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ASUS has officially thrown its hat into the handheld gaming PC arena with the announcement of the ROG Ally. This move comes after an initial announcement on April 1st that garnered skepticism due to the date. The ROG Ally is poised to compete with devices like the Ayaneo and Valve's Steam Deck.
While ASUS has not provided an abundance of details about the ROG Ally, it has revealed some key features. The handheld gaming device will run Windows 11 and be equipped with a custom AMD Ryzen chip. Interestingly, it will also support external GPU connections, potentially expanding its gaming capabilities.
One notable aspect of the ROG Ally is its 7-inch touchscreen display. However, it employs a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 1080p resolution and an impressive 120Hz refresh rate, which surpasses the Steam Deck's 16:10 panel with a lower 800p resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. Despite the screen differences, ASUS' handheld manages to be narrower, thinner, and slightly lighter than Valve's offering. The impact of these screen specs on battery life remains to be seen.
ASUS has refrained from sharing specific pricing and release dates for the ROG Ally. Interested consumers can sign up for alerts when pre-orders become available at Best Buy. The success of the ROG Ally will likely hinge on its pricing and performance relative to competitors like the Steam Deck, which starts at $399, and higher-end handhelds such as the $850 Ayaneo 2. ASUS is leveraging its reputation as a major player in the tech industry, suggesting that it may offer advantages over smaller brands in terms of availability and support.
Furthermore, the ROG Ally appears to have the potential to run a wider range of games compared to the Steam Deck, which is officially limited to games in the Steam library.
