First strong competitor against the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally suffers from a heating problem that ASUS does not deny. On the contrary.
Available since mid-June, the ASUS ROG Ally is at the heart of a controversy that affects users of microSD cards.
microSD and VRM don’t mix
Original in more ways than one, the ROG Ally console certainly takes the general format of the Steam Deck, but inside, the design is very different, and it’s not necessarily for the best.
Thus, ASUS has decided to move the microSD card reader so that it is accessible from the upper edge of the ROG Ally. Such positioning actually makes it a little easier to access than on the Steam Deck, but this is not without posing serious problems.
On the ROG Ally, it is then close to the motherboard VRMs. It’s arguably the hottest spot on the console, and ASUS’ imagined airflow doesn’t seem to take into account the proximity of the card reader.
“Refine” the fan speed
Ever more numerous, user testimonials report concerns with microSDs which see their speeds collapse and their behavior become more random, when complete failures are not reported.
ASUS isn’t turning a deaf ear, and Whitson Gordon, a marketing manager at the company regularly involved in promoting the console, stepped in by posting a statement on Discord. First, he recognizes the problem: After confirmation from internal testing, under certain thermal stress conditions, the SD card reader may malfunction. »
Alas, ASUS doesn’t have a clear answer for those currently affected and is settling for a ” to alleviate the problem “. It is thus a question of a ” update that will further refine the default and minimum fan speeds on the device to improve reliability while limiting fan noise, as we know this is of concern to many of you “. This will not be the first time that the brand will update its small console.
In addition, ASUS indicates that you should not hesitate to ” contact customer service in your region to troubleshoot possible hardware issues on ROG Ally. Finally, it should be noted that during our test of the ROG Ally, we found it much more discreet than the Steam Deck. This should still be the case even after adjusting the fan, but it will be less sharp.
Source : Tom’s Hardware
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