ASUS ROG Ally firmware update boost performance by 20%: How to download, new benchmarks, and more

A new ASUS ROG Ally software update has solved all the performance issues the new handheld console faced at low wattages. The device was losing to the Steam Deck even though it packed way more powerful hardware under its hood. Thankfully, a software issue prevented games from utilizing the hardware bundled with the console. After the update, the Ally can now easily outperform all other handhelds in the market, including the Ayaneo.

The new driver rolled out a couple of days ago. It delivers up to 20% more performance depending on the game it is being tested in. All ASUS ROG Ally users can now update their devices to enjoy the latest additions to the software and performance improvements.

This article will show you how to update your handheld software and how the ASUS ROG Ally now fares in video games.

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How to download the ASUS ROG Ally firmware update

The Content tab in the Armory Crate software (Image via The Phawx/YouTube)

Follow these steps to update your ROG Ally handheld:

Step 1. The ROG Ally software updates are delivered through the Armory Crate software. Launch the utility and head over to the Content tab.

Step 2. From here, click on Update Center. This will open up a new window.

Step 3. Click on Check for Updates. If your device hasn't been updated to the latest version, the pending downloads will appear here.

Step 4. Simply click on Update All. This will download and install the latest drivers onto the ROG Ally.

Step 5. Restart the handheld once the updates are complete.

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ASUS ROG Ally firmware update benchmark and performances

With the new updates installed, the ROG Ally is now officially the fastest handheld console on the planet. This makes sense, given that it packs the beefiest hardware among them all — a Zen 4-based Ryzen Z1 Extreme octa-core APU. The device is also powered by RDNA 3 graphics, the same tech inside the Radeon 7000 GPUs.

Old performance benchmarks of the ROG Ally at 15W (Image via Dave 2D/YouTube)

Despite packing such high-end hardware, the ROG Ally was performing pretty poorly in video games. The handheld was losing to the much weaker Steam Deck, a device that comes with a quad-core Zen 2-based CPU and an RDNA 2-powered GPU.

This made zero sense. The only reason anyone could think of was poor software optimizations. That turned out to be right, as the latest software update boosted Ally's performance to levels never seen before.

Below are the benchmark charts conducted by YouTuber Dave 2D. At 25 W, the ROG Ally performs way better than the Steam Deck and the Ayaneo 2S. The update still doesn't utilize the underlying hardware to the fullest, and we believe more optimizations will push the handheld console even further.

The new performance benchmarks of the ROG Ally (Image via Dave 2D/YouTube)

The latest update has been received well by ASUS ROG Ally users. Besides performance improvements, the company has also introduced some quality-of-life additions to the Armory Crate software, like memory allocation that smoothes out the experience.