The Asus ROG Ally is one of the best alternatives to the Steam Deck. It’s a powerful system capable of running the latest hit PC games. In our review, we found its performance to be among the best for handheld devices. Although Windows has its quirks on a small screen, you can still use it for browsing the web, keeping up with social media, and other non-gaming tasks. Plus, you can get a great controller or dock for your Asus ROG Ally and connect it to an external display to enjoy games on the big screen.

As you can see, there’s a lot you can do with your new handheld console. Whether you’re looking for new games, pairing a controller, setting it up on a dock, or just starting to use Asus’ Armoury Crate SE, these tips will help you breeze through the onboarding process.

1 Set up Windows 11

The very beginning of your handheld journey

As soon as you unbox the Asus ROG Ally and power it on, you'll be prompted to set up Windows 11. You can follow our Windows 11 installation guide for some tips, but otherwise, the setup is simple. Select your country and region, pick the keyboard layout, give your system a name, and then add a Microsoft account. Adding one will also let you access Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming, granted you have a subscription (which you can buy through your ROG Ally). You'll even get access to the Microsoft Store for downloading additional apps and games if you sign in with a Microsoft account.

You can navigate Windows with the mouse by using the right thumbstick and tapping on the screen to click. You also can set up a PIN, scan your fingerprint, and choose privacy settings. On the Let's customize your experience screen, be sure to choose Gaming, which will customize the operating system for gaming by pre-pinning certain useful gaming apps like the Xbox app to your Taskbar for easier access. Once you get through those initial prompts, you'll be taken right to the desktop.

While we hate to burst your bubble, you might want to keep in mind that Windows could end up being a bit lacking for the Asus ROG Ally. We found Windows 11 problematic for the hardware in our review. Though the system plays most games without issue, it wasn't easy to use Windows compared to Valve's Steam OS on such a small screen. We also ran into bugs with hibernation, where the handheld would leave a hibernation state frequently. These are some things to keep in mind as you speed through your Windows install and continue to use it going forward.

2 Familiarize yourself with Asus Armoury Crate SE

The center of your Asus software experience

While Windows is the primary operating system on your new Asus ROG Ally and might have its issues, you’ll also want to get familiar with Armory Crate SE. This is Asus’ software that runs on top of Windows, designed to help you customize your handheld and play games from different publishers and platforms. Just tap the Armoury Crate button (it’s the second small button on the top right side of the screen) to access the app.

If you’ve already installed games, simply tap on the Game Library section to see all the games on your system. Launching a game is as easy as pressing the A button. You can also customize the controls for these games by tapping on the X button and selecting the Key mapping settings. You can change the RGB lighting, adjust how the haptics react, and create power profiles for added performance.

There are plenty of other customization options too. In Settings, you can tweak the performance profile, Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth settings, lighting effects, and edit the options in the Command Center. The Command Center, triggered by pressing the triangle button at the top left of the screen, lets you change the resolution, refresh rate, control modes, screen brightness, and AMD RSR settings. You can even see the FPS without quitting your game.

The most important section to familiarize yourself with is Operation Mode. In the performance section, you can control the wattage sent to the CPU and integrated GPU to optimize your gameplay. For the best performance at the cost of battery life, select Turbo (30W on power and 25W on battery). For silent gameplay where FPS isn’t as important, choose Silent (9W of power). Advanced users can select Manual mode to tweak settings from 7W to 40W and adjust fan speeds.

3 Install some games

Get ready to play

After you set up Windows, it's time to install some games! You can install and play games locally on your device from services like Steam, Xbox, EA Access, Epic Games Store, and more. Obviously, not all the games will be free, but your Asus ROG Ally comes with a three-month trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that you can redeem through the Microsoft Store app if you'd like to start downloading.

From there, we suggest checking out the Xbox app and signing in with the Microsoft account you used to redeem your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. You can download almost any game you see by clicking the Install button. You can also check out the Cloud Gaming section of the Xbox app to stream and try games via the cloud before you settle on buying it. There are plenty of fun games to try, like Forza Horizon, Minecraft, Grounded, and more. And if you own an Xbox, you can install select titles you already paid for that are available on PC through the Xbox Play Anywhere program.

If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you also can access EA Play games on your Asus ROG Ally. These are popular sports games like FIFA and Madden and other titles like Titanfall. Just scroll down in the Xbox app until you see EA Play and click See Games. Then click to install the EA App.

And we can't forget Steam, either. Once installed, you can visit the Library section of Steam to see your catalog. To find more games, click on Store and browse around. You'll notice games that are on sale with a green discount tag. You can also scroll down to Browse Steam and select the Free Games section to install free titles or visit Specials to see special limited-time sales on games.

To find and discover more games, press the Asus Armoury Crate button (second button to the top left side of the screen) tab over to Content, and choose Game Platforms. It'll prompt you to download other apps like Epic Games, Ubisoft Connect, or GOG Galaxy. You also might want to consider a service like Nvidia GeForce Now, too, where you can stream PC games from the cloud that you purchase through Steam. It's a great way to play games that you know won't play on your console very well.

4 Connect a controller

Play from a bit away

The Asus ROG Ally is a handheld gaming console, but you also can use a dedicated controller if you please. The best one to consider is Microsoft's Xbox controller, which shares the same button layout as the ROG Ally, specifically with its ABXY buttons. Of course, any other Bluetooth controller works fine, but the button layout will be different. Even a wired Xbox Controller will work, granted you connect it to the ROG Ally's USB-C port.

You can pair any Bluetooth controller to your system easily. Put the controller into pairing mode, head into Windows 11's Taskbar, tap the Wi-Fi icon, tap the Bluetooth icon in the quick settings, and enable Bluetooth. Tap the arrow to the right of the Bluetooth icon, look for your Xbox Controller in the list, and tap Connect once you see it. Then, you're good to go.

5 Install essential apps and programs

We've got a perfect list for you

If you've dusted off your shiny new Asus ROG Ally and you want to do more with it, then you should look into installing some of the most essential apps and programs on your device.

Our list below has a ton of applications that you can install and try out, so be sure to give it a read! We highly recommend Handheld Companion and EmuDeck, but all of them are worth trying.

6 Consider a dock and other accessories

Connect your Asus ROG Ally to a monitor or TV

You'll also want to consider buying a dock for the Asus ROG Ally so you can hook up your system to a display. There are many to consider, but our favorite is the official Asus ROG 65W Charger Dock, which has a USB-A port, a USB-C port for power, and an HDMI port for connecting to a display. We found in our review, though, that any Steam Deck dock will work as well. We used the JSAX Steam Deck dock, and it outputted to a monitor just fine when we played VALORANT.

And while we're at it, you can boost the gaming power of your Asus ROG Ally with an eGPU. Asus sells the ROG XG Mobile Unit, which is a full-on external GPU. It houses an RTX graphics card that can turn your system into a full-blown computer for things like video editing and graphic design or engineering. You can check out our best Asus ROG Ally accessories post for more accessory ideas.

7 Add more storage

Get even more games

Finally, you might want to consider adding more storage to your Asus ROG Ally. It only comes with a 512GB SSD, which is decent (especially compared to the Steam Deck, which starts with 64GB), but considering some of the biggest games are around 100GB, that's going to run out quickly. If you need more space, you can swap out the SSD for a bigger one. You can also simply use microSD card storage, although you'll get slower transfer speeds than using an SSD.

We have a guide to the best SSDs for the Asus ROG All if you're looking for ideas, or you can check out the best microSD cards for more.

Enjoy your new Asus ROG Ally!

With these six tips, you really should be on your way to enjoying your new Asus ROG Ally. The handheld is a great system for both PC and console gamers, especially when you consider you can access many great titles through cloud gaming services. The sky is the limit when it comes to the Asus ROG Ally, and once you have one in your hands, we wish you well in your new and portable gaming journey.