Asus has admitted the ROG Ally handheld PC has been having some overheating issues, specifically linked to a microSD card. Even worse, the issue hampers the console’s ability to use said microSD card, accounting for the many problems that Ally users have been complaining about for some time.
The acceptance of the problem comes from Asus HQ, and was shared on Discord by Whitson Gordon on Discord by Whitson Gordon, Asus’s senior marketing manager of gaming content. The statement refers to "certain thermal stress conditions on the SD card reader" which can cause malfunctions with the device. Asus is pushing out an update to fine-tune fan speeds to help alleviate the problem, but for many, this particular problem has broken their microSD cards altogether, rendering them inoperable.
Tom’s Hardware did some investigating into how much heat a microSD card could be expected to withstand, and found it should be able to operate within the realms of -13ºF to 185ºF (-25ºC to 85ºC). However, when so many AMD parts are clustered together, it’s easy to imagine heat exceeding this.
It’s an unfortunate problem, but one that’s not altogether unexpected. The Asus ROG Ally packs a lot of high performing tech into a small area, and running those components at the level required to run demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 is likely to cause some stress. This particular problem affects just the microSD card, but considering how temperature damage can build up over time, there may be more issues that spring up over time, especially on those ROG Ally units that are often run in Extreme mode.
However, that’s just a worst-case assumption, and nothing to worry about if you own a ROG Ally. If you’ve found that your unit has these issues with the microSD card slot, then Asus has opened up some RMA (return merchandise authorization) options for you, so you can get your console fixed or replaced.
It’s not a great bit of news for the Asus ROG Ally, but it’s a machine with a great reputation. iFixit declared it a great device for repairability, with many components being easily accessed by people with even a small amount of technical expertise. Even with this small problem, the ROG Ally is still the best portable PC out there.