In its early versions, Armory Crate could be pinpointed as a big weakness for the ROG Ally. Since Asus's on-board software got an overhaul with the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally, navigating TDP options and game profiles is a breeze. When it works, that is. As fresh changes roll out courtesy of Windows 11, these updates aren't playing ball with Asus handhelds.
Asus ROG Ally owners will know this isn't the first time Windows has caused chaos. It makes a change from tedious power problems or complete crashes, though. This time around, the Armory Crate app is refusing to work whatsoever - or at least part of it. Similar to pressing the 'Steam' button on a Steam Deck, this pre-installed program can be accessed in two different forms. The Command Center is an extension of Armory Crate, letting players toggle various settings on the fly, while the core application houses your game library and access to launchers.
The problem lies with the Command Center part of the Armory Crate app, with error messages relaying a prompt that says "oops! There was an issue with the connections to Armory Crate SE. Please open Armory Crate SE for repairs and try again." After some community troubleshooting, it looks like Windows Smart App Control is the main culprit to blame. According to a thread from Microsoft itself, the problem stems from when the Microsoft Store is unable to verify licenses for any installed programs.
Windows Smart App Control also checks whether your system could be prone to any harmful installations. Microsoft says that "when you try to run an app on Windows, Smart App Control will check to see if our intelligent cloud-powered security service can make a confident prediction about its safety."
It's only available through new installs of Windows 11, though. That makes it all the more frustrating, because a good amount of the system might not have it on anyway. Neither Asus nor Windows is addressing the ROG Ally's issue directly, but there is an easy way to fix it.
- Boot up your ROG Ally and exit FSE mode to Windows desktop mode
- Go to the Start Menu and search for Windows Security
- Open Windows Security and go to 'app and browser control'
- Toggle the Windows Smart App Control settings
- Set the Windows Smart Control option to 'off'
- Restart your ROG Ally
That's the main method going around right now, but a proper resolution should follow soon. My ROG Ally Z1e doesn't have it enabled, even with recent updates to the device. I hope it stays that way.