I just picked an Asus Rog Ally at Best Buy that was a return in "Excellent" condition with a pretty significant markdown. It looks like they have added additional savings to open-box devices after the Lenovo Legion Go launched. Is anyone else into handheld gaming outside of the Switch?

I have just started tinkering with it, but was curious if anyone else had one. What games are you playing that the Ally can handle well?

I'm not using an Ally, but do game on a Steam Deck when I'm not on my primary PC.

Any steam verified game should work just as good on the Ally. Most games that are natively designed to use a controller should be good as well.

From my limited experience so far, the following are great on the hand held:

Diablo 4
Path of Exile (similar to Diablo - free to play on Steam)
Hades
Dave the Diver
Assassins Creed games (I have Valhalla loaded on mine)

Same here, Steam Deck not Ally. There's a crapton of great games that work well on our devices, the Ally has the advantage of running windows and some newer hardware, so I'm sure some newer AAA stuff works better, but otherwise look at steam's "Great on Deck" category for some ideas on what works well.

I've actually gone a unique path in the handheld gaming world and just recently ordered an Odin 2 from AYN. The Steam Deck and all these x86 Windows handhelds are really cool, don't get me wrong, but I already have a high end gaming PC that I play my PC games on and I don't care for the size of those things personally so it's not for me.

The Odin 2 is Android based and powerful enough to emulate Switch games perfectly (outside of some software issues since the Android Switch emulation scene is still very young). So what I plan to do is use my Odin 2 as a super powerful emulation device (can emulate things like GameCube and PS2 upscaled to 1440p and even 4K) and I'll stream to it via Steam Link and Moonlight if I want to play any PC games on it. Battery life on ARM processors just absolutely runs circles around x86 devices which is a big deal to me too. Never thought I'd be as into and impressed by the Android gaming/emulation scene, but here we are. It's not for everyone but it definitely meets my needs.

WGann3 said:

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I've actually gone a unique path in the handheld gaming world and just recently ordered an Odin 2 from AYN. The Steam Deck and all these x86 Windows handhelds are really cool, don't get me wrong, but I already have a high end gaming PC that I play my PC games on and I don't care for the size of those things personally so it's not for me.

The Odin 2 is Android based and powerful enough to emulate Switch games perfectly (outside of some software issues since the Android Switch emulation scene is still very young). So what I plan to do is use my Odin 2 as a super powerful emulation device (can emulate things like GameCube and PS2 upscaled to 1440p and even 4K) and I'll stream to it via Steam Link and Moonlight if I want to play any PC games on it. Battery life on ARM processors just absolutely runs circles around x86 devices which is a big deal to me too. Never thought I'd be as into and impressed by the Android gaming/emulation scene, but here we are. It's not for everyone but it definitely meets my needs.

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Kind of went the same route but with a Logitech G Cloud. Works great for PS5 streaming as well as emulation. Fun times going back and playing PSP/PS2 games!

The G Cloud is supposed to be the absolute best streaming device thanks to that crazy good 7" screen. It's fairly powerful by itself too, play you some PS2 and GameCube which it sounds like you're doing. The screen on the Steam Deck is pretty low quality compared to the G Cloud and Odin 2 which was another turnoff for me.

The technology leap in with the chip they're using in this Odin 2 is what made me break the bank and spend $350 on an Android handheld. The review units that are out to streamers are shredding upscaled PS2, GameCube, Wii, and even Switch emulation which is just wild. Now, to anyone who doesn't have a gaming PC already I would recommend something like the ROG Ally or Steam Deck all day to get access to that killer PC catalog.

https://www.emudeck.com/

Yeah emudeck is great. Steam Deck can emulate Wii U, Xbox 360, and PS3 which Android devices cannot at this point so that's an emulation bonus on the Steam Deck's side for sure.

For my use case size, battery life, and screen quality were a big deal and what made me pick up the Odin 2 over something like the Deck, but I think I'm probably in a pretty large minority with that. The bang for your buck with a deck is unreal, especially if it's your only way into x86 gaming.

I just got NCAA 14 working and it runs very smoothly. I may never put this thing down

The battery life is pretty awful. Granted running NCAA is pretty intensive

That's awesome. Steam Deck can't run it, but I do have ncaanext, which is NCAA 06 for PS2 modded and updated. See if you can get CFB Revamped to work! https://cfbrevamped.com/

I tried several times to get Revamped to work and could not figure it out. I've been very happy with just the vanilla version. Currently in my first year at Texas State turning them into a powerhouse. I need to brush up on recruiting.

That looks amazing! Haven't gotten around to trying mods and hacks for dolphin yet, but definitely looks like I need to!

Steam deck can be a mean Emulation machine, highly recommend tinkering! Got Super Mario RPG (legally) working last night on this thing.

Yeah I have emuDeck running and a full complement of stuff to go with it, just hadn't toyed around with modding/upscaling GameCube games yet.

Man I've heard of steam deck but never really looked into it or any other handheld gaming PCs.

Which one should I go with? I enjoy mostly AAA titles. I have a PS5 and Series X. Would love to be able to play COD, F1, Flight Simulator, FIFA, etc.

It looks like the ROG Ally can handle all of these. Do larger intense games play ok on the Steam Deck OLED?

Right now with sales, there's only a $50 difference. I do have GamePass which could swing me away from Steam Deck if you can't get GamePass.

My only experience is with the Rog Ally but there hasn't been anything this can't handle. It came with a 3-month Xbox gamepass and it plays every game perfectly. I usually play plugged in so I have it running at full power. Even unplugged you can tweak the power settings to get enough power. Battery life is pretty awful though.

You can still play Steam games with the Ally so your library will follow. I think the Steam Deck wins because it is plug and play and integrated with Steam very well. The Ally requires a bit of set up and tweaking but I am an idiot and was able to figure it out.

Thanks for the write up. I ended up pulling the trigger on the new OLED Steam Deck last night. I'm more of a console gamer and prefer to just take it out of the box and play and not tinker with settings or updates all the time.

If it's a game I enjoy that won't work on the Deck, it'll just have to be played on my Series X or PS5

you can do remote play from your Xbox or PS5 to your steam deck as well, check Greenlight for xbox and Chiaki for PS5

That's pretty slick. Ayaneo always has awesome looking devices but holy crap are they expensive. I've never been able to justify the bang for my buck with their stuff. But I do like looking at it haha.

What is the point of having a full keyboard on a handheld? Other than making some initial setup a little easier, it seems overkill.

It's an x86 device so it's running Windows 11 on it. I would imagine it's mainly for playing PC games with a social setting. Would definitely be beneficial for something like WoW or whatever the flavor of the month MMORPG is if you're wanting to play that in handheld mode. Super niche for sure, I wouldn't be the target audience for this at all, I'd rather just play that type of game on my desktop but there's a crowd who will overspend for this.

High Functioning Moron said:

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What is the point of having a full keyboard on a handheld? Other than making some initial setup a little easier, it seems overkill.

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You're right! Looks cool though!

Retroid Pocket 4 Pre-Orders went up, if anyone is a fan of retro handheld emulators.

https://www.goretroid.com/products/retroid-pocket-4-handheld

Good for Android gaming like COD Mobile

Pman17 said:

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Retroid Pocket 4 Pre-Orders went up, if anyone is a fan of retro handheld emulators.

https://www.goretroid.com/products/retroid-pocket-4-handheld

Good for Android gaming like COD Mobile

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I loved my Retroid Pocket 3, it was my first dip into the retro handheld world. I love to tinker so I've become really fond of Android on these dedicated emulation devices. Looks like the 4 Pro should be able to play the entire PS2 and GameCube catalog upscaled. For $200, that's pretty awesome. I splurged for an Odin 2 which I'm in love with otherwise I'd be all over the 4 Pro.

If any of you are into this retro handheld space and haven't discovered Russ who runs the site Retro Game Corps he's the absolute man. Below is a 15 minute video on his thoughts about the Retroid Pocket 4 and 4 Pro coming soon. I watch his videos on stuff I'm not even interested in, that's how much I like him and respect his opinions.

I love asus ROG stuff, so i'll prob snag one, after i snag a steam deck for comparison.

Here's my latest triumph with my Odin 2… I'm one of the weirdos who's never cared for the Zelda series. Figured I'd try and give Ocarina of Time another go, but wanted to try and improve the experience a bit.

Stumbled into Ship of Harkinian, Which is a project that completely decompiled OOT and rebuilt it to play natively on different platforms. I was able to get it running on Android in like 5 minutes and was able to apply 1080P textures and the 3DS version of the game's character models. Can't believe how good the game looks now. And most importantly… free camera control, complete game changer for the experience.

Thanks for posting yalls Odin 2 stuff. I'm definitely very interested. There are plenty of retro games that are best kept in my happy memories from the 80s and 90s. But there's a lot of stuff that is still a blast to play.

There is also a lot of stuff I missed as a kid... in particular, the NeoGeo games like Metal Slug.

Happy to share it. I might enjoy the tinkering that comes with it being an Android device as much as I do the playing games. I've found it to be such a great experience playing upscaled Dreamcast, GameCube, and PS2 games. It's crazy what those games look like in 1440P and 4K, makes a world of difference. The native Android ports of things like Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 are all new experiences in widescreen and 60 fps too. A lot of the more popular titles have HD texture packs out there that you can even take the visuals to the next level.

Metal Slug is on my list to play with my 6 year old. She absolutely loved the new Ninja Turtles Beat 'Em Up. I loved the Metal Slug games growing up and they're straightforward enough for her so we'll definitely give it a try.

I bought one of the cheaper 100,000 games!!!! devices off amazon for my brother in law. It was very cool, but it's too much all at once. Almost like trying to browse for a movie but being overwhelmed because there's too many streaming choices. Not to mention, it was a cluttered mess of repeated ROMs and stuff that just didn't work.

I think I'd be better served getting the emulation software that I want up and running and only adding a few ROMs at a time. I'm definitely looking to emulate more arcade, NeoGeo, & Sega stuff. I grew up with the NES, SNES, & N64 and I've played those games dozens of times. I'm really wanting to explore some of the stuff that I missed and all those wonderful arcade games (hey I only had so many quarters to go around back then).

Here's a question about the Odin 2... I'm assuming you can use USB controllers with it when you plug it into your TV? I would definitely be interested in getting a decent arcade stick. Ideally, I'd be able to plug in 2 at a time to play fighters, Ninja Turtles, etc. when I have the guys over. Any of y'all tried that?

jr15aggie said:

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Here's a question about the Odin 2... I'm assuming you can use USB controllers with it when you plug it into your TV? I would definitely be interested in getting a decent arcade stick. Ideally, I'd be able to plug in 2 at a time to play fighters, Ninja Turtles, etc. when I have the guys over. Any of y'all tried that?

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Yep, it'll absolutely work. The Odin 2 has a USB-C port at the bottom of the device and mini-HDMI out on top so there's multiple ways to get a connection to your TV and then use wireless or wired controllers.

What I'm using in that picture I showed is a Skull & Co. Jumpgate dock which is a 3rd party Switch Dock. I just went for the Budget version ($20 at multiple vendors) which has a single USB port. I'm all wireless so don't need any USB ports, but the Pro version ($40 at multiple vendors) has 3 USB ports you can use to connect wired controllers. Link below to their website and a picture as well so you can see the 3 USB ports. You'd need a power brick and USB-C to power the thing and an HDMI cable to your TV and then you can just set your Odin 2 in this thing and use those 3 USB ports as controller ports.

Jumpgate Pro Dock