I never pay full price for games on my ROG Ally X with this app

It might seem obvious to those familiar with the wild, sometimes complicated world of PC games, but the all-encompassing gaming platform that is Steam isn’t installed by default on the

ROG Ally X
, unlike

Valve’s Steam Deck
. This means that you need to hunt down Steam and install it on the ROG Ally X yourself, opening up the device to a wide variety of games — and more importantly, an array of awesome deals.

Since I come from the land of consoles and have only dabbled in the world of PC gaming, the versatility Steam offers is exciting and fresh to me. Brand-new games that have already been discounted? You’d never see this in the

Switch’s eShop
. Steam feels like a far more affordable version of the Xbox Game Store or PlayStation Store that also doubles as a convenient platform for launching all of your titles (though I still prefer to use Armory Crate SE for that).

For example, Returnal is on sale right now for $40 (regularly $80), Diablo IV is $37 (regularly $66.99), and Dead Island 2 is $27.59 (regularly 68.99). Over the past few months, I’ve picked up games like Elden Ring, Final Fantasy XVI, The Grand Theft Auto Definitive Edition Trilogy, and Halo The Master Chief Collection, all at big discounts.

Getting Steam on your Asus ROG Ally only takes a few steps

Welcome to the wild world of PC gaming

To get Steam up and running on the ROG Ally X, first you need to download the app. To do this, open up your browser of choice (if you’re just using the ROG Ally X’s default Windows 11 browser, that’s Edge), type “Steam” in the search bar and click on the “Welcome to Steam” link (the green “Install Steam” box is in the top right). Alternatively, you can also just click this link to download the Steam app.

I hate navigating Windows 11 on the ROG Ally X’s tiny screen because the operating system isn’t designed for precise touch controls. If I’m able to, I set up my ROG Ally X at my desk and hook my Logitech Bluetooth mouse and keyboard up to the handheld. This makes doing pretty much anything with the handheld far easier.

Follow these steps to install Steam on your ROG Ally X:

1. Head to Valve’s official Steam website.
2. Click on the blue Install Steam button.
3. Launch SteamSetup.exe (it should be in your downloads folder).
4. Click Yes, and then Next.
5. Select your language.
6. Finally, click Install.

Once you’ve launched Steam, you can sign in with your account or make a new one by selecting Create a free account, which requires your name, email, and other information. After you’ve logged in, you’ll see all your games in a list on the left when you have the Library tab selected. To install a game, select it and click the blue Download button.

The handheld version of Steam is very easy to navigate. To access the menu, hit the B button. From here you can check out your Library or go to the Store (you can also use the touchscreen). While any game from the store can be installed on the ROG Ally X, sticking to the Great on Deck section is a solid way to ensure you’re always downloading titles optimized for handheld controls and displays.

Any game store you install should also show up under the Game Platforms tab in Armory Crate SE, making it easy to get back to Steam relatively quickly. Downloaded titles appear under the All Games section. To access Armory Crate SE, tap the triangle-shaped button above the right joystick and use the ROG Ally X’s bumpers to hit the first tab. You can then navigate through Favorites, All Games, and Game Platforms with the triggers.

Related

I wasn’t expecting the ROG Ally X to outshine the Steam Deck quite this much

Both gaming handhelds have specific strengths and weaknesses, but generally, the ROG Ally X reigns supreme.