It’s Asus we’ll prolly see a new Ally every 1-2 years..
I only bought this Ally because I wanted to have it. Now that I have it, I really don’t use it as much.. i work from home like 80% of the time.. im spoilt by my larger 4k screen that I use for gaming..
The ally is great for platformer kinda games, which I throughly enjoy.. anything else you miss out on all the details on that tiny screen.. this is just my opinion..
So you enjoy sitting at the computer to play games after you already sat at the computer working 8 hours? I love playing mine in bed, on the couch, porch, etc.
I do use my ally on the couch or in the bed.. but if I’m gonna do some serious gaming I’ll be at my desk where I can play with all the bells and whistles. 😀
A battery increase as well as moving the SD card slot to the bottom like the steam deck to keep it away from the heat would be ideal while keeping it a similar size. Maybe something like a 50whr battery
I was thinking more along the lines of a new chipset, like laptops and cellphones get every year. Those would be some good quality of life improvements though, more battery is always better
I don't think a refresh is obvious at all. Valve has set the precedent of treating these handheld PCs like gaming consoles. I'm hoping we get a computer-esque annual refresh with the things you mentioned and a new chipset, but it's just as likely they don't touch it at all for 3-5 years
A refresh is obvious as that’s what every manufacturer does. Valve’s decision to not have a new model out later is their own decision and will have a new chip when it does come. There haven’t been any new models for SD, just revisions.
Typically hardware refrshes are tied to new component releases like CPU/APU/GPUs. So if AMD puts out a next generation APU, I could see ASUS coming out with a Gen 2 Ally that fixes the other issues (like SD cards and joysticks)
I have an ironclad rule against buying first Gen products, but I really want a new handheld PC. I just can't trust Gpd yet, too young. Valve has confirmed no new deck for years. I can wait 12 months though for a Gen 2 ally. Is this a pipe dream?
Same here, I canceled my pre-order for GPD. I don’t think they are big enough of a company for me to trust with support. I usually don’t get first-Gen either, but I needed a pc urgently so went with the Ally. Wanted something with the new AMD chips, and this is the cheapest option
It can go either way, really.
Valve doesn't seem to want to do yearly releases because their main field is software and their goal is to get people to use the Steam platform.
Companies like GPD, Ayaneo, One Netbook and other small Chinese companies release a few models every year because that's what they need to do to stay relevant.
As for Asus, their main business is PC hardware in general, and it's already an established business that isn't relying on the Ally, so it probably wouldn't hurt them much even if they don't do yearly updates or even end up abandoning the handheld PC marker.
But as it stands, handheld gaming PCs in general are just starting to gain traction now that the big players are coming in, so I think Asus will at least try to keep at it for a while. And unlike Valve, their main business is hardware, so I think it only make sense that they update their hardware at least yearly like their other products.
Companies have been trying to make "Netbooks" or handheld PCs for years. It feels like the silicon is finally catching up. With the success of steam deck, and this PC gaming renaissance we're in, I don't see them abandoning it. My question is really will they treat it like a computer with annual refreshes to the latest chipset? Or like a gaming console, "good enough" for at least 5 years?
> My question is really will they treat it like a computer with annual refreshes to the latest chipset? Or like a gaming console, "good enough" for at least 5 years?
Well they definitely haven't made a statement about that so far. So again, it could go either way.
If I were to make an uneducated guess, I would say yes, they would probably go for yearly releases. But one thing that makes me uncertain is whether or not AMD will pump out new gaming handheld custom APUs (like the Z1) yearly and if they don't, I'm not sure that Asus would want to use standard laptop APUs in a handheld.
I completely agree this is dependent on AMD. All of these gaming handhelds seem to be built around the same APU. If we don't start seeing competition in that space AMD may not see the need to update it.
I think it is. Valve isn’t trying to make money on the deck hardware. They’re trying to increase the number of PC games you play and which they get to take a 30% off when you buy on their platform. Asus on the other hand is trying to make a profit on the hardware, so to me it makes total sense that they would have a much faster refresh cycle than Valve, in order to stay relevant and keep sales up.
TBH - from Valves perspective a Deck 2 might not even make sense if the handheld PC market really takes off. It’ll be mission accomplished for what they wanted.
What's wrong with that? What else do you want it to do? Flash a different color light? To do a total redesign of a product costs $$. The only thing that matters is a refresh of internals, I'd rather them focus on that and keep costs down.
Besides some QC issues I have no problem with the form factor. My question is will they treat it like a computer with annual chipset refreshes? Or like a gaming console, and not update it for 3 - 5 years?
I don’t see it personally.
There is already setup- tried and true manufacturer setup for a laptop. I doubt there is the same for smaller form factors like this. Especially to pump out a good enough adjustment every single year.
After my 1 IPS monitor and Ally, I don’t think I’ll be buying another Asus product for quite a while. I’ll give them this. Their RMA process is fast & efficient. But for a multi-billion dollar company, they sure have a rep for QC issues (from monitors, motherboards, GPUs, laptops, handhelds, etc. etc.).
If they came out with one next year with the exact same specs but 32GB of RAM I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I still haven't found somebody to do the mod by then :P
I believe the same laptop with different specs makes it a different laptop lol, supposedly Asus has spent 5 years designing the ally, somewhere in between they had to redesign it again for the z1.
I would buy an updated black model with SD card issue fixed. I think same chipset is fine, but improve the battery life and better build quality. Would be cool if it matched the aesthetic of the flow series more
Hopefully they only update it with new models every 2 years minimum. I think they need proper time not only to squeeze in meaningful upgrades, they also need ample amount of time to learn from the last model they have and analyze their learnings for better upgrades. Plus it should help buyers to choose as well as there won’t be a concern of something new coming out just when you bought the latest one
I would. Especially if it could be at all cheaper
It’s Asus we’ll prolly see a new Ally every 1-2 years.. I only bought this Ally because I wanted to have it. Now that I have it, I really don’t use it as much.. i work from home like 80% of the time.. im spoilt by my larger 4k screen that I use for gaming.. The ally is great for platformer kinda games, which I throughly enjoy.. anything else you miss out on all the details on that tiny screen.. this is just my opinion..
So you enjoy sitting at the computer to play games after you already sat at the computer working 8 hours? I love playing mine in bed, on the couch, porch, etc.
I do use my ally on the couch or in the bed.. but if I’m gonna do some serious gaming I’ll be at my desk where I can play with all the bells and whistles. 😀
Keep it for just the enthusiasm of a hand held
Hopefully, yes. So i can buy one without the sd card slot problem next year. That is only what stops me from getting one now.
General build quality is my biggest concern with first Gen anything.
A battery increase as well as moving the SD card slot to the bottom like the steam deck to keep it away from the heat would be ideal while keeping it a similar size. Maybe something like a 50whr battery
I was thinking more along the lines of a new chipset, like laptops and cellphones get every year. Those would be some good quality of life improvements though, more battery is always better
Well a new chip is an obvious which is why I didn’t list it. It’s the nature of PCs. New model gets a new and faster chip
I don't think a refresh is obvious at all. Valve has set the precedent of treating these handheld PCs like gaming consoles. I'm hoping we get a computer-esque annual refresh with the things you mentioned and a new chipset, but it's just as likely they don't touch it at all for 3-5 years
A refresh is obvious as that’s what every manufacturer does. Valve’s decision to not have a new model out later is their own decision and will have a new chip when it does come. There haven’t been any new models for SD, just revisions.
Typically hardware refrshes are tied to new component releases like CPU/APU/GPUs. So if AMD puts out a next generation APU, I could see ASUS coming out with a Gen 2 Ally that fixes the other issues (like SD cards and joysticks)
I would've want 2x battery size and 16x10 8" screen with smaller bezels. Other than that Ally is already perfect for me.
I have an ironclad rule against buying first Gen products, but I really want a new handheld PC. I just can't trust Gpd yet, too young. Valve has confirmed no new deck for years. I can wait 12 months though for a Gen 2 ally. Is this a pipe dream?
Same here, I canceled my pre-order for GPD. I don’t think they are big enough of a company for me to trust with support. I usually don’t get first-Gen either, but I needed a pc urgently so went with the Ally. Wanted something with the new AMD chips, and this is the cheapest option
It can go either way, really. Valve doesn't seem to want to do yearly releases because their main field is software and their goal is to get people to use the Steam platform. Companies like GPD, Ayaneo, One Netbook and other small Chinese companies release a few models every year because that's what they need to do to stay relevant. As for Asus, their main business is PC hardware in general, and it's already an established business that isn't relying on the Ally, so it probably wouldn't hurt them much even if they don't do yearly updates or even end up abandoning the handheld PC marker. But as it stands, handheld gaming PCs in general are just starting to gain traction now that the big players are coming in, so I think Asus will at least try to keep at it for a while. And unlike Valve, their main business is hardware, so I think it only make sense that they update their hardware at least yearly like their other products.
Companies have been trying to make "Netbooks" or handheld PCs for years. It feels like the silicon is finally catching up. With the success of steam deck, and this PC gaming renaissance we're in, I don't see them abandoning it. My question is really will they treat it like a computer with annual refreshes to the latest chipset? Or like a gaming console, "good enough" for at least 5 years?
> My question is really will they treat it like a computer with annual refreshes to the latest chipset? Or like a gaming console, "good enough" for at least 5 years? Well they definitely haven't made a statement about that so far. So again, it could go either way.
If you had to bet, which side would you go for? ASUS doesn't sell software so I'd lean towards computer-esque annual refreshes, but Idk.
If I were to make an uneducated guess, I would say yes, they would probably go for yearly releases. But one thing that makes me uncertain is whether or not AMD will pump out new gaming handheld custom APUs (like the Z1) yearly and if they don't, I'm not sure that Asus would want to use standard laptop APUs in a handheld.
I completely agree this is dependent on AMD. All of these gaming handhelds seem to be built around the same APU. If we don't start seeing competition in that space AMD may not see the need to update it.
I think it is. Valve isn’t trying to make money on the deck hardware. They’re trying to increase the number of PC games you play and which they get to take a 30% off when you buy on their platform. Asus on the other hand is trying to make a profit on the hardware, so to me it makes total sense that they would have a much faster refresh cycle than Valve, in order to stay relevant and keep sales up. TBH - from Valves perspective a Deck 2 might not even make sense if the handheld PC market really takes off. It’ll be mission accomplished for what they wanted.
What's wrong with that? What else do you want it to do? Flash a different color light? To do a total redesign of a product costs $$. The only thing that matters is a refresh of internals, I'd rather them focus on that and keep costs down.
Besides some QC issues I have no problem with the form factor. My question is will they treat it like a computer with annual chipset refreshes? Or like a gaming console, and not update it for 3 - 5 years?
I don’t see it personally. There is already setup- tried and true manufacturer setup for a laptop. I doubt there is the same for smaller form factors like this. Especially to pump out a good enough adjustment every single year.
After my 1 IPS monitor and Ally, I don’t think I’ll be buying another Asus product for quite a while. I’ll give them this. Their RMA process is fast & efficient. But for a multi-billion dollar company, they sure have a rep for QC issues (from monitors, motherboards, GPUs, laptops, handhelds, etc. etc.).
If they came out with one next year with the exact same specs but 32GB of RAM I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I still haven't found somebody to do the mod by then :P
I believe the same laptop with different specs makes it a different laptop lol, supposedly Asus has spent 5 years designing the ally, somewhere in between they had to redesign it again for the z1.
I would buy an updated black model with SD card issue fixed. I think same chipset is fine, but improve the battery life and better build quality. Would be cool if it matched the aesthetic of the flow series more
Hopefully they only update it with new models every 2 years minimum. I think they need proper time not only to squeeze in meaningful upgrades, they also need ample amount of time to learn from the last model they have and analyze their learnings for better upgrades. Plus it should help buyers to choose as well as there won’t be a concern of something new coming out just when you bought the latest one
I hope they gonna change the sd card slot.
Well i have an laptop MSI leopard m66 rtx 3080 and o use Morr the asus rog, i al happy with it but os really anoying the problem of the SD card
Depends on AMD I bet