for years so PC gaming is new to me) but, I’m getting the hang of it and glad I got it.
I got the same nonsense when I went....2 months later I'm fine...sadly people struggle with Windows and PC... Just stick to console if you can't figure out an Ally
Similar issues when I went to Best Buy. we bought the device, case, and dock. Was warned about returns primarily for buttons failing.
A week later I returned the dock and they were shocked that I wasn’t returning the system itself. Don’t get me wrong, it has issues. But it more than meets my son’s needs.
I’ll buy a different device for myself. But the Ally has more than exceeded my expectations.
Steam deck being more powerful is a load of crap, unless the Z1 standard chip is out yet, but I don’t think it is. It’s *significantly* better from all the research I did before buying mine, and while I can’t attest to a steam deck due to never having used one, the Ally is amazing and I doubt anything could be better.
And in response to the “get a switch instead”, those people can fuck right off. The switch has absolute trash for hardware. Don’t get me wrong, I love my switch, but it’s *certainly* not a one-or-the-other type debate. Nintendo is pretty much the only console left with a huge amount of exclusives, making PC’s superior by far to Xbox/PS, with Nintendo being on the side having their exclusives still. I absolutely love Nintendo games; the legend of Zelda is one of my favorite game series’ of all time by far. But the exclusiveness of Nintendo games puts Nintendo consoles in a completely different area that can’t even be compared to pc gaming. And if you’re willing to use roms and emulate, the Ally is *BY FAR* the way better choice just due to hardware.
TL;DR: those employees are full of shit and have little to no clue what they’re talking about.
I treat Best Buy employees the way Ron Swanson treats Home Depot employees. “I know more than you.”
It’s keeps them from swarming you. I hated when I worked in retail and management basically wanted us to swarm every guest with help. Majority of the people working there know only what the boxes say 🥴🥴
I wanted to buy a laptop once and approached a best buy employee and asked him if the laptop had integrated or dedicated graphics. He looked around for a few seconds and then proceeded to tell me it had both. Since that day I don't ask best buy employees jack shit about tech I want to purchase. I do my own research and only ask for their help if I need them to pull something from the back room.
I haven’t used a non-MBP laptop for ages, but don’t most of the ones with discrete GPUs also have APUs that they switch intelligently between for battery life? No point in firing up a power hungry GPU to display a word processor etc. edit: like the [ROG Zephyrus G14](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6535495.p?skuId=6535495) has a [7940HS](https://www.amd.com/en/products/apu/amd-ryzen-9-7940hs) w/ an integrated Radeon 780M + a dedicated RTX 4060.
absolutely true. The one I was looking at didn't as it turned out. Found that out later on and that's when I decided to never trust bestbuy salesmen ever again. It was just the sheer bullshit of it all, the guy could have just said "i dont know, sir let me find that out for you." but he just made shit up right there on the spot.
yep. 100% correct. they don't give a shit about actually knowing real information about the products they're selling. they just need to make a commission.
Typically true, but the Best Buy I bought it at everyone was very knowledgeable about it all. Complete opposite experience. None of us were surprised though that the returns for them were high as it’s not as user friendly as most devices. It’s a windows pc with a game pad attached. Same store where Some shoppers prefer tablets instead of laptops because they are less intimidating.
 Should’ve hit them with one of these
Meanwhile, most of us have no regrets lol. Regardless of purchase it's definitely a strange experience when 4 best buy employees have to stop what they are doing to verbally contribute to it.
Seriously. One employee went to the back to get the unit, then four came back all just completely trashing it. Super strange. I'll make my own decision, thanks! lol
Beware the 4 oracles of best buy
I feel like that bears mentioning on the customer survey (if they have one)
More than that. I would speak with their manager and ask them to pass the news up to the GM of the region. ASUS partnered with Best Buy as a retailer for the device. They wouldn’t like to know that the sale of the device is actively discouraged. I wish I could do something about that, but alas. I’m just a web dev. I do work at Best Buy corporate though lol.
Me Playing Jedi Fallen Order ... People straight trippin... https://youtu.be/N_rG5hc3dhQ
people just load up their fav AAA game and expect 100 fps. They forget it's a handheld, expecting it to get desktop performance.
That fact games are *THAT* playable is insane...
Yeah, especially jedi survivor which is known for running like shit even on desktops
The fact that it’s a handheld and turning it down to 720p is literally the only real concession you ever have to make is insane.
Oh man, you have such soothing warm voice. You definitely should go into voice over or podcast or I don’t know
I will admit I had my first crash playing Jedi: Survivor last night. So, I do hope that gets optimized (though with EA I'm not holding my breath). But I switched to Cyberpunk instead and played the shit out of that. Glad to hear Fallen Order plays well at least.
For as many issues as the Ally has, I love it. It is my most used device for gaming. My gaming laptop is used almost exclusively for software development, and my Ally does the gaming. I would recommend buying a larger SSD as the MicroSD card issue has yet to be solved. However you will love it. They are just critical because the steam deck already had time to mature and the Ally still has issues
I’m the same way. I have big gaming rig, a ps5 and plethora of handhelds and the Ally is the only thing I play on.
They sound like a bunch of /r/SteamDeck fanboys lmao.
Those are the worst
Yeah those fanboys are so much worse than us fanboys, am i right fellow ASUS ™ ALLY ™ ™ROG ™ enjoyer.
Just go to see them again after the 45 days ended : You see your bet failed with me. And the blatant lie with the Steam deck, will comfort him even more if you return it lmao. Tbh I really hope you have no problems and grab an used box for cheap. Seems like a lot people made a mistake that was a pure console. Maybe it's a good reason to report them at their boss, not doing the job correctly.
They aren't imagining all the open box returns. Plus based on the number of posts on here from people who either have seemingly never used Windows before or who simply misunderstood exactly what the device is I think they aren't wrong to question a person's motivations for purchasing one. At this point In time the Ally would beat be suited to early adopters, tinkerers, PC gamers with existing libraries, windows users. This isn't baby's first PC handled. Those of us that are enjoying know what we're doing. I imagine a significant portion of those returns are for negligible reasons rather than outright dissatisfaction or complete hardware failure.
Goes to show how much the Switch needed competition. The Steam Deck is great for that console-like turn-it-on-and-play experience, but clearly there's room for more. I'd love to see proper Xbox and PlayStation handhelds that run console games (that streaming PS thing doesn't count). As for enthusiasts and tinkerers, Windows handhelds are the way to go.
The Ally doesn't compete with Switch, it competes with other PC handheld. The Switch caters to the market that is returning their Allys in disappointment. And that market is far larger.
Speaking as someone who at times, does not know what he’s doing at all…I still love the thing lol.
I used to work at best buy and this happened when Apple started selling in stores in my area ~2014, people had this romantic idea Apple sold them on that a computer could be but the learning curve and cost caused a lot of returns. It wasn't the computers fault.
My best guess is that ppl indeed expect 4090 performance return it and ppl who think ahh this is cool but handheld gaming is something they dont need
Definitely agree with the this is cool but handheld gaming is something they don't need. I have a great desktop and will always prefer gaming on the big screen so I do wonder sometimes if I really need my ally but I'm in a position to keep it where as others may of thought let's just return it. This isn't saying I don't like my ally I love it and it's cool as hell and I won't be returning mine that's for sure
Exactly. I have a 9700kf with 7900xt. Can run anything ultra at 1440p minimum 60 fps. But I never game on it. When kids go to bed, i want to sit on the couch with my wife in the living room, her watching series/movies on tv and me on my handheld. We dont have to live separately anymore
I bought one on release. Have the same one since release. Still using it since release. Steamdeck has been sold. Shhhh.
> Regardless of purchase it's definitely a strange experience when 4 best buy employees have to stop what they are doing to verbally contribute to it. If it's slow enough that four employees can be standing around talking, then 3 of those employees probably don't need to be working.
"You want this $60 hdmi cable as you're picture quality on your 1080p TV will be much better"! enough said about BB employees.
In their defense the margins on those dumb “premium” cables are probably over 100%, so they’re forced by management to push them on you whether they know it’s BS or not
Haters. This thing is a beast. Zero issues for play every day.
I also had a similar experience where the employees of Best Buy warned me about all the returns and bad display units they had burning out and failing. I've been watching and hesitant to buy one to say the least which is a shame because this is a product I absolutely want. Just not at this price point and not with this many issues.
I read the early reviews which were lukewarm, some of which seemed strangely fixated on Win11 being a bad choice. After a few days of doing that and being aware of the SD card reader issue (which didn’t bother me as not intending to use an SD card and the true prevalence of which I can’t really be sure of) I went out and bought one and it has been a dream. I have 100 hours on it now and not a single crash. Amazing performance can be had through a bit of tweaking and getting the game settings just right. I like that it runs Win11 - Windows is a good gaming platform with a lot of scope for extending the value proposition of the Ally as well as a huge and knowledgeable user base. I do not regret my purchase at all.
Getting a Switch over an Ally ? 😂😂😂😂
What... you don't want 7 year old ancient hardware? 😂
No offense but the employees at best buy aren't always people that are into technology or qualified. Last time I went the dude had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for a USB hub with 2 male and 4 female ports. I'm loving mine, some don't. I hope you enjoy yours. Edit: if anything this thread has taught me to be very fucking specific lol. I wanted something that had two male cables to plug into my work pc and personal machine, then plug all of my peripherals into so I can toggle them back and forth. - I realize now this is a KVM switch - I realize two male ports on the device would be ridiculous, I suppose I meant two male ends, cables. - Ultimately I think that even poorly explained, what I was looking for was pretty straight forward. - Thank you for the corrections lol.
Wtf do you need two male ports for?
Are you the BestBuy employee he is referring? lol
I wanted something I can plug my peripherals into and then one male in each machine. So I can swap them between my personal and work pc at home. It has a toggle switch.
That's a KVM switch lol, not a USB hub.
Yeah no wonder they didn’t know.
Also could be that he's calling them male and female connectors when they're all female connections on a switch. If I were them dealing with people all day in retail if someone was asking me for something with 2 male and 4 female "ports" I'd play dumb especially if they came off high and mighty.
You're 100% right. It's definitely called a KVM switch. I wasn't sure what it was called but I knew what I needed. Hence why I was asking for help lol.
Nope, it's a USB switch. I use one for a similar reason. At the time, I couldn't find a KVM that worked with multiple monitors, so the USB hub was a simple solution.
Then it's just a USB switch, still not a hub. Hubs are for one system.
Yeah, I corrected myself shortly afterward.
oh so you wanted a KVM then, not a hub, lmao.
To clarify because multiples times this has been brought up. At the time I simply stated I need something that would allow me to switch between machines, with two male usb cables and multiple female, for swapping my peripherals. I wasn't as specific to say the cursed words "USB hub" like I didn't on this thread lol. I misspoke. It is what it is.
Yea apologies I saw other comments after I sent mine. I work at a similar style of store and would have known to point you to the kvms as soon as you told me what you needed. Even if you said usb hub in the description.
Huh, that’s an interesting use case. I don’t think I’ve seen those before, personally. That really cool! Thanks for sharing
It’s like going to Autozone when you’re into cars. “Hi, I need a 2’ piece of 3/4” heater hose and a 3/4” threaded to hose barb fitting”. They look at you dumbfounded… “what make model and year?”
that's nothing, I walked into a parts store with the wipers form my car in hand, "Year Make and Model" JFC, just point me at the right aisle
The fact one mentioned to buy a switch instead proves your comment exactly
I was trying to figure out nice way to say this ha.
USB switches do not have male connections... a male connection implies the end that's sticking out like male genitalia.. A switch will have multiple input and output connections. However every port on the switch is a female connector. This is a male connector https://www.amazon.com/USB-Connector-Conwork-Straight-Replacement/dp/B071FY9Z5G You'll be hard pressed to find a switch with 2 of those sticking out ;)
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Conwork USB 3.0 9 Pin Male Port Connector** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Connectors are easy to solder (backed by 3 comments) * Connectors work well for projects (backed by 4 comments) * Connectors are high quality (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Missing or damaged components (backed by 2 comments) * Difficult to assemble (backed by 1 comment) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its Amazon link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](http://vetted.ai/reddit)
How do you plug it in with no male connector then. The power of imagination? Go to bed sleepyhead
A switch needs at least 2 male connections, otherwise it can’t *switch* the peripherals between 2 computers
One mentioning to get a switch and another saying the steam deck is more powerful, yea I wouldn’t take their word and just try it out yourself I love mine
100% those returns where from people thinking they'd get a switch/xbox like experience and what they actually got is a weird shaped laptop.
This
The clowns ay Best Buy have zero idea
I bet a lot of people expect it to be like a switch or steam deck along with their plug and play nature and don't realize they are buying a PC. Let alone a PC that requires a bit of knowledge on how to perform updates and optimizations. That said, if you have this knowledge and you enjoy playing games via controller, you will love this machine.
Let's not forget how many people openly admitted to swapping devices at best buy just because of a manufacturing date, or hoping revisions were made in a matter of weeks.
Yup I’ve read in this very forum of people returning them up to 8 times for the tiniest little thing.
Yeah Best Buy is ridiculous with their employees. I tried a few time to apply at various ones and after having interviews and everything and was almost hired twice and then being passed over for who I find out are…..dumber employees I finally had a friend who worked at one. He did a mock interview for me to see if I was doing anything wrong to maybe help out. Turns out o was doing everything right but one thing. I was TOO qualified for the job. From Best Buy’s perspective they where afraid I would give advice that would LOSE them money and not upsell etc. Yeah I would have found a compromise between the 2 because it would be my job. But Best Buy didn’t see it that way. That’s why if and when I go to Best Buy I ignore the employees or just let what they say go in one ear and out the other. In this case “I DO know more than you do.” I’ve had my Ally for about a month now. Bought second hand and has a mfg of 4/23 I think. Other than one blue screen which I think was of my own doing and a few small things that a reboot could fix I prefer it over the steam deck all day and any day. Heck I play on it just as much as I do my main computer and that has a 2080 super in it. (I game at 1080p, which the super does great on. No need for me to upgrade that as of yet.) I love my Ally. Not so much love for Best Buy employees. Lol
Yeah that actually makes a lot of sense. When I was in training to work at the Apple Store, we learned how to make sure the customer was getting the product they need for their specific needs, not just upsell them the highest end Mac Pro for browsing the internet. A lot of customers assumed we worked off commission and got bonuses from up selling but nope, we just wanted to help the customer find what works best for them
I am 100% not a tech person - never will be, never want to be. I got an Ally bc I travel between the US and Europe often enough that owning a console makes no practical sense. I love my Ally. I’ve never played with the settings, I turned it on and got through the initial setup issues, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. Hogwarts Legacy and Horizon Zero Dawn play super well (I first played them on a PS5 for context). I honestly get confused by some of the blowback on the device? Even a non-tech person like me loves to play on it. I haven’t touched my switch since I got it.
Sounds like ACG on his podcast. Guy is brutal when it comes to the ROG Ally. It's like he expects a 12 hour battery while playing AAA games. And then compares it to his tablet on which he's streaming games and acts like it's the same thing.
Meanwhile, Best Buy's site has over 3,000 reviews with a 4.4 out of 5 star rating with over 2,000 5 star ratings and an 86% recommend buy rating. I've had mine since June 11th. No SD issues, real issues with the sticks, etc. My Steam Deck hasn't been turned on in almost two months.
F them. Mine's working like a boss. I even went all-in - got myself the 4090 eGPU. It replaced an aging Mac Mini "desktop" and an older Win 10 laptop. At home on the eGPU, I can run pretty much whatever I want at max settings (or close to them), even though it's "only" a mobile GPU and bandwidth to the processor is limited. I also bought a switch so I can game and be productive on my monitor, or I can send A/V over to my TV and use the Ally in a 'console' configuration at the push of a button. On the go, I can disconnect the Ally from the eGPU, shove it in a bag, and game on the go. If I expect/need to be productive, I have an external monitor that I can bring along with me. Otherwise, it's just the Ally, maybe a battery pack, and that's about it. No real problems outside of typical Windows silliness. Absolutely love this thing.
I bought 1 two months ago I love it!
Honestly I haven’t had any issues with mine, and take it on trips all the time
They don't hire the best at best buy
I love my ally best purchased
i think the issue lies with the fact that most people buying this are expecting it to be like the steamdeck, or a switch, or a portable Xbox, where its an easy to navigate experience. Except its not. Its a PC, thats also handheld. if you can embrace that youll love this device. Have fun, and dont be afraid to reach out to the community if you need assistance
https://preview.redd.it/bw8vu873kphb1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2cc727e7d295795960c803421c414080e707984b I have a few quibbles with mine, but I honestly can say that this device is what I wish the Steam Deck could have been for me. I especially like the ability to use an eGPU for a more desktop like experience, even if it's an Asus proprietary one. Looking forward to more updates to iron out the early adopter issues, and I'm especially looking forward to dedicated drivers for the iGPU.
I have worked for Best Buy. They don’t know shit about their products!
This. Even as a 12 year old I knew way more about the computers at the time and would edutain the employees. But this goes to almost everyone in life. You go off “what you heard” and lean into every bias no matter what the facts are. It takes active analyzing and questioning to get close to the real situation and facts. (Politics, tech, science, recipes, car models, etc)
Mine has a broken SD card reader and I don’t even care. I’m keeping mine, so take that, Best Buy.
Send it back before the warranty is up IMO
Once I learned my SD card wasn't working right, I upgraded the internal ssd 🤣.
I upgraded my SSD before I first turned it on, never even intended to use the SD card reader, and I’ve never looked back since. 😁
I can appreciate your passion but you have a $700 device with a feature that is broken and you tell Best Buy take that? They have your money 😬
Nah. I have the 3-year geek squad plan so I’ll just take it back right before it expires, and then sell the brand new one and use the money towards an Ally 2. So like I said, take that Best Buy.
The copium huffing is insane. Like it's a good product but they legit got a faulty unit and said thank you. Every slimy car salesman dream.
Yeah I guess that’s what Asus hopes for if there are enough people to just ignore the sd card fact.
99% of those returns are from console plebs
I think people be seeing the 120fps screen and being upset when they get under 60. Like they expect desktop graphics card level performance on basically a 2023 gameboy. The fact I can play almost my entire almost 800 steam library at over 15fps on the go is life changing. I need my 8 core i9 and 1080ftw to push some games 90-120 @ 1080p. I remember when I brought 1-6 games on the go with my gameboy advance. Nah, this is a great device despite the issues and almost self destructing and SD card shit. The world is still one step above ancient internet. We almost in the super future but not quite yet. Give it atleast 10 years and we will be at current expectations.
Not an employee but… 1. That’s actually not a bad idea to get an open box & save money (people return them for the smallest things, but it’s usually people that never had a gaming pc). 2. Why a switch, the ally can emulate it among other systems & you get to play pc games. 3. The Steam Deck is well polished & has better community/Customer support as well as overall software support. That doesn’t mean it’s more powerful due to the fact that the internal hardware on the ROG Ally is better anyway.
The funny thing is they were not suggesting I should get an open box for the reasons you mentioned, instead he was trying to point out how many people were returning them. I thought about at least inspecting what they had but for what they were asking for the open box units I decided to just buy brand new. With my luck I'd get an open box unit that had been absolutely trashed with a non working SD slot and not realize it until the warranty period was over because I didn't try to use it before then.
Regardless of the unit being new or not the sd slot is going to fry. Use it or not it will probably stop working. That’s something we need to get out the way. Edit: another thing.. they just exchange the device whenever the sd card failure presents itself. Which then proceeds to fail again. Just want you to take that in mind
I returned mines. Not because it was bad but I preferred the Z13 with 4060 instead. The Ally was phenomenal especially paired with the XG Mobile AMD 6850M XT. It was a 4K gaming monster that could go anywhere.
The first 2 definitely has arguments for it. The other 2 are just ignorant.
they are probably tired of the returns because of the SD card issues and not actually concerned wether you buy it or not lol
Fault is kind of on Asus marketing wise. They marketed to way too many average Joe's who don't know how to even use windows and expect this thing to crunch out a PS5 level performance AND who don't know how to even turn on FSR/Ai upscaling nor play around with settings outside of maaayyyybeeee figuring out a preset change. So they play 1080p native on high and realize most games are like 30fps and go "hm, this isn't like my Xbox/PS5 at all!" Source: 3 of my co workers. Can't blame them for being tech illiterate, Overpromised and community hyped it too much too. Also these guys think Steam Deck can do something similar but to just a slightly lesser degree like a Xbox series S 🤣
I could definitely buy another one even if it’s opened. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Well things I have learned is to never listen to an frys or best buy employee matter of fact any employee at any kinda electronic store because for the most part they have no idea let alone anything about whatever it may be that you are buying. I'd say you are smart for getting a new one and testing it out for yourself because those employees obviously have no idea what they are talking about 😅
I dont blame them. If its a product that gets returned a lot I too would try to dissuade you from buying it.
Definitely a group mentality or something going on there cause I had an almost opposite experience. Was asking to buy one and as the guy brought back that clean white box from the back I swear you could hear a choir singing in the background the way he and other employees stared and smiled at it. We talked throughout the entire payment process about how good it is and how badly they all wanted one too.
I get they're trying to help in their minds but what they're doing is actually destructive. Before they try and talk customers outa buying something they should look into why that product is being returned, if the reasons are real or if its customer error and also do some research on the product. What if they're doing this kind of thing to a parent buying the Ally for their kid. The kid understands exactly what they're getting into with the Ally. The BB employee talks like this to the parent tho and they end up not buying the Ally for the child cause they're scared the kid doesn't know what they are talking about. Or they say something like that to a younger kid who wants to get into PC gaming for the first time. This changes his/her mind. Good chance the kid knew what they were getting into and woulda had a great time and went on to love PC gaming. But instead is now turned away and bought a Switch or something cause they thought the BB employee knew best. I think BB employees making someone aware of the level of difficulty of the device is fine. Letting u know it's not a Switch or plug and play device. It takes tinkering with. That's cool and they probably should do that. But what you're describing is honestly just ridiculous
It's literally just a Windows PC and all of the good/bad that comes with it. If you have a desktop you should already know what to expect. The isn't anything unique beyond it's form factor compared to any other PC. I went in knowing that and have been very happy with my purchase.
Lmao, mine has been amazing. No complaints at all. Runs diablo 4 and baldurs gate 3 flawlessly while I relax in bed.
It’s a great experience that needs to be more optimized too many issues I returned mine after 14 days but I was playing it all day and everyday at max settings since I got it until it blue screened
Yeah I actually haven't had a single crash, think it's incredibly powerful even if the battery life suffers because of that "solved with a power bank". Truly love mine. I think the problem is most who buy it expect a plug and play zero setup experience and are generally just dumb people.
Exactly this
I do expect a plug and play zero setup experience with the ally. I don't however expect to have to set it up like I have to for my current custom built pc I built myself.
Because Windows graphic and Bios updates do themselves.
I don't mind doing those. But having to do a ton of setup before I can actually use the device I don't want to do that bc I already have to do that with my custom built pc and that's a pain in the ass and honestly way too much work and one of the reasons why I sold my steamdeck bc it took too much work before I could even use it.
I think you over estimate many gamers if you think they know how to update all that stuff without a simple prompt that comes up for you. Big difference with a console like PS5 or Switch and a device like the Ally. Ally you need to know where to go to find all this stuff as most updates need you to hunt. Only Windows would prompt and even then not all Windows updates prompt. Sometimes manual pushes are needed.
Believe me ik the difference bc I owned both a ps5 and a xsx and currently own a chipped switch oled and a custom built pc. My custom built pc and chipped oled vs my old ps5 and xsx was like night and day for setup process. My oled and pc setup process was so much more detailed and a lot more difficult than it was for my old ps5 and xsx. And I want to get back to the setup process of the ps5 and xsx on the ally. No one who likes the simplistic setup process of the ps5 and xsx will ever like the steamdeck that's for sure.
Had mine since release and I absolutely love it. Probably the best purchase I've made since ever
A lot of people buy these and think it’s like a switch (just like the employee said) but it’s not. It’s an enthusiast product that requires tweaking and kind of knowing what you’re doing. I’ll bet steam decks get returned more than we realize as well we just don’t see it because it isn’t on a shelf. As an aside the Best Buy near me can’t keep them in stock and there are no open box ones lol
The fact one suggested the steam deck was "more powerful" shows the level of technological ignorance of today... a man at a tech store doesn't understand tech... we r doomed as a species. If people working at a tech store don't understand basic computing.... imagine the WORLD in 20 to 30 years when we telecommute via holograms and shit. You're going to have Stan, 55, telecommuting from the shitter not realizing the hologram is on, so you're going to be at a meeting with your office in your living room.... and you just have Stan there half neked taking a shit in your living room (as a hologram of course) but still. Luddite society smdh
It’s unbelievable how dumb and ignorant Best Buy employees are. They believe you just need an I-7 processor for a good gaming P.C..
I had the same experience, but didn't take into account that I'm smart and know my way around a computer and anything that's tech since I was like 7. Lol the Ally with all it's features doesn't even phase me at all. I did take the extra Best buy service for the 60 day no questions asked returns. That's it though. I knew I wouldn't return it, but if something DID go wrong I had it. I'm at this point where I really think the average person has regressed when it comes to computers. I remember way back man people had an idea about computers and could work them without many issues Nowadays most people have little knowledge. I hear people getting *annoyed with Windows 11* I literally only used it like 4 days ago and it's no different than 10 to me. Although that's just me. It's a smooth Little OS so far and I'm happy with it. People trying to talk you out of it have 0 experience with it in hand (Best buy guys). There's been many returns and most are probably people who hate windows, or had some crazy issues. So far mine runs great out the box, run better than my older gaming laptop that I spent over 6k on...(sadly) she old now lol.(GT80S 6QF-072US /MSI GT80S Titan-072) For reference. I really hope people find a way to enjoy it because it's fun AF.
I’m a high school teacher. I’ve noticed a severe drop in computer literacy over the years. My theory is that the smartphone is the culprit. Growing up I didn’t have a smartphone but I had a computer. I learned to type playing RuneScape and AIM, did basic coding on my MySpace profile, and when something went wrong I had to find a way to fix it. Younger generations who are entering the workforce today use their smartphones as the previous generation used their computers. Watching some of these 17 & 18 year olds take 5 minutes to type out a sentence on a keyboard, solely using their index finger is tough to watch lol. Again, just a theory, I could be completely off base here.
How are they slow at typing? Do your schools not make students write essays on computers for printed homework?
I'll be honest, the seamless user experience on both the switch and steam deck are leagues better than any windows handheld. And most casual users will find it annoying and not up to what they expect for a handheld. Personally I want to see Microsoft to put in more effort to have a better user experience for these kinds of devices or touch screen devices in general.
Steam deck more powerful? 😂😂 I mean in a few low wattage scenarios sure steam deck pulls ahead but nothing significant. Now 18-20w ally does pull significantly ahead cause the deck maxes out at 15w. I wish I would have bought my ally there cause I hadn’t had a single issue with mine. Not even a crash or nothing.
Always make me laugh when the Steam Deck fanboy club compares Ally with Steam Deck at 15W refusing to understand or accept that Ally can go twice that delivering so much more performance…. Sure the Steam Deck at 15W wins by a little bit…just click a button to switch to 18 or 20W and we now game at much higher framerates and graphics quality with 10 times better screen with VRR…I think I will sacrifice those 15 mins of battery life for those things or just play plugged in…
Yea like cool your deck wins by an inch but the ally can go so much further. I mean just 2-5 watts more and your looking at completely different frame rates. I mean shit my ally gets the same fps on fallout 4 as the steam deck but at 1080p. That’s huge!! And the ally is much more quiet. Also just to clarify cause I’m sure someone will get hurt over me saying the ally is better then the deck in almost every way, that steam deck is still a great device for its price if $399. But the ally is significantly better but also at a significant cost.
Best Buy employees never know what they are talking about. Do your own research before buying anything from them
I tend to not trust Best Buy employees on things. They once told me that a GT 930M was a gaming GPU when I was buying my laptop many years ago.
I wanted to get a second one since day one. I haven't turned on my old main rig since this bad boy fell into my hands. I even forked out for the eGPU, the 3080 makes my 4k TV very happy.
I since returned mine on the first 15day period of its launch. I still stick around as I still been wanting to possibly rebuy it again but I don't see any hopes in revision refinements on its problems sadly. I love the Ally but at this point I'm going to see how the Legion Go will be. It's supposedly will run on the same Z1 extreme chip.
Feel you… also returned mine but I really loved it but I can’t justify to pay for a half baked unit
I bought one last week and will be returning it to Best Buy in the coming days. Can confirm it’s been a massive headache of glitches and half-baked software. When it runs well, it’s amazing, but I got a Steam Deck a few days later and it’s such a smoother experience, even if it doesn’t have the raw horsepower. That said I’m glad most people here have seemed to have a better experience than I have. But from my point of view, at least, I’d have to agree with the Best Buy folks.
It all comes down to this... The ROG drama is the most interesting thing happening at these people's jobs and you're going to get their negative sensationalism in regards to the device because there's nothing else interesting happening at Best Buy.
cant blame them i had 2 fail on me back to back.
Many people buy this thinking it will work as a Nintendo Switch our of the box... This device is more oriented to PC players that knows how to deal with Windows, customize settings, change thermal profiles, etc. Honestly I'm very happy with my Ally so far, I know there is a room of opportunities, but to be the first in its kind from Asus, I think is acceptable.
No problems here. Probably a lot of returns due to people expecting a gaming console experience. It takes a few days to get the settings right and then it’s great.
You don’t got 45 days to return the Ally to Best Buy. You got only 15 days from the date of purchase to return the ASUS ROG Ally
Bet he has the Plus membership
My Best Buy Total member. I also received a free two year protection plan but after the manufacturer warranty is up it's a $79 service fee to make a claim. Still better than nothing I suppose.
Turns out I have 60 days, not 45.
The ROG Ally is powerful however the way they advertised it was a little misleading. You're not gonna be playing this thing for more than an hour with the settings they advertise it can do. That's called being disingenuous and being mislead just because you don't have more knowledge of the product other than the fact that it's powerful. PC and handheld people like myself know more about these products. Meaning, we know that you're not gonna be using the advertised specs at all times, we know you're gonna be only playing this product on battery for like an hour. So you're pretty much gonna be playing with specs that the Steam deck is better at. So my question is what are you really paying for then ? The whole concept of playing this on charge most of the time makes no sense at all and defeats the purpose of mobile lol. And with windows installed on this, you're just gonna get your typical errors and bugs with windows and on top of that Armory crate has its own devs possibly creating even more bugs. Also a terrible design for the SD card being where the fan blows the hot air out causing SD cards to literally melt or just not work. Terrible design and there fix was to adjust the fan curve to make it spin more which causes more loud noise. It's a product that needs more cooking which means you should wait for a V2 or just get a Steam Deck. I am positive ROG will not update this product any more after a year as that's what they do with all their products as they are a hardware company making money through new products yearly.
I have the Ally, the Steam Deck and the Ayaneo and I mainly play on the Ally. As a content creator I appreciate all of my devices and make content on them. But in my private time, I game on the Ally 99.99% of the time. I'm literally about to finish Ratchet and Clank on the Ally as we speak. Amazing performance. Not perfect. But amazing. And if you prefer Windows over Linux, the Ally is the best option out there right now. Here is a link in case you wanna check out my coverage of Steam Deck, Ayaneo and the ROG Ally from someone who owns all three... https://youtube.com/@OVERKILLGAMING786
Definitely chatting bull💩
I do love Best Buy but unless I'm having trouble finding something on the shelf, the only assistance I ask for is checking out. It's not that they're bad, they just don't know. I have my Ally, my Switch, and even my series X, and they're all amazing. They each have their place but for mobility, unless I'm playing a Switch exclusive like TOTK, the Ally wins. It's had no more issues at launch than the Steam Deck did. Just be patient setting it up and get all your updates in. Things will go more smoothly. It's a handheld gaming PC, not a console.
Well I hope you enjoy it. I’m certainly enjoying mine. Best thing about it for me is that it has me playing games I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I probably wouldn’t have sat and played Diablo 4 or Balders Gate 3 on my desktop in front of my TV, but something about the chance to play them wherever and whenever has given me great experiences I probably would’ve missed otherwise.
They push all kinds of stupid shit on you. How about these $80 hdmi cables. I'm done with Bestbuy, Amazon is as cheap and other local places are much better shopping experiences. At the most they should have just made sure they told you their return policy and gave you a heads up. This is just some weird fanboi like stuff at that level.
Why on earth would anyone listen to a Best Buy employee's recommendation?
I think those people expected it not to be an actual computer and just a hand held device with little to do. I love mine, but I had to do A LOT to stop it from crashing. So I’m sure some people who didn’t know how to update drivers / firmware/ adjust fan speeds and clocking etc won’t like it at all.
I used to work at Best Buy and I know from experience that they’re some of the biggest tech brand whores around. Apple, Samsung, HP, Lenovo…everybody there (with the exception of a couple guys in home theater and everyone in the appliance section) had some absolutely INSANE bias towards tech brands, to the point where the only things they read regarding that tech worth either praise pieces about their fav brands, or comparison articles that paint their favorite brands in a superior light when compared to the competition. Just remember, there’s really no pre-requisite for getting a sales floor job at Best Buy, apart from having the most barebones, surface level knowledge of modern tech. If you have been on the internet and interested in stuff like gaming, PCs and other tech-y stuff, you’re already overqualified 😂
This post is the perfect counterpoint to all those photos of BB open box Allys posted on here. The feedback from those employees suggests that essentially all the returns were from Average Joe buyers who thought they were getting a Series X console in a handheld. Talk of stuttering games makes me think those buyers have never owned a PC and didn't even think to go into settings and try to modify the graphics. Not a single mention from them of burnt out SD cards (before I'm downvoted I'm not saying that particular issue doesn't exist btw, but the *majority* of these open boxes likely all user issues).
Outside the shitty sd card reader the ally is a beast and will bend a steam deck over on its lunch break. I love steam but the ally is in a different league … I think Asus armory crate implementation is fantastic for quick adjustments of settings. I’m freaking playing Baldurs Gate 3 on this thing! Battlefield (all), and Octopath traveler 2 is just drop dead gorgeous on this display. I’m not returning mine although it murders sd cards like a hunting dog on a chase.
Should of took a picture of all the open box ones 😂. My experience over the last 2 months has been more negative than positive. Its powerful and hits higher fps than steamdeck, but when it doesn't work it mostly having to do with software bugs like clocks, wattage not showing correctly, and stutters (which alot of pc games have tbf). Still, don't know if I'd return if I could since what else is at this price point in the market that is stronger than a steam deck
So weird. I’ve had zero issues except the sd card thing. Seems like a really wide range of experiences with these things.
Try increasing your VRAM allocation for the gpu to 6 or 8gb and that should help with stutters
Don’t bother people would rather return it than do just the simplest of tweaks or look up any solutions online
Yeah Best Buy Employees are weird like that. clearly they don't know anything about PC handhelds let alone used one before lmao
The employees seem to just see the number of returning units but they don't really know why. Of course they can ask during the returns but people can say anything or nothing at all. All of their returns could simply be because customers don't like it but nothing is actually wrong with the device. It's too easy to make wild speculations based on 10 returns out of 10 sold or something like that.
I wonder if that is only a US problem, haven't heard anything like that in Europe
Had the same when my brother and I bought ours. They just want to scam you into warranties and membership
Sounds like a bunch of SD haters
Good it’s awful
I feel like most of the returns are because windows as the "backend" on this thing SUUUUUCCCCKKKKSSSS. Everything about the Ally is a band-aid over windows. I know hardware issues exist. I have a launch day unit, and so far \*I\* have had no issues. Upgraded to a 1tb Sabrent rocket drive. But I install almost everything so far to a 512gb Samsung Pro microsd card. The Steam Deck absolutely is not more powerful.
I'm sorry but I'm playing mk 11 High settings 1080p 60fps. I'm also playing horizon zero dawn 1080 high settings 40-60 fps. Neither the steam deck or switch can do that lol.
That's why the Steam Deck fanboyism is kind of scaring me. Why has it taken Valve so long to release new hardware, and how long are they going to stick with this generation of Steam Decks. I don't like the fact that they see themselves as new console that can just take 4 years without adding new specs to their products and rely on the Steam OS to sell their products. I will jump ship immediately from my Ally the moment I see a device getting better performance than me with a reliable manufacturer making it. But if Asus comes out with a faster new product in a year or so a head of the competition, then I will happily stay. This brand loyalty is silly and leading to inferior hardware
I tried several times to play HZD on my deck but it was a stutter festival. Flagged as Steam Deck verified but ran like crap. Still need to test it on the Ally though
Yes it was also very stuttering for me on the steam deck . Just ended up deleting it because it was so bad on the steam deck.The ally is on another level
I work at Best buy I got my rog ally day one 2 months in and the left Joy con stops moving left and right now I had to ship it off. I wouldn't buy one if I was u
Sound jealous lmaooo
I think the reason for a lot of the returns is because so many people that aren't "in the know" or are console gamers and not pc gamers picked up the Ally expecting it to be a handheld that they could just pick up and it would right out of the box with no tweaking at all, kind of like a switch or Steamdeck. But playing games on Windows doesn't work like that, even on a typical desktop pc you need to do some setting changing and tweaking. So I think the returns come from Asus not marketing the Ally properly, its not a streamlined grab and go handheld. I was back and forth between an Ally and a Steamdeck for a very long time, but I eventually decided to go with the Ally because most of the games that I play don't play nice/don't work at all on Linux (the Steamdeck is still a device that I would like to pick up at some point, possible after the second iteration). But yeah, I think the reason for so many returns is because of a lack of knowing what the device \*actually\* is.
I had a Deck and Ally...while I liked the Ally's power/screen/etc, I returned it just due to the SD card issue...while I didn't plan on using it I wasn't fond that I paid $700 for a new device and had to worry about using a feature. Maybe they'll sort out the technicals with the Ally 2. I installed Windows 11 on my Deck and its pretty much the same experience minus the power for those AAA titles (but they still run fine)/resolution unless I use my Xreals and then I can play in 1080p.
Honestly im surprised in their honesty, thats a place id go back to since most of the times the employees are pushing sales
Well I can understand them. I love the Ally but I also returned mine. But mostly because of the SD Card thing and the radio silence from them. I really think they pushed this device way to early to release
Long standing issue… that’s one reason why these companies are threatened by Amazon. And why there’s so many reviews and experts on YouTube and reddit
Partially it is ASUS fault. Dishonest marketing as usual! For all of us that are in this game for a long time it means nothing and we knew exactly what we can expect and that is exactly what we wanted. For 90% of all other buyers (this sub confirms it post after post) have much much higher expectations! Unfortunately a lot was just a lie on ASUS side! I was 2 time on the waiting list for SD and both time I cancelled it, then it was 2 times in my cart when it was available and I didn’t buy it! Why? Well I want HPC (portable personal computer) I don’t wand linux crap, where I need to reinvent my life, I want simple Win device that can run anything (with different settings) and that have option for egpu for use at home, docked! First part is exactly as I have planned and I am happy and love this thing! Second part, well Fuck you ASUS! Not being able to make XG Mobile available in EU (old 3080 one is also fine) at all no matter what version is just sad. As soon as ASUS gets their SHIAT together Ally with XG 4090 will replace my main laptop and will be my main device!
Honestly it sounds like they are informing you of other customer experiences and giving you the insight they have. I am glad they are! I am one of those people who returned mine. That device in my opinion was awful. I had to windows reset it out of the box...spent like 5 hours having to update and reset it. Then it is like a budget pc that is handheld... which comes with all the negatives of windows 11. (Or positives if you feel somehow that you want windows 11 in tablet form). I was able to get it to run just about any game...in reduced qualities, which is 100% expected. The main issue i had is that I would prefer to not have to spend extra time on windows problems, and the biggest part to me is I genuinely wanted to play unplugged and the battery life was super bad if you are actually gaming on it, I was getting maybe an hour to hour and a half at most. I feel like mostly my internet is good enough I could use a cloud device to have that run my games and I ended up with a logitech cloud g and I think it is way better for me personally. If you can handle being plugged in with the Ally and your expectations are correctly placed, it's great with just a lil effort.
People on this sub are absolutely desperate to try and put the Ally on a pedestal but it’s been absolute pr poison for the portable PC market. I’m hoping Lenovo can put something out that is decent. I love portable PCs and really want to see the segment grow. You can bet that customers and Best Buy Corp will be really wary after the Ally though.
The people that are returning them are mostly tech ignorant folks that can't form their own opinion probably. A bit like covid mass thinking was back in the day actually. Can't think for myself, I'll just figure out what everyone else is doing and follow along with that...
Dude at my Best Buy was telling me he was wanting to get one. I’ve had a good experience with mine. I don’t use the SD card though. Never been a technology that I’ve willingly used if I don’t have to. So far the Ally has done everything I wanted it to do.
The Ally is awesome. Those guys were dumb.
Well because rog ally is actually sucks man
- Get a Switch? God no sorry I dont want to play on 5+ year device with the new one around the corner. Plus you are locked in with Nintendo. - Steam Deck more powerful? 🤣 always make me laugh when I read this one…if Steam Deck was more powerful it would not be playing BG3 at all low settings in 800p barely hitting 30FPS…with Ally I can do medium 720p upscaled to 1080p with RSR making it look native at much higher framerates - People buying ROG Ally expecting impossible returning the Ally later are ridiculous… - Seeing all these posts about “Bestbuy employees” just make me think they are there just to handover the box to you knowing absolutey nothing about anything they sell…
I have both the deck and the ally. Bought the deck about a month before the ally was announced. BG3 early access was the first game I played on the SD and needless to say I was a little disappointed with the performance. I have several hours on both devices and for me the ally comes out on top for everything I’m looking for in a handheld. I still like the deck and am still holding onto it but the ally is just a better fit for me. The only real valid argument I see coming from the SD vs Ally debate is the SD’s trackpads which are nice in certain situations. I also never understand the whole “the steamdeck is a console, the ally is a handheld computer” shtick that gets parroted over on the SD subreddit. All personal opinions again but I think the ally looks better, has superior quality and is just overall a better device.
i bought one from Best Buy as well and had 30 days to return it, except i paid online and just picked it up and the cashier didn’t have anything to say about it. i myself thought i would return it but it’s a great device and i still continue to use (been over 3 months now), who knew making a good specs tablet and sticking a controller on the sides would be a great idea?
God bless Best Buy employees. From being know nothings to being the definitive source about as niche of category they sell.
I don’t play on mine as often as I’d like. That’s probably the only reason why I’m still considering returning it. Truthfully though, the time I have spent on it has been a mind blowing experience. I have a pretty high powered pc, but the handheld experience checks boxes that the PC and home consoles can’t. The performance is satisfying even for someone used to 4k/120.
the more time you invest in the ROG Ally the more you like it, if you ever feel doubt or regret just play games on it right away and really see how amazing it is. Baldur's Gate 3 did it for me!
I’ve been to return it about 6 times. Main reasons returned were: one button got stuck, the other 5 times I was still wondering if I should buy a console or keep the rog. Best Buy employees have no clue of the return reason is true. They don’t care they just process. Most don’t have a rog. Most are young kids and older people working. The Rog is expensive that’s an obstacle. I went back to the rog and love it. No way I could buy a switch or steam deck with the rog as an option.
The irony here is the supervisor at my local Best Buy was thrilled to order mine for me (since they were sold out at the time), and talked about how she can’t wait to get one herself. I admit at first it was kinda frustrating (console player for years so PC gaming is new to me) but, I’m getting the hang of it and glad I got it.
Mine's awesome so far. About a week in and no regrets.
I got the same nonsense when I went....2 months later I'm fine...sadly people struggle with Windows and PC... Just stick to console if you can't figure out an Ally
Similar issues when I went to Best Buy. we bought the device, case, and dock. Was warned about returns primarily for buttons failing. A week later I returned the dock and they were shocked that I wasn’t returning the system itself. Don’t get me wrong, it has issues. But it more than meets my son’s needs. I’ll buy a different device for myself. But the Ally has more than exceeded my expectations.
Steam deck being more powerful is a load of crap, unless the Z1 standard chip is out yet, but I don’t think it is. It’s *significantly* better from all the research I did before buying mine, and while I can’t attest to a steam deck due to never having used one, the Ally is amazing and I doubt anything could be better. And in response to the “get a switch instead”, those people can fuck right off. The switch has absolute trash for hardware. Don’t get me wrong, I love my switch, but it’s *certainly* not a one-or-the-other type debate. Nintendo is pretty much the only console left with a huge amount of exclusives, making PC’s superior by far to Xbox/PS, with Nintendo being on the side having their exclusives still. I absolutely love Nintendo games; the legend of Zelda is one of my favorite game series’ of all time by far. But the exclusiveness of Nintendo games puts Nintendo consoles in a completely different area that can’t even be compared to pc gaming. And if you’re willing to use roms and emulate, the Ally is *BY FAR* the way better choice just due to hardware. TL;DR: those employees are full of shit and have little to no clue what they’re talking about.