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Lenovo Legion Go vs Asus Rog ally which to chooooseeee

Steam Deck vs Rog Ally vs Lenovo Legion Go

  • Steam Deck

    Votes: 84 60.4%

  • Asus Rog ally

    Votes: 22 15.8%

  • Lenovo Legion go

    Votes: 33 23.7%
  • Total voters
    139
darkangel-212559

darkangel-212559

Banned
So I'm not a PC gamer, but I'm moving away from consoles into pc gaming. I don't want a gaming laptop so this leaves me with pc handhelds.

I'm willing to learn about pc gaming and I accept this won't be a console experience. I'm not going with the steam deck as I love game pass and want to be able to have the freedom of pc gaming in terms of my library.

I was going to get the ally, but so many issues with it being reported on both the hardware and software side has made me reconsider for now.

In comes the Lenovo Legion Go. Hopefully better quality control and less bugs. But it lacks VRR, something that people are saying is pretty essential, which the ally has.

I'm very torn up. Some clarity would be really appreciated.

Thanko mucho!

Dreamcast2 never let the dream die! Shenmue 4 never let the dream dieeeeeeee!
 
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kiphalfton

kiphalfton

Member
Pretty sure there's a workaround to make Game Pass work on PC (sorry for the Freudian slip, since it barely works on PC, I meant to say Steam Deck).
 
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diffusionx

diffusionx

Gold Member
Steam Deck is best supported and has the best UI/software/interface by far. It's weaker than those other ones but be careful about just spec chasing here. What do you actually want to do? If you just want to play AAA high end games you're better off playing them on a regular PC than on a Rog Ally.

darkangel-212559 said:
Why all the steam deck suggestions despite my post saying wanting to get into pc gaming? Is the jump from console only to pc gaming really that bad?
Click to expand...

It's more like these are not very good devices for getting into PC gaming. If you want to get into PC gaming, then just build a PC. It's the best way by far. Even a gaming laptop gets you vastly more value for your dollar than these handhelds, with none of the issues that come with them.
 
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darkangel-212559

darkangel-212559

Banned
GHG said:
For what exactly? You need to quantify what you mean by this, what games specifically are you intending to play?
Click to expand...
Fair enough! Sorry I'll clarify. Well a mixture of AAA like Starfield, Cyberpunk. Dead Space remake, RE4 remake, SH2 remake once released on steam and others like Lies of P etc.

Emulation mainly upto PS2/DC era

Indys and older aaa/aa games. Plus a bunch of other games that may or may not be steam deck verified and will require proton messing about. I also don't want to miss out on the latest big must play releases either.
 
kvltus lvlzvs

kvltus lvlzvs

Banned
Steam deck, even if your post explicitly says otherwise. Everyone is saying steam deck despite you asking us not to mention it because it is leagues ahead of the competition. Windows can be installed and you can have gamepass that way.

If you want something that isn't "underpowered" then either get a desktop or laptop.

Proton is extremely useful and works for nearly everything. If some things don't work, it is usually just minor tweaks. Actually, and this is just a gut feeling, but I reckon you will have better luck with Proton games than pure installs on the other hardware options.
 
diffusionx

diffusionx

Gold Member
darkangel-212559 said:
Fair enough! Sorry I'll clarify. Well a mixture of AAA like Starfield, Cyberpunk. Dead Space remake, RE4 remake, SH2 remake once released on steam and others like Lies of P etc.

Emulation mainly upto PS2/DC era

Indys and older aaa/aa games. Plus a bunch of other games that may or may not be steam deck verified and will require proton messing about. I also don't want to miss out on the latest big must play releases either.
Click to expand...
Not to belabor the point, but there's no guarantee even the more powerful handhelds will be any more capable of the "latest big must play releases" and for how long that would be. There's not THAT much more powerful than Steam Deck and have annoying issues and limitations.

If you want to play PC games, get a PC. These handhelds are more like niche devices for people with big libraries already. I couldn't imagine your primary gaming PC being a Rog Ally lmao.
 
NeverYouMind

NeverYouMind

Member
darkangel-212559 said:
Fair enough! Sorry I'll clarify. Well a mixture of AAA like Starfield, Cyberpunk. Dead Space remake, RE4 remake, SH2 remake once released on steam and others like Lies of P etc.

Emulation mainly upto PS2/DC era

Indys and older aaa/aa games. Plus a bunch of other games that may or may not be steam deck verified and will require proton messing about. I also don't want to miss out on the latest big must play releases either.
Click to expand...
Cyberpunk is going to need better specs than these PC hanhelds if you do not want to play at low resolutions with inconsistent framerates. Maybe a console is a more cost effective option for you if you are so averse to gaming on an actual PC.

 
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darkangel-212559

darkangel-212559

Banned
NeverYouMind said:
Cyberpunk is going to need better specs than these PC hanhelds if you do not want to play in potato mode with bad framerates. Maybe a console is a more cost effective option for you if you are so averse to gaming on an actual PC.
Click to expand...
A console would be great and is what I had before I moved countries. My wife and I don't want too many screens in the apartment and a handheld can easily be put away. :)
 
NeverYouMind

NeverYouMind

Member
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GHG

GHG

Member
darkangel-212559 said:
A console would be great and is what I had before I moved countries. My wife and I don't want too many screens in the apartment and a handheld can easily be put away. :)
Click to expand...

Is hooking up a console/PC to an existing screen in your home not an option?

Because based on the games you're intending to play you might be better off getting a mid-spec PC or one of the latest consoles.
 
darkangel-212559

darkangel-212559

Banned
GHG said:
Is hooking up a console/PC to an existing screen in your home not an option?

Because based on the games you're intending to play you might be better off getting a mid-spec PC or one of the latest consoles.
Click to expand...
The only other screen we have is my wife's laptop which she uses for her work. Would the SD really struggle with those games? RE4/Dead Space remake, Calisto Protocol etc?
 
Griffon

Griffon

Member
darkangel-212559 said:
Fair enough! Sorry I'll clarify. Well a mixture of AAA like Starfield, Cyberpunk. Dead Space remake, RE4 remake, SH2 remake once released on steam and others like Lies of P etc.

Emulation mainly upto PS2/DC era

Indys and older aaa/aa games. Plus a bunch of other games that may or may not be steam deck verified and will require proton messing about. I also don't want to miss out on the latest big must play releases either.
Click to expand...

Don't forget those are handhelds, those AAA games will be playable but very compromised (low details, low resolution and lower than 60 fps (sometimes 30 sometimes 40)).

Go for a Steam Deck or a full PC.
 
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GHG

GHG

Member
darkangel-212559 said:
The only other screen we have is my wife's laptop which she uses for her work. Would the SD really struggle with those games? RE4/Dead Space remake, Calisto Protocol etc?
Click to expand...








Personally I don't play AAA games on my steam deck because I'm a believer that those kinds of games are typically deserving of a big screen experience, but if you like what you see in the videos above then go for it.
 
Chukhopops

Chukhopops

Member
I don’t think any of those will give you a proper PC experience when playing AAA games, you’re looking at something like 720p 30-40 fps with low-mid settings and that’s if the game even works.

I love the Steam Deck but it looks like you want at least a gaming laptop.
 
Topher

Topher

Gold Member
I've owned both Steam Deck and Rog Ally and I prefer Rog Ally. The games perform much better. But you give up some battery life for that power. Since it sounds like you are going to be playing mostly in your home then that really shouldn't be much of an issue as long as you don't mind playing with it plugged in.

You might want to wait and find out what battery life is like for the Legion Go, but with that big screen I'm not sure it will be much improved.
 
Onironauta

Onironauta

Member
Legion Go: bigger screen, can be used as a normal tablet by detaching controllers, supports non-proprietary external GPUs, FPS mode, same APU as Rog Ally and faster RAM.
 
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NeverYouMind

NeverYouMind

Member
Topher said:
I've owned both Steam Deck and Rog Ally and I prefer Rog Ally. The games perform much better. But you give up some battery life for that power. Since it sounds like you are going to be playing mostly in your home then that really shouldn't be much of an issue as long as you don't mind playing with it plugged in.

You might want to wait and find out what battery life is like for the Legion Go, but with that big screen I'm not sure it will be much improved.
Click to expand...
What higher end (more demanding) games do you play on the ROG Ally and what is the quantifiable difference in performance/quality when plugged in relative to Steam Deck (for OP's benefit)?
 
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Comandr

Comandr

Member
If you’re going to consider a handheld PC there’s more that goes into it than just power.

Steam Deck does have a ton of support, but it’s a bit older of a chip at this point. The handheld market is moving at a break neck pace. I would strongly consider a device that has a 7840u processor.

AMD announced driver level frame generation for any directx 11/12 game. But right now, and for the foreseeable future, this feature is only available on the 7000 series GPUs and APUs.

Now while there’s perhaps an argument that the beta version of AMD’s driver level frame gen is messy, it’s something that the steam deck is just STRAIGHT UP not capable of.

The steam deck is an amazing device and I do love mine for what it does. That said, since I got a more powerful handheld pc I have never touched it again.

You should also strongly consider getting a device that has a physical keyboard. A software keyboard is absolutely no replacement to physical keys. Physical keys that work outside the OS in the event that you have to reinstall an OS or mess around in the bios or whatever the situation might be.

I recommend the GPD Win Mini if you are looking for the right combination of price, specs, and small form factor.
hmmzsgsd9ew5i29rgfkp
 
DenchDeckard

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Played the legion go today. Screen is gorgeous but it didn't look like it had vrr. Not sure if it was the fall guy demo I had.

It's also very big.

If ibwas to choose I think I'd still stick with the rog ally. If the legion go has vrr I'd maybe go with that.
 
Dorfdad

Dorfdad

Gold Member
NeverYouMind said:
Steam Deck. It is the best supported. Save yourself the headache and get it on sale.
Click to expand...

For tweaking probably, pure power and ability to play your complete collection 100% Legion Go. I own both deck and ally and soon the go! Ally is good machine but built with some flaws.

Community is behind steam deck but the specs make it ugly playing most AAA games. Indies are awesome.

Legion GO will bring both decks pluses and the ally’s together with better specs than both!
 
Topher

Topher

Gold Member
NeverYouMind said:
What games do you play on the ROG Ally and what is the difference between performance when plugged in.
Click to expand...

Currently I'm playing Resident Evil 2 Remake and it performs exceptionally well. 1080p with high quality and FSR 1.0 on Quality and I'm getting 80-ish fps at 25 watts. On battery, if I turn power down to 15 watts then I drop to te 60-70 range. At 10 watts, I'm down to 30fps. But the difference is based on how much battery you are willing to sacrifice. I can play in Turbo mode mode (25 watts) and not take any hit in performance playing on battery, but playtime is severely limited.

I'm downloading Cyberpunk 2077 on my Ally right now. I'll post some benchmarks later.
 
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TrebleShot

TrebleShot

Member
I have a steam deck in ROG Ally and originally thought when I got the ally. There was amazing could do everything plus more that the steam deck could, however as time gone on and I’ve lost patience with it. I’ve realised that these windows based gaming handheld are completely hamstrung by windows, I’ve gone back to the steam deck now and even if it’s not as powerful it’s much easier and more fun to use. Don’t get me wrong. The Ali is impressive but for me steam deck is far superior. I don’t think the Lenovo go is going to be any different to an ally.
 
O

Ozriel

M$FT
Steamdeck will certainly give you the smoothest experience all told, but there’s certainly something to be said about the significantly better displays and better performance in its rivals. Not to mention better compatibility all round.

SteamOS is better suited for a gaming handheld, but realistically you’re not going to be spending that much time puttering around the OS. 90% of the time, you’ll be in game.

Probably make your choice based on the actual gaming experience.

My Steamdeck still can’t play EA FC24 without dual booting Windows.
 
B

BacklashWave534

Member
Legion Go for sure. Steam Deck was a great start but lacks power and compatibility. Unfortunatley Windows is a necessary evil if you want to be able to play everything.
 
Topher

Topher

Gold Member
Rog Ally Cyberpunk 2077 benchmarks

Turbo Mode 25+ watts:
BHnRCDq.jpg


Performance mode (15 watts):

spZSSED.png


Legion Go specs are about the same so I'd expect similar results.
 
CrustyBritches

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
If it's going to be your only PC, then go with the Ally or Go, not the Steam Deck. I would get the Ally since it's lighter, has VRR, and has a screen with landscape orientation. The only downside would be that it seemingly has issues with overheating sd cards. It comes default with 512GB which isn't really enough imo. You can upgrade it to 1TB for $65-75, or 2TB for $160. In that regard, you'd be looking at around *EDIT* $770-860 to avoid using the SD card. Personally, I'd go straight to 2TB.

EDIT: I got the pricing mixed up with the lesser model. The Z1 Extreme is $700(usd).
 
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Topher

Topher

Gold Member
CrustyBritches said:
If it's going to be your only PC, then go with the Ally or Go, not the Steam Deck. I would get the Ally since it's lighter, has VRR, and has a screen with landscape orientation. The only downside would be that it seemingly has issues with overheating sd cards. It comes default with 512GB which isn't really enough imo. You can upgrade it to 1TB for $65-75, or 2TB for $160. In that regard, you'd be looking at around $670-760 to avoid using the SD card. Personally, I'd go straight to 2TB.
Click to expand...

Best Buy typically has open box options for Rog Ally. That's how I got mine. I paid $550 for Z1 Extreme version (regular price $699) and $70 for a 1 TB SSD.

 
Klosshufvud

Klosshufvud

Member
If you're willing to pay premium, the best handheld device is currently the AokZoe A1 Pro. You can't beat that 8' display, 65Wh battery, quiet fans and 7840U performance.

If you want something slightly cheaper, I'd recommend Rog Ally over Lenovo. VRR display is way more useful than 1600p display which is completely wasted on a handheld. Battery life is really poor though.

The cheapest option is Steam Deck but its performance is underwhelming compared to 7840U devices. It also lacks a big battery and fans can get quite loud. It's also a big boy, which makes it feel almost like a tablet at times. I personally also dislike Linux OS.

The final option is waiting some more. New brands are entering the handheld space fairly often. There is no ideal choice here.
 
CrustyBritches

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
Topher said:
Best Buy typically has open box options for Rog Ally. That's how I got mine. I paid $550 for Z1 Extreme version (regular price $699) and $70 for a 1 TB SSD.

Click to expand...
I got a little mixed up with the pricing earlier. I noticed that Best Buy has a 512GB Z1 Extreme model in 'Excellent' condition for $545 with free shipping. Do you know if that retains the manufacturer's warranty, or is it under Geek Squad's 90-day guarantee?
 
O

Ozriel

M$FT
Topher said:
Best Buy typically has open box options for Rog Ally. That's how I got mine. I paid $550 for Z1 Extreme version (regular price $699) and $70 for a 1 TB SSD.

Click to expand...

Yeah, lots of good deals to be had for the Ally from returns due to the SD card issues.
Good solution just to get an open box for a large discount and pick up a big SSD and not bother with an SD card.
 
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