ASUS ROG Ally Setup Guide

Last updated: 26OCT2023

Setting up the ASUS ROG Ally can be a little tricky, since it’s a Windows machine without a mouse and keyboard. In this guide I’ll show you nine tips and tricks to properly set up your new device.

Essential accessories

Microfiber cloth: during setup (and general use), you will be touching the screen A LOT, and it will pick up on all those smudges. I recommend get a microfiber cloth to have on hand, they are cheap and these cloths from CareTouch are also machine washable.

Keyboard and mouse: Because the handheld uses Windows, you will have a much easier time setting things up with a keyboard and mouse attached. If you have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, it’s easy enough to pair them in the Settings menu. However, if you want something more portable, this keyboard from Rii is what I use. It is USB rechargeable, and has a 2.4GHz USB dongle for easy connection.

MicroSD card: I recommend storing your games on a microSD card since the cards are relatively cheap and you can swap them out as needed. I would recommend buying a microSD card from a reputable brand like SanDisk or Samsung to ensure longterm card integrity. Personally I use a 1TB SanDisk Extreme card in my ROG Ally.

256GB microSD:
SanDisk Ultra
SanDisk Extreme
Samsung EVO Select

512GB microSD:
SanDisk Ultra
SanDisk Extreme
Samsung EVO Select

1TB microSD:
SanDisk Ultra
SanDisk Extreme
SanDisk Extreme Pro

SSD upgrade: if you want to upgrade your internal storage, the process is very simple (demonstrated in the video above). I recommend the Sabrent Rocket SSDs, they are of high quality at a reasonable price.

1TB 2230 NVMe SSD:
Sabrent Rocket

2TB 2230 NVMe SSD:
Sabrent Rocket

If you are interested in the electronic screwdriver shown in the video above, here is a link to it. I also recommend the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit.

Stuck on “Checking” window during the Cloud Recovery part of the SSD upgrade process? There is an easy fix for this. Go back into the BIOS and on that first page (when in “EZ Mode”), you will see the date and time at the top, with a small pencil icon to the right of it. Tap on that icon and adjust the date/time to match your current date/time. Now re-run the Cloud Recovery process and it should work fine.

Prevent Windows GPU drivers “updates”. Windows Update will provide constant updates that can override the ASUS GPU drivers, causing issues like preventing AMD Adrenalin from functioning. Here is how to disable those updates (thanks to Reddtor designgears):

Open Settings.
Click on System.
Click the About page on the right side.
Click the “Advanced system settings” option.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click the “Device Installation Settings” button.
Choose the “No (your device might not work as expected)” option.
Click the Save Changes button.
Click the OK button.
Reboot

Links mentioned in the video

MyASUS app in the Microsoft Store. If the app is not already pre-installed, you can install it from here.

ASUS ROG Ally drivers. If you have any drivers issues with your device, I recommend grabbing the software drivers from this site. This also includes BIOS update files in case you want to install them directy.

AMD Adrenalin software. If this software is not already installed on your device, you can download it from here.

Performance degradation when going from firmware 3.17 to 3.19 (via Overkill WTF). Note that this is still ongoing, and ASUS is working on a fix. I would expect this to be a non-issue within the next week or so.

Ninite.com. This is a great website for installing essential apps all at once.

Optimizing Windows 11 game performance. This Microsoft article will provide suggestions for improving game performance on your Ally (or other Windows machine), by disabling Memory Integrity and VMP.

Handheld Companion. This app provides granular adjustments to the ROG Ally system settings, and enables gyro support.

Handheld Control Panel. This is another third-party app looking to improve the ROG Ally experience, still in testing right now.

EmuDeck for Windows. This is in early access and requires a Patreon subscription, but will install and pre-configure emulators for you.

ROG Ally articles from ASUS. These tips and tricks are pretty handy!