Asus Confirms Thermal Stress Is Killing the ROG Ally SD Card Reader

Asus confirmed that the SD card reader inside the ROG Ally handheld can malfunction due to heat.

Ally owners have been complaining for weeks that SD cards are not being recognized by the Ally, or if they are, they experience very slow transfer speeds. Some owners thought it was simply a driver issue, but Asus has now admitted the problem is due to thermal stress and in some cases will require a hardware repair.

Asus community manager MasterC is responding to forum posts complaining about the SD card reader with the following statement: "After confirmation from internal testing, under certain thermal stress conditions the SD card reader may malfunction."

A software update is being worked on which will tweak the default and minimum fan speeds of the handheld in order to reduce the temperature inside the device and therefore allow the SD card reader to function normally. However, cooler temperatures means higher fan speeds, which means more noise. Asus is promising to keep that noise "in check."

For any Ally owners experiencing problems with the card reader in their device, MasterC asks that you contact Asus customer services for your region.

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In some cases, your Ally will need to be shipped to Asus for an inspection and subsequent repairs. You won't be getting a replacement Ally, but I suspect your handheld may be returned with a new SD card reader fitted and the software update installed to stop thermal stress breaking it again.

The Ally isn't an outright Steam Deck killer, and this serious problem is sure to impact its sales. A cheaper version of the handheld won't arrive until the third quarter this year, but hopefully by then Asus has solved all the thermal issues and can ship a reliable device.