Gaming and Sim Computers: the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go

[mpatrickriley]

OK, this is a very narrow question at the intersection of a few threads/interests, but I wanted to see if anyone here had knowledge that I could tap into.

A few months ago, I bought a new computer to run my garage simulator. Unfortunately, its performance has been underwhelming. It is fine for a few of my golf apps that aren't graphically intensive (FlightScope, Awesome Golf, and Creative Golf), but really lags for more demanding apps (GSPro and the new SkyTrak software). It has a Ryzen 7 chip but onboard graphics; from some of the reviews, I thought it would be adequate for what I'm doing (1080p on the projector), but not so much.

So I'm considering replacements (and repurposing the little mini-PC for maybe a homeschool machine).

On the GSPro Facebook group the other day, something caught my eye: a guy posted video of himself running GSPro on High detail on an Asus ROG Ally handheld PC. He said this was the base model ROG Ally, not the Extreme version. What makes this device interesting is that, unlike the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck, it is running Windows 11; in theory, anything you can run on a Windows device will run on it.

Doing a little digging, I found the Lenovo Legion Go, which has the Extreme version processor and really impressive specs. It has a couple of USB C ports, so it would be useable with a docking station to allow all kinds of peripherals, including external monitors/projector, keyboard and mouse, etc. (I already own a USB C docking port like this.)

I'm very, very intrigued. My question is: does anyone here have any experience with these devices? Especially the Legion Go, which is now $499 on Amazon. My thought is that, given the gaming performance, it might be unlikely that I could get a reasonable alternative with better performance for what I'm going for.

My biggest question right now would be how well it behaves when connected to an external monitor running at a different aspect ratio from the device itself. Given that it's running Windows 11, is should be fine. But my sim setup is 4:3, not widescreen, and I would hate to plunk down money for the device and then find that it refuses to play nice with my sim.

[Shankopotomous]

Thank you for posting this.  I am thinking hard about a sim / LM setup and dont even know the right questions to ask about some of the hardware involved.  I am following along to soak up the info.

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Are you looking for Laptop only?  I bought a used gaming tower on eBay for around $500.  I run gspro on ultra with zero issues or lag.  Still need to figure out how to position the 4K projector so I’m using a regular one. I just use a tv for a computer screen. 

 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Didn’t load for some reason but here are my specs 

[mpatrickriley]

First, here's the video of the guy playing GSPro on a SkyTrak on a ROG Ally:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/329744822326298/posts/981185057182268

@GolfSpy_BNG: See, this is what makes me hesitate. It's clear that a machine like that would have more graphical power than the Legion Go, and yet searching for something comparable at this price point on eBay isn't turning up a ton for me right now. I don't want to run my sim through a handheld PC just because it's cool and different, although I'd be lying if I didn't find the idea cool. But I don't want to be foolish spending money on a mediocre machine that compromises how I want to use it when I could purchase a machine that works exactly like I want.

[mpatrickriley]

I'll add: my son Kirke is absolutely all in on getting a handheld gaming PC that we're claiming to my wife is for the golf simulator.

[GolfSpy_BNG]

So when I was researching this it’s all about the graphics card.   I’d be skeptical that your handheld pc will give you the graphics you want. 

[MattF]

I bought my sim PC through Newegg. It's a refurbished Dell Optiplex using an i5-8500, 32BG ram, RTX 3050 6GB graphics, 512GB SSD, running Windows 11. It was $480 and they still have more available.

It does everything I need it to do with the sim even set on the highest graphics setting.

[mpatrickriley]

OK, I'm a sucker for gadgets. The price on the Lenovo Legion Go dropped on Amazon, and I grabbed one. Haven't gotten out to my garage yet, but as a proof of concept, I installed SkyTrak 5 on it this morning a chipped a ball or two on my practice green, and it works.

I've got a little Bluetooth keyboard connected to this thing right now, and that's where I'm posting this from.

Obviously, I have a lot more testing to do to see how efficiently it runs the more graphically intensive golf sims, but just the nerd factor on this is very attractive for me :)

[mpatrickriley]

OK, I still need to venture out to my garage (high temperatures in the mid-20s make that less than inviting), but I installed GSPro on my Legion Go this morning just to test it in mouse mode. I'm very, very impressed. This is on Georgia Threes, at 1080p on Very High detail mode:

Don't be too impressed by the shot: if you look at the score, I'm about a billion over par, because the touchpad ain't the best for playing golf. But the detail on this is crazy—much, much better that I was capable of with my Ryzen 7-powered PC (with 32GB of RAM, but no dedicated graphics) in the garage.

Really looking forward to getting this connected to a little docking station and plugging in the projector.

[edingc]

This is a really interesting idea. Poking around some Reddit threads and people seem to be equating the graphics chipset in the Legion Go to a NVIDIA RTX 1660, which at one point I thought would be enough for 1080p GSPro, though that currently seems to not be the case:

 

Curious to see how you get along with it.

[mpatrickriley]

4 minutes ago, edingc said:

This is a really interesting idea. Poking around some Reddit threads and people seem to be equating the graphics chipset in the Legion Go to a NVIDIA RTX 1660, which at one point I thought would be enough for 1080p GSPro, though that currently seems to not be the case:

 

Curious to see how you get along with it.

I'll certainly keep the thread updated.

At lunchtime, I connected a USB-C dongle to it and plugged in an external wifi antenna. Windows immediate recognized it, and allowed me (as expected) to keep the internal wifi connected to my home internet while connected my Mevo+ to the second wifi adaptor. Opened the FlightScope software and tested it by rolling a couple of putts in my basement, and the software worked as expected.

So the biggest remaining box to be checked is plugging in my projector and hoping that the Legion Go plays nice with an external monitor at a different resolution (my sim setup is 4:3, while the Legion is obviously widescreen). If that works, I should be in business to play GSPro at a much higher quality than I was previously.

[mpatrickriley]

Ventured out into the garage, which is currently about 15°, to see if the Legion Go would properly display on the projector. The key here is that I need the projector screen to run in a 4:3 resolution, because my sim screen is that aspect ratio. So this is just the most basic trial run: I have a USB-C hub plugged in to the Legion Go, with the HDMI cable from the projector plugged into that.

So far, everything is working exactly like I hoped it would, and I'm really pleased with this little device. For reference, the mini-PC I bought for the garage originally was a Ryzen 7 with 32GBs of RAM (but no dedicated graphics), and GSPro would only run on "Lite" mode.

Things I still need to test:

1. Running power to the USB-C hub to make sure the Legion Go stays on without draining the battery.
2. Trying alternative resolutions/detail settings to get the sweet spot of performance/graphics.
3. Possibly setting the screen to mirror (instead of extend) so that we could use the Go as a touchscreen to interact with GSPro. That would demand the Go to run a 4:3 resolution, which I don't know that it wants to do. We'll see.

[GolfSpy_BNG]

I’m glad it’s working for you Michael.  My space restraints have made me move on from the Full Swing Kit. Traded for a Bushnell Launch Pro.   Gonna follow this closely as I’d love to have a something portable. 

[mpatrickriley]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BNG said:

I’m glad it’s working for you Michael.  My space restraints have made me move on from the Full Swing Kit. Traded for a Bushnell Launch Pro.   Gonna follow this closely as I’d love to have a something portable. 

If you duct tape a Legion Go to the top of your Bushnell, you'd have a Garmin R50

[GolfSpy_BNG]

14 minutes ago, mpatrickriley said:

If you duct tape a Legion Go to the top of your Bushnell, you'd have a Garmin R50

Now that’s an idea