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Aug 11, 2023

The best ROG Ally accessories in 2023

If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Your time — and money — is precious. Polygon’s What to Buy has rounded up the best in gaming

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Your time — and money — is precious. Polygon’s What to Buy has rounded up the best in gaming hardware, entertainment, tabletop, merch, and toys, and how to get them for the best value, so you spend less time shopping and more time enjoying.

The Asus ROG Ally is one of the most powerful handheld PCs currently available. But unlike the Steam Deck, there isn’t as robust of an accessory ecosystem for buyers. This makes sense, considering the Asus handheld has been available for less than a year, and has a significantly higher price point than Valve’s handheld.

However, there’s a silver lining. Thanks to the ROG Ally’s design similarities to the Steam Deck, many of those same accessories work just fine with the Asus handheld. This includes things like microSD cards, JSAUX’s docking station, and even some cases.

So, if you’ve decided to make the ROG Ally your portable PC of choice (or you’re the kind of person who has multiple handhelds — no judgment!), here’s a short list of accessories that the Polygon staff enjoys.

One of the first accessories you should buy for the ROG Ally is this three-pack of tempered glass screen protectors from amFilm. These will keep your screen safe from scratches and other minor cosmetic damage, and they’re easy to apply. Best of all, they’re affordable. The three-pack is available from Amazon for $12.99.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re using the ROG Ally primarily as a handheld (as opposed to docking it to a monitor or TV), you may wish to make its thumbsticks a little cozier. If so, Skull & Co. makes a set of $10.99 thumbstick grips that are up to the task. While modeled after the sticks on the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally’s are close enough in size to be compatible with these grips as well. Once applied, they provide a bit more surface area for your thumbs, and certain grips can adjust the height if that’s something you prefer.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The easiest and least expensive option for expanding the ROG Ally’s storage is using a microSD card, which are available in sizes ranging from 32 GB to 1 TB from a number of reliable brands. The model we recommend is the 512 GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card, which is a great value for $44.99 (we’ve linked the 1 TB model below).

Related

While the Asus ROG Ally supports faster UHS-II microSD cards, like the Gigastone Ultimate Pro, it’s a pricey route to suggest for most people. Until more reliable brands hop on the UHS-II microSD card train, we have some tips on how to add even faster storage to your handheld.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

For storage that’s both spacious and fast, your best storage option (for those who want to get involved with opening their ROG Ally) is getting a 2230-size M.2 SSD. 1 TB and 2 TB versions of these stubby SSDs are readily available. If you’re looking for a 1 TB SSD, our recommendation is the MP600 Mini M.2 SSD from Corsair, which offers much faster transfer speeds compared to microSD cards for just $89.99. While 2 TB models are more scarce, you can currently find the Team Group MP44 at Newegg for $179.99, which offers comparable performance to Corsair’s MP600 Mini.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The most popular third-party Steam Deck dock also happens to be the best option for anyone who needs a dock for the ROG Ally. The versatile $39.99 JSAUX Steam Deck dock is a simple and straightforward way to expand the handheld’s connectivity options, allowing you to hook up monitors, keyboards, and other wired peripherals. The JSAUX dock features a trio of USB-A ports, and a single USB-C port for power in addition to an HDMI 2.0 output and ethernet port. All you have to do is slot the ROG Ally in the dock, then plug it in via USB-C.

The JSAUX docking station provides up to 100 W of power, which is enough juice to satisfy the 65 W charging requirements of the ROG Ally (plus most connected accessories). The dock is even capable of running the ROG Ally in its Turbo mode. If you have a 100 W wall charger, all you need to do to ensure operability (and support for Turbo mode) is ensure that your handheld is running BIOS version 323. However, to use that high-speed mode with 65 W chargers (like the one included with the ROG Ally), you’ll both need to update the dock’s firmware with a PC (link accessible within this post) and have BIOS version 323 on the handheld.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’d rather hook up some accessories to a more compact hub, Anker’s 332 USB-C hub is cheaper at $24.99. It even provides similar connectivity options to the Jsaux docking station, but its power passthrough is slightly lower at 85 W.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The ROG Ally has one more trick up its sleeve for expanding its ports. The ROG XG Mobile external GPU dock not only adds ports, but it can greatly boost performance with its built-in Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card — at a high cost of $1,499.99. Originally designed for select Asus gaming laptops, this dock can also plug into the ROG Ally’s proprietary connector, allowing the handheld to benefit from the additional rendering power of the RTX 3080 (the 2023 edition of the XG Mobile includes an RTX 4090). This ridiculously priced eGPU is out of budget for most people, but it’s there in case you want to get the most out of your handheld.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re planning to use the ROG Ally docked or hooked up to an external monitor, you might want a Bluetooth controller. It might be tempting to go all out with a pro-grade controller, like the $129.99 Xbox Elite Series 2 or the $199.99 DualSense Edge. But other, less expensive models work just as well.

For a reliable controller that doesn’t skip on essential features, we recommend checking out the $69.99 8BitDo Ultimate Controller. The Switch Pro-like controller comes packaged with its own charging dock, and it can connect to a variety of devices either via Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz wireless. Best of all, it’s equipped with Hall effect joysticks that are resistant to drifting over time.

It also supports remappable inputs courtesy of the 8BitDo Ultimate app, which also allows you to set up macros, adjust vibration, fine-tune stick sensitivity, and more.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Compatible with PC, Steam Deck, Switch

For a more portable, less expensive option, you might want to check out the SNES-inspired SN30 Pro controller from 8BitDo, which is regularly available for $44.99 or less. While the SN30 Pro lacks 2.4 GHz connectivity and Hall effect joysticks, it’s compatible with Bluetooth-enabled devices, like the ROG Ally.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Like all portable handhelds, battery life isn’t the ROG Ally’s strongest suit. If you’re playing games, the battery tends to drain rather quickly. To keep your ROG Ally topped off, or to recharge it in a jiff, we’d recommend going with the Baseus 30,000 mAh power bank. This 65 W power bank has enough power to charge your ROG Ally while you game, and it includes a handy LED display showing its charge level and voltage. While this large power bank features four USB-A ports in addition to micro-USB and USB-C inputs, make sure only the ROG Ally is plugged in to ensure it gets all of this battery’s power.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re looking for a less expensive option, we’d recommend checking out the 20,000 mAh model from Baseus. It provides the same 65 W charging capacity, but with smaller battery capacity, fewer ports, and a smaller $47.99 price.

Keep in mind that just about any power bank with a 65 W or beyond recharging capability will work, so head here if you’re looking for more portable charger options.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Asus makes its own carrying case for the ROG Ally. The $39.99 zip-up case isn’t included with the handheld, which is frustrating given its $699.99 price. If you’re looking for other options, we’d recommend checking out the $45.99 JSAUX carrying case at Amazon. Originally made for the Steam Deck, the hard-shell sling bag features a soft enclosure exclusively for your handheld, with a separate section filled with pockets for all of your accessories. It’ll fit the ROG Ally just fine.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

However, if you’d prefer something a little classier, the ROG Ally CitySlicker case from Waterfield is great for people with room in their budget. These $119 compact cases are available in either waxed canvas or ballistic nylon.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

There isn’t anything quite like Dbrand’s Project Killswitch yet for the ROG Ally (that said, Dbrand confirmed to Polygon that it’s working with Asus on one, targeting this winter for a launch). The closest thing we’ve managed to find as a stand-in is this $19.99 case from Amazon. It simply slips over the back of the Ally, with cutouts for all the air intake and exhaust ports on the top and back of the handheld. The textured grips on either side of this thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) case are comfortable, and the built-in kickstand is certainly a welcome addition at this price. However, the fit on this case isn’t great, making it annoying to adjust the volume or use the fingerprint reader.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

A similar option that uses silicone instead of TPU and offers a better fit is the $16.99 ROG Ally case from Optoslon. We found the silicone to be a magnet for dust and hair, making it tougher to keep clean of debris, if that’s important to you.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

We don’t consider the Allymate adapter bundle to be essential for most people. But at $49 for the whole kit, it solves some shortcomings of the handheld PC. The core of this bundle is an adhesive plate that sticks to the back of your ROG Ally, allowing it to connect with several included mounting options with a satisfying click. The mounting options include a wall mount, a VESA mount for monitor arms, and a kickstand. Also included is a pair of universal, adhesive-backed pucks, which allow you to add or remove just about anything to the back of your handheld, which is particularly useful for awkwardly-shaped necessities like battery packs, external SSDs, and USB-C hubs.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re looking for a VESA mounting solution for your ROG Ally, consider a static monitor arm like the Wali monitor mount, which is usually available on Amazon for around $28. The Wali monitor mount can be a little difficult to adjust, but we found that smaller mounts intended for tablets or even the Nintendo Switch just aren’t up to the task.

It’s important to remember that common monitor arms with gas springs, like this model from Huanuo, are meant to hold stuff much heavier than your handheld. So, unless you’re planning to add some extra weight, or use the arm fully extended, your best option to mount your Ally at eye level is a static monitor arm.

Prices taken at time of publishing.