This is Asus' Windows-powered gaming handheld and Steam Deck competitor
Asus announced its Windows-powered gaming handheld Rog Ally on April 1st, probably the worst day of the year to reveal new products that really exists. The company did confirm that the portable PC gaming device is real and while Asus has not revealed much about it at this stage, it looks like it could give Steam Deck a run for its money.
Here is what we know so far. There is an official Rog Ally gaming handheld website on Asus' main domain. It has a teaser image of the handheld device and an option to receive a notification when the handheld becomes available for pre-order.
Asus published a teaser video on YouTube about Rog's First Gaming Handheld Console.
Asus claims that its gaming handheld offers twice the performance of Valve's Steam Deck.
While Asus is tight lipped at this stage, it appears that it has handed over the device to select influencers. One of them is a YouTube user Dave2D, who had a chance to use the device for about a week already.
He states that he is not allowed to share all the details at this point, but did reveal several interesting information about the new handheld device.
Here is an overview of the Asus Rog Ally hardware and a comparison to Steam Deck:
- CPU: AMD Zen 4
- GPZ: RDNA 3 GPU
- Storage: 512 gigabytes NVME SSD
- Display: 7-inch 16:9 display, 1920 x 1080 500 Nits, 120 Hz, 5 ms
- Dimensions: 280 x 113 x 39 mm
- Operating System: Windows 11
Valve's Steam Deck has the following components:
- CPU: Custom AMD Zen 2
- GPZ: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0 - 1.6 GHz
- Storage: up to 512 gigabytes NVME SSD
- Display: 7-inch 16:10 display, 1280 x 800, 400 Nits, 60 Hz.
- Dimensions: 280 x 113 x 39 mm
- Operating System: SteamOS
Some specs are not known at this time; this includes information on the screen resolution, connectivity options, battery and runtime, or memory. One of Dave2D's highlights was the quiet fan noise of Asus' device. He measured the fan noise on Steam Deck and Rog Ally, and came up with 37 dB for the Steam Deck and 20 dB for the Rog Ally.
Another interesting feature of the Rog Ally is its ability to connect Asus' external GPU to the handheld device to improve gaming performance even further.
The gaming handheld's operating system is Windows 11, which unlocks lots of possibilities and options. Gamers may install their favorite game store on the device and play all games that are compatible with Windows 11. The Windows 11 interface is available on the device, which means that there is lots of room for tweaking, optimizing and customizing.
Linus Tech Tips received a prototype device as well, and have shared their early impressions in the following video:
Closing Words
Asus is not the first company that produces a gaming handheld that can be considered a Steam Deck clone. There are plenty, mostly Chinese, gaming handhelds available. To name just a few, there is the AYANEO 2, which is considered by many the best handheld gaming device on the market, if money is not added to the equation.
It is powered by a Ryzen 7 CPU and a Radeon 680M GPU, has 32 gigabytes of DDR 5 RAM and lots of power because of that. This much power comes at a price though, as it is available for about $1300 in the smallest edition.
AYANEO has produced several other gaming handheld devices, which are not that expensive. There is also AYN, which produces devices such as Odin.
Asus is the first major PC manufacturer that is entering the handheld gaming market for earnest. Price and other stats have yet to be revealed, and Asus has yet to announce when the device will be available for pre-order.
Valve appears to be working on Steam Deck 2, but it could be years away at this point.
All in all, the Asus Rog Ally is a gaming handheld device to look out for, but it has yet to be tested thoroughly and inspected. Battery life and price will play a major role in determining whether the device will be a hit or miss.
Now You: what is your take on gaming handheld devices?
