Hi, everyone!
First of all, I'd like to express how satisfied I am with some features the ROG Ally has to offer, mainly, the hardware and the design of the console.
With that out of the way, here are my complaints:
- Bloated Windows 11: why on Earth would you include Office 365 and other stuff like it on the Ally's OS??
Makes no sense. The ROG Ally is a playing machine, I'm not gonna do work on this, I don't need Office and other stuff included. I bought the Ally to play games, not to work spreadsheets.
Every ROG Ally user has a major mission after buying this console: de-bloat Windows of all the useless software and doing all the MyAsus/Armoury Crate/Windows updates. Clients don't like that.
Please, include a minimal custom WIndows 11 installation, without stuff that doesn't matter.
How about this: A minimal Windows 11 that uses the least resources possible and uses less battery, without useless services running. Genius! - Armoury Crate: I'm sorry, but as a developer, I have to say this. Armoury Crate needs a lot of work and it feels amateurish. With all due respect for the AC developer's, it's just a bunch of services and programs running!
It needs games sub-categories. It needs more customization, like image and video scrapping. It needs much more.
Give me means to access the device and in 2 months I'll present a much more capable software, for free.
I have 20+ years of experience, I'm sure I could do it, just to prove the point.
Sometimes AC stops working. The Command Center buttons stop responding and I have to restart the console.
Being a Steam Deck user also, I say this: Asus needs to dedicate more time and effort on the software.
It is great to have a Windows handheld with such wonderful hardware (it was my dream), but it needs more work on the software level.
Someone more dedicated in front of the software department would do it, because currently, it clearly isn't demanding enough and Asus suffers from it. Just watch all the Youtube reviews. - On Hibernate mode, the joystick's RGB flashes intermittently (did you know this??).
Why does this happen? It only spends more battery, the most important thing on any ROG Ally. - Updates sometimes don't work.
I've been stuck in a loop with an update that starts when I turn on the console, it starts installing it then it says it's not possible to install it and reverts everything. By the time this ends, I lost 10% of the battery, before I even started playing. This is terrible for an user, not only the wait, but the fact that before even starting, the user lost 10% of the battery. - Finally, the white elefant in the room: the battery.
Having such a powerful device with such a meager battery makes little sense in my opinion.
I wouldn't mind paying more 50EUR for the console just to get 30 minutes more on each charge.
I know space is a precious commodity with this kind of device, but at least, try to offer some alternative, like an offmarket upgrade battery for ROG Ally, with more capacity. I bet you'll sell tons of it.
I have solved this by buying a power bank. Just think about how many power banks you could sell, if you offered something to solve this.
There you go, I said everything I had to say.
I still love my ROG Ally and I don't have buyer's regret. I love to play all my games without limits, anywhere I go.
I just feel that the ROG Ally could be so much better, if only a little effort could be done from ASUS.
Please, redirect this post to anyone who can make something of it. I know it won't happen, but at least I tried.
Consider this some constructive criticism and please take it into consideration when you release the Ally II.
I'll surely buy it.
All the best,
Nuno
