The ASUS ROG Ally hasn’t been out for long, but already it’s proven itself to be a great PC gaming handheld in its own right, even against the Steam Deck. Yet, like with any new tech, it’s bound to experience issues here and there, and the latest problem is wreaking havoc on people’s microSD cards – one of the best Asus ROG Ally accesories to expand your storage for more games.
Many ASUS ROG Ally owners are flocking to the official subreddit to share their frustrations over the latest problems facing the device. Over the past week, there have been multiple posts outlining faults around the microSD card reader.
User PoorImpulseControl states that ASUS Armoury Crate, the software portal where users can get real-time performance and settings information for their devices, refused to boot up, and they could no longer access their microSD card. Despite trying to update drivers, they had no success trying to fix the issue, and many comments on the initial subreddit post suggest this is happening to a large subset of ROG Ally owners.
The exact reason for the microSD card faults hasn’t yet been officially identified. Nevertheless, many ROG Ally owners believe this could be because of handheld overheating, especially as the card reader is positioned alongside one of the heat sink arrays and exhaust ports. Temperatures of up to 95c have been reported after users enabled ‘Turbo mode’, along with the device generally feeling hot to the touch.
However, other users aren’t entirely convinced that overheating is the cause of all the problems. A lot of those having issues are using SanDisk Extreme cards, which are designed to be “temperature proof” and incredibly durable, and some microSD cards began working once the handheld had cooled down.
While we can’t be sure what exactly the reason behind these multiple microSD card reader faults is, a moderator of the official ROG Ally Discord channel shared that the company is aware of the problems and is “currently investigating the issue.” For now, it recommends against using any microSD card until a fix is released.
Hopefully, ASUS ROG Ally owners will get a solution soon, as nothing is worse than your expensive gaming device not working as intended, especially if it’s having a knock-on effect on your pricey SD cards.
The best microSD card for Steam Deck can also be used in the ROG Ally. Check out our ASUS ROG Ally review to find out more about the device or our Steam Deck vs ASUS ROG Ally feature to see what PC gaming handheld best suits your needs.