Handheld gaming's newest darling device
Yes, it can play Cyberpunk 2077, plus, more on Bloomburrow's art!
The ASUS ROG Ally X accompanied me on my family’s journey from the South to New England. It so immersed me in Cyberpunk 2077’s gonzo dystopia that when we stopped at a Massachusetts Cracker Barrel it took me a long while to realize we weren’t at the New Hampshire location near our final destination.
Of course, it died shortly after that dinner, but nearly two hours of battery life is more than impressive for so demanding a game! I wrote about my time with the new device on WBUR.org:
My experience with the original Ally left me cold. While it boasted powerful graphics and the flexibility of a native Windows operating system, it lacked the accessibility and convenience of the Steam Deck OLED. But in my weeks testing the Ally X that ASUS lent me, my skepticism gave way to wary admiration. It’s a significant upgrade — and it comes at a significant cost.
Put simply, the ROG Ally X is fast. It sports 24 gigabytes of top-line RAM, and 1 terabyte of blisteringly-quick storage. While I struggled to launch games quickly from its predecessor, I had little issue pushing the on button and jumping into a game within a minute. Since a handheld’s appeal lies in its convenience, this is a huge benefit, and it doesn’t stop there. […]
ASUS’s built-in Armoury Crate software has also come a long way. It automatically populates your app library after you’ve downloaded games from diverse services, from Battle.net to Xbox Game Pass (ironically, the only service it sometimes missed was GOG Galaxy, where I played Cyberpunk). It’s not as seamless as the Linux shell that powers the Steam Deck, but after some tinkering, I could easily tune my control settings at the press of a button.
None of this, however, comes cheap. At $800, it’s much more costly than a Nintendo Switch ($200-$400) or Steam Deck ($350-$650). It’s not the most expensive handheld (I dished out $1000 for a OneXPlayer years ago, which the Ally X outclasses in every category except screen size), but it’s not a great starting point for curious dilettantes. Still, it looks downright affordable compared to most gaming laptops — and I’d heartily recommend it to PC gamers who want more freedom than the Steam Deck allows.
I also discussed the Nitro Deck+ — a third-party Nintendo Switch accessory I’m far less enthused by:
Since its debut, Switch owners have complained about the cramped ergonomics and stick drift of its detachable Joy-Cons. A sturdier alternative appealed to me — as did back buttons, which grace both the ASUS ROG and Steam Deck. The Nitro Deck+ offered both, but ultimately let me down.
Read more about why on WBUR.org
I also just heard back from Mitsuhiro Arita, another Bloomburrow artist. I initially hoped to include these (admittedly laconic) responses in my article last week, but since that’s already published I’m posting them here as a special treat:
How does working on Magic: The Gathering differ from your experience with other card games?
With respect to the picture itself, I had complete freedom. I thought Wizards would care the most about how the artwork looks within the card frame.
Magic cards are just a few inches tall. How do you make art at that small size really stand out?
I always care about making it clear what the picture’s subject is, using everything at my disposal: color, form, and light-dark.
You illustrated a ferocious bear for Bloomburrow — but what’s your favorite animal to draw?
Cats.
Talk to us more about your process. What physical or digital techniques do you use?
I’m given a concept, and my first task is to decide the situation. The next step is to draw a rough sketch, while considering what difficulties might arise with the structure, lighting, and color scheme. I do the pencils, linework, and shading on a colored illustration board, then add highlights using white poster color. I then scan this, isolate the linework and highlights in Photoshop, and do the actual painting in Painter.
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