I’ve owned the Steam Deck. I found it heavy especially with the Killswitch case installed, so I had to play it on my lap.
I play mostly claw gripping the right side buttons, and the unorthodox layout of the buttons can be a bit of a challenge. I find it kind of hurts my index finger because it’s what i use to press the face buttons. The layout of the SD had me hitting them with my index’s side, I feel it pinches over long periods. I considered getting a finger sleeve.
Then my SD got that black screen BS and I just sort of donated it to my brother in law along with a portable monitor. Bought an Ally, I can tell you the weight difference was night and day! Also the button placement was more Xbox like and the bumpers and triggers are easier to hit playing claw. Overall the Ally has a more ergonomic shape for me, with my playstyle.
I have the ROG Ally coming from the original Steam Deck. Had a black screen issue with the SD that I didn’t resolve and since I am located somewhere Valve does not do service or RMA, I just fave it away to my brother in law, I’ll let him deal with it.
I was not going to get another handheld because of my disappointing experience with the Deck, but when I saw a sample unit of the Ally in our local gadget boutique I was surprised with the weight, the compactness, and the overall look of it. Bought one a week ago and despite the annoying updates and tweaks, I finally got it in its current playable form.
I have to admit, though, I had a G14 and am quite familiar with AMD software, Windows 11, and Armoury Crate. So it was relatively easy for me to break in the Ally.