When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
Dec. 19, 2024 @ 3:15 p.m.
ET Updated ahead of the holidays to ensure these tips and tricks are still accurate.
The ASUS ROG Ally is a great handheld, but there are some tricks you should learn to help you get the most out of it.
myASUS is also important, but for different reasons.
Here, ASUS will occasionally release critical system updates, like new AMD graphics drivers and BIOS updates.
Select “View” at the top and disable “Show desktop icons” at the bottom.
Armoury Crate is at the center of what makes the ROG Ally so great.
ASUS also added its own touches to make using the ROG Ally a little easier, too.
First, let’s start with Windows 11.
Probably the most important thing it’s possible for you to customize here is the Command Center, though.
Checking Windows Update may be obvious, but it’s still very important.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Take some time and explore those features, and set up the Command Center the way you want it!
Feel free to explore that section and experiment, but don’t expect any degree of consistency.
TheXbox app for PC is very easy to set up.
Don’t forget to make sure all your apps are updated! Xbox, Game Bar, and Gaming Services are all crucial.(Image credit: Windows Central)
It’s not perfect, but it’s a definite improvement over the regular mode.
Yeah, enable that one.
That’s important, because many games require a fair bit of VRAM to run well.
You can find the Update Center under the “Content” tab (not “Settings,” for some reason).(Image credit: Windows Central)
Fortunately, you might actually change this allocation!
Youcanset it to automatically change the VRAM allocation, but that’s not always reliable.
You still have the same option for customization, but that default is pretty rock solid.
ASUS updates all sorts of services and components through here, so check in every now and then.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Windows 11 is awesome for that.
The first step is to head to “options” > “Apps” > “Installed apps.”
Legacy programs like Notepad and Wordpad can also be tossed out.
The “System Update” tab in myASUS can deliver some crucial driver and firmware updates to your device, but you don’t need to check very often.(Image credit: Windows Central)
What you may not know is that your gadget likely comes with freeXbox Game Pass Ultimate.
I keep my Start Menu simple, just giving easy access to my most important apps, launchers, and installed games.
You can trim down the Start Menu a little bit, giving you more room for your apps.(Image credit: Windows Central)
I like to add shortcuts to Settings and File Explorer, saving me some time.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Customizing the Taskbar will make the biggest overall difference on your ROG Ally.(Image credit: Windows Central)
There are lots of ways to optimize the Taskbar for touch, and to make better use of your limited screen real estate.(Image credit: Windows Central)
You can also customize your touch keyboard, which you’ll need to use every now and then.(Image credit: Windows Central)
There isn’t a ton you can do here, but it’s worth noting this section.(Image credit: Windows Central)
More important is ensuring that touch gestures are enabled.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Windows 11 doesn’t work great on a controller, but touch gestures let me multitask, manage notifications, and more.
The Command Center is always a single button away, and offers a ton of utility.
Armoury Crate can act as a basic launcher, pulling in your games and launchers from multiple sources.(Image credit: Windows Central)
There’s quite a bit you can do here, especially in “Operating Mode” and with the Command Center.(Image credit: Windows Central)
There are a lot of different quick settings and toggles you can add to your Command Center.(Image credit: Windows Central)
There is a button remapping section, but it’s terribly unreliable.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The Xbox app isn’t bad on handhelds, but it can be a little better.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Compact Mode isn’t drastically different, but it makes subtle changes throughout the app that do add up.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Buried in Steam’s settings, there’s an option to start it in Big Picture Mode. You can also decide if you want Steam to start when your computer does here.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Big Picture Mode makes a substantial difference, and feels significantly nicer to use on the ROG Ally.(Image credit: Windows Central)
In Big Picture Mode’s settings, you can choose if you want it to start fullscreen (like on the Steam Deck) or windowed (like other launchers).(Image credit: Windows Central)
You can also make Steam work better with the ROG Ally’s controls here.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Under the Operating Mode section, you have lots of options to tweak your ROG Ally’s performance and efficiency.(Image credit: Windows Central)
GPU Settings is where you can change the VRAM allocation, though, and where you can toggle various AMD features.(Image credit: Windows Central)
It’s good to go down this list (and the Start Menu apps list) to uninstall anything you don’t need.(Image credit: Windows Central)
You can also free up some resources by disabling startup apps you don’t want.(Image credit: Windows Central)
I forgot to take a picture of the Game Pass offer when first opening the Microsoft Store, but you can always find the offer in your Library.(Image credit: Windows Central)
You should be able to redeem this whether you have existing Game Pass or not, but I have seen some people experience issues here.(Image credit: Windows Central)
There are a lot of great ASUS devices in my office right now.
