We’ve been excited for the Asus ROG Ally handheld for a while and, now that it’s here, we’re eager to see what all it can do. In our review of the Asus Ally, we noted that it offers good performance and a bright screen, but mediocre battery life. And when you compare the Asus Ally vs the Steam Deck, it’s a tie because each has its strengths when playing PC games.
But what about emulation? How well does Asus’s new handheld play games made for consoles. YouTuber ETA Prime was determined to find out and shows us in the video below. The results are very promising as the Ally is able to handle games from PS3 (usually an emulation challenge), the Nintendo Switch and Xbox 360.
On the lighter end of the emulation spectrum, ETA Prime demonstrated it’s ability to play PSP games with ease using PPSSPP. It can also handle 3DS emulation using Citra, a Nintendo 3DS emulation platform. These systems are less demanding hardware-wise than consoles so it goes without surprise that the Asus ROG Ally handled them so well.
As far as consoles are concerned, ETA Prime also demonstrated its ability to run GameCube ROMs using Dolphin. PlayStation 2 games were also on the table thanks to PCSX2, a Windows-compatible PS2 emulation platform. From the same era, we also got a look at Xbox emulation with CXBX. It handled the WiiU fairly well using CEMU and brought us to the modern era of consoles by emulating the Nintendo Switch. In addition, it could handle Xbox 360 and PS3 emulation with reliable playability.
The Asus ROG Ally runs Windows so Steam access is a given. However, if you’re looking for an emulation platform there’s definitely great potential to be had. If you want to get a closer look at the Asus ROG Ally in action, check out the demonstration video shared to YouTube by ETA Prime.