Crashes to black screen on ROG Ally X

[nvera]

Several people have reported this issue on Reddit; I've encountered it myself as well.

I created this thread on the ROGAllyX subreddit to try and gather info, no one else has added to it yet but it also has links to all the other threads I've seen about this matter: https://www.reddit.com/r/ROGAllyX/comments/1eoch1d/rog_ally_x_black_screen_crashes_has_it_happened/

Wondering if anyone can shed any more light on the cause and/or workarounds, or if an upcoming update is going to sort it.

[adrianoromera]

Believe or not I went through 3 units already, all of them presented the same issue. I did everything mentioned in the Reddit thread, and thought things had been fixed, after few days those crashes came back, so I am just assuming it might be a hardware failure of some sort. It doesn’t matter if the device is up to date dinner or later the crashes appeared. As all units presented the same issue, I just returned it to Best Buy and got a Legion Go instead. Don’t want to keep on dealing with this headache as we all know Asus won’t be forthcoming and tell what is really happening. I was really enjoying the device, but having the slightest chance of this being a hardware related problem made me return it, this isn’t a $200 item, for the price Asus is charging, it should be perfect.

[nvera]

Yeah, I'm probably gonna do the same if the crashes start up again on mine (though I haven't had any in a while now). I also definitely won't be buying ASUS products again in the future at this point - having issues is one thing, it happens, but refusing to acknowledge them even when they're this widespread is just straight-up bad customer service.

Not just theoretical either; I was buying a mesh wifi setup yesterday and I specifically ruled out ASUS ZenWifi on the basis of the poor customer service around this issue with the Ally X.

[Seifz]

Alright, last ditch efforts have been made, tried all I could try, lit a candle to the RNG God, also updated to the new MCU Firmware today, and still crashing within 5 mins of gameplay. This very expensive piece of tech is going back to ASUS tomorrow before it flies across the room out of frustration. 

There's perhaps two additional things that I noticed that may not have been captured by ASUS staff here (assuming they're even caring about this issue at all), and they are: 

- The crashes only occur while in handheld mode. I can game for hours with no crashes if I hook up the X to a screen via USB-C and mouse/keyboard. Been playing WoW for hours with no issues at all. 

- ALL of the crashes occur when I press the Y button, but pressing the Y won't always lead to a crash. It's just that, whenever it crashes, it's because I pressed the Y button. 

More than a month in, the lack of acknowledgement from ASUS of this issue despite widespread reports on Reddit and Facebook groups is appalling for a worldwide company. We're not talking about an indie kickstarter thing here. Absolutely disappointed that I need to spend whatever little free time I have with work and kids, rebooting this thing multiple times to get a glimpse of the otherwise amazing experience I'd have if this gadget just worked properly. 

Hearing about the nightmare scenarios with the RMA process, I hope I don't also have to invoke EU laws and spam the CEO to get nothing less than an excellent support experience for this issue. 

[Anbby_ROG]

Hi @Seifz ,

Thank you for providing the usage information, which helps us further investigate the issue. As previously mentioned, the game crash issue could be influenced by various factors (drivers, game settings), or it could be triggered by specific actions as you mentioned. Therefore, we need to confirm some detailed information and logs to further analyze and identify the cause of the issue for improvement.

You mentioned that the crashes usually occur in handheld mode. Before you return the device, would you be willing to provide the following information via private message so that we can further investigate? We appreciate your cooperation in advance.

• Serial Number:
• BIOS Version:
• Windows Build Version: (Settings > System > About)
• Display Driver Version:
• Name of the game where the issue occurs:
• Armoury Crate SE > Settings > General > About > Service Version > Check Button (Copy all content):

Please enable the log recording feature in Armoury Crate SE and synchronize a video recording of the game crashing when pressing the Y button, so we can analyze it further.

[Seifz]

Look, @Anbby_ROG, I understand the need to gather additional information and that you're just doing your job - I appreciate it: I worked in tech support as well.

What you're asking me is basically to spend a random amount of time that could go from 2 minutes to 4 hours capturing a video where the crash occurs. I unfortunately don't have that kind of time, and I won't setup the X again after a cloud recovery to gather the requested information. Just know that the crashes occur in the following configurations: 

• Straight out of Cloud Recovery
• After updating AMD Graphics Driver to version 32.x from Armory Crate, MyASUS or Windows Updates
• After updating everything (MCU, Firmware, BIOS, Drivers, Windows Updates) 
• Any game, from Black Myth Wukong, Tekken 7, Tekken 8, Dave the Diver, Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Moonlight Streaming, Dolphin, Sudachi, PCSX2, Stock Windows Media Player, Desktop with nothing open (with me mashing Y repeatedly for ~5 minutes). 

You can see another user's video crashing when pressing Y here. I've sent you my unit's serial number in PM, and when your engineers get it, they can test it to their heart's content. 

I know it must be hard dealing with this kind of negativity when you're on the frontlines and I appreciate you for the hard work you're putting in, my frustration isn't directed at you at all.

What does it take to get this entire thread escalated to someone who calls the shots? Do we need to reach out en masse to Retro Game Corps, Nerd Nest, Linus Tech Tips and other folks in that area? I'm sure we can certainly shine more light on this issue so that ASUS takes this seriously. 

[nvera]

Yeah. This. It's simply not practical to get logs because the crashes are unpredictable for most of us. There was one user who identified a particular spot where his device always crashes, but that was the exception rather than the rule and I believe that user ended up returning their Ally X a while ago now.

For me personally, I've put a lot of effort into trying to gather info, keep the community updated with solutions, etc. I don't have much energy left for this issue to try and catch a rare (for me) crash on logs / video. I'm pretty much just going to RMA if it starts happening again, I'll try one repair or replacement and if that has the issue too I'll be seeking a refund (consumer law here gives me the right to demand one if repair / replacement isn't resolving the issue) and hoping that Lenovo or a new major player (Dell would be nice, I've had excellent experiences with their devices) comes out with a comparable device.

[MyPayaso]

I completely back this, and I want to add that this is not an isolated issue. I've spoken to more than 20 other users across Reddit who are facing the exact same random black screen crashes across multiple configurations. Whether it’s right after cloud recovery or after updating every single driver and firmware, the problem persists, no matter the scenario. It’s happening with a variety of games, emulators, and even during basic desktop use.

This issue is widespread, and it's clear there’s a serious flaw that ASUS needs to fix. Simply waiting around for a patch isn’t acceptable anymore. Reaching out to Retro Game Corps, Nerd Nest, and Linus Tech Tips is a crucial step because when a problem like this starts gaining attention in the tech community, companies like ASUS are forced to take it seriously.

We can’t let this slide any longer. I’ll be contacting these creators myself and I urge everyone else reading this to do the same. ASUS needs to fix this issue immediately — it’s affecting too many people. With enough voices, they won’t be able to ignore us. Let’s make sure this gets the attention it deserves!

[jpacheconate]

It seems that Asus has not solved the problem, I was thinking of buying a Rog Ally X but these problems have disappointed me and it has not been solved via a patch for several months.

[nvera]

Yeah, I'm really hesitant to recommend it now too. Which sucks, because aside from these crashes (which I haven't personally had in a while now, but seems in general they're still pretty frequent for a lot of users) it's an incredible device, and I would love to be able to recommend it.

[Angmodurian]

If you know an issue arises from pressing Y, try going to armory crate and for that specific profile what does Y button do. Try to remap the button Y again and remove secondary function to see if it helps