After much excitement of finally pulling the trigger on a ROG Ally in the recent Black Friday sales, it finally arrived. After setting up and installing games and dressing it in case, the time finally came to take it for a spin.
Unfortunately, almost immediately, an issue with the right bumper (RB) presented itself. The left one worked flawlessly. The right one worked some of the time, then quickly stopped working altogether. THE HORROR!
As Amazon would only offer me a refund (which wouldn't cover the cost of getting a replacement now the price has gone back up) and doing an RMA with ASUS being my least preferred option, I set about trying to solve it myself. It looks like I'm not alone with an issue on the bumpers since the Ally first launched, either.
In any case, there are three things I've done, and one, perhaps more than one, seems to have resolved the issue. I'm realizing that I'm writing these words with crossed fingers in the hope I'm not jinxing myself.
I diagnosed it with an online tool, then I took it apart, installed a BIOS update that was missed during the setup process, and finally, took it out of its case. Here's my tale.
Diagnosing the right bumper
Testing an Xbox controller with the Gamepad Tester web app
The Gamepad Tester web app can help diagnose faulty hardware on your controller.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The first thing I tried was to actually diagnose that the problem was with the bumper and not some weird mapping issue with the games I'd been playing. Since it's recognized as an Xbox controller, you'd hope it just works, but never presume.
To do this, I used the Gamepad Tester web app. I highly recommend it if you're diagnosing issues with your own controllers; it's really good. In the case of the ROG Ally, first you have to make sure it's in Gamepad Mode, not Auto, otherwise it won't be recognized.
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From there, it's simply a case of pressing buttons and looking at the feedback on the app. I could clearly see that my LB was working totally normally, but the RB was not. Some presses would register zero, others slight feedback, and at times, it would only register if I angled the press either toward me or away from me. In any case, it showed me that there was an issue.
Step 1: Open it up!
ROG Ally SSD upgrade: Place the handheld down on a clean surface.
At least it's pretty easy to open the ROG Ally, though you will need the correct tiny screwdriver and something that isn't metal to help pry the back off.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
I'm no stranger to opening up PCs and poking around inside, so naturally, this was the first thing I did. Some threads on Reddit suggested that part of the trigger mechanism could be interfering, so this was the first thing to look at.
The triggers are fixed to the back panel, but there's a small rubber square underneath it. If this is dislodged, it needs pushing back into place, and it could fix any bumper or trigger-related problems. Mine was perfectly aligned, so it wasn't the case here.
The bumpers are fixed to the front of the Ally, and I was not feeling completely dismantling it to get a better look. Instead, I sprayed some compressed air in, just in case there was any dust or whatnot that may have found its way in from manufacturing. Then, I put it all back together and hoped for the best.
Initially, it looked promising, but this may have been a massive coincidence. Before long, it was acting up again.
Step 2: Updating the BIOS/Firmware
In the ROG Ally BIOS go to advanced settings and click ASUS Cloud Recovery.
Always worth checking that your BIOS is up-to-date.(Image credit: WD_BLACK)
Being a Windows 11 PC at heart, when first setting up the ROG Ally, there are a lot of updates to go through. Windows Update and Armoury Crate did all the heavy lifting, but there was one fairly crucial one that got missed.
The BIOS Update is delivered through the MyASUS app on the Ally, and I hadn't checked this. There was one waiting, so I figured it should be installed. Make sure it's connected to power when doing this.
I didn't actually make any changes in the BIOS, but now, finally, having checked all the firmware, BIOS, and software were fully updated, was there any change? Remarkably, yes! At least for a while. I thought I'd solved it, and maybe I sort of had, but then the intermittent registration of presses came back in. When you're trying to throw a Molotov in Black Ops 6, and it doesn't work, it's annoying.
Step 3: Removing the case
JSAUX ModCase for ROG Ally X bundle - everything in the box.
This is actually the ModCase for the ROG Ally X because mine is in no state to photograph right now. But it's possible mine had some kind of manufacturing problem that was adding to my RB issues.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
I bought the excellent JSAUX ModCase for my ROG Ally, but I have now removed it, at least for the foreseeable future. In no way is this a dig at the case because I actually believe I have a defective one.
Naturally, it fits snugly on the Ally. But compared to the dBrand Killswitch I have on my Steam Deck, something didn't feel right from the word go. It felt too tight on the right-hand side. It was much more of a struggle to get it on than I feel it should have been, and it just didn't seem to fit properly on that side of the Ally compared to the other.
It's somewhat deformed now, anyway, as I had to fight to get it off as well, but I'm wondering if I experienced a product with a manufacturing issue. It's a shame, and I'm most likely going to send it back to Amazon as faulty and get a replacement to try because I really like the case.
I couldn't see anything obvious beyond the tight squeeze, but perhaps it was also ever so slightly interfering with the RB button. It just looked like a much cleaner fit around LB, so it's entirely possible.
But after this final step, combined with what may or may not have helped from the step above, things finally appear back to normal. Or so I hope. I really hope! If not, I'll be back in this article again in the future with any more things I try to fix the problem!