Asus ROG Ally: The Upcoming Competitor to Steam Deck?

The console wars are heating up again!

Asus ROG (Republic of Gamers) has announced a new handheld gaming device, the ROG Ally, that could potentially rival the upcoming Steam Deck. At first, many believed that the announcement was an April Fool's Day prank due to the lack of information surrounding the device, but Asus has now confirmed that it is real, although details on the launch date, price, and specifications are yet to be released. According to Asus, the ROG Ally will feature a customized Ryzen APU from AMD, similar to the one used in Valve's Steam Deck, and will reportedly be the fastest yet.

One hands-on video by Dave2D confirms global launch plans from Asus and also reveals some of the specifications. The ROG Ally will feature a 7-inch, 16:9 display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and a 120Hz refresh rate, which is an improvement over the Steam Deck's 7-inch, 16:10 display with 1280 x 800 resolution, 400 nits of brightness, and 60Hz refresh rate. The device will be smaller, lighter, and flatter than the Steam Deck, weighing in at 608g and measuring 280mm x 113mm x 39mm compared to the Steam Deck's 669g and 298mm x 117mm x 50.5mm dimensions.

Another hands-on video by Linus Tech Tips shows more angles of the device and the software customizations that Asus has set up on its prototype unit. Linus mentions that the prototype is much quieter than the sometimes noisy Steam Deck, measuring at about 20dB compared to the Deck's 37dB on load, with a dual-fan system that sucks in air from the back and vents it out at the top. He also notes that the SSD and joysticks appear to be easily replaceable.

The ROG Ally will come equipped with dual analog sticks, a left-mounted D-pad, and four face buttons, as well as a few smaller buttons around the screen to access menus and settings. The device even advertises the opportunity to "experience Ally's full potential" by plugging in the ROG XG Mobile eGPU the company offers for use with its gaming laptops while streaming your games to a TV.

Although having a few more pixels, a higher refresh rate, and a more powerful processor sounds good, it could potentially tax the battery while gaming on the go. Windows 11, which will be powering the ROG Ally, is also a question mark in comparison to SteamOS for efficiency. Details on the battery and pricing are currently unavailable, but Asus claims that the device will be competitive in price.

While the Steam Deck has been the most successful attempt at making PC gaming a truly portable experience, there are plenty of competitors, such as the Ayaneo 2 or other Switch-like machines from GPD and OneXPlayer. However, these competitors have generally relied on an AMD 6800U chipset instead of a custom design and have lacked the right combination of horsepower and efficiency that consumers want to see in handheld gaming machines. The ROG Ally has the potential to provide a real challenge to the Steam Deck, but only time will tell if it can deliver on its promises.