Asus, a leading gaming and technology brand, has surprised the industry by announcing its handheld gaming PC, the ROG Ally. Initially dismissed as an April Fool's joke, the device is now confirmed to be authentic and in development. It has impressive specs that could make it a serious contender against Valve's Steam Deck.
The ROG Ally is a portable device that runs on Windows 11 and allows users to play games from various digital platforms, such as Steam, Xbox, Epic Games Store, and more. The device is powered by a custom AMD APU, which Asus claims is the fastest chip yet for handheld gaming. The APU is based on a 4nm Zen 4 architecture with an RDNA 3 integrated GPU, which should offer superior performance and efficiency than the Zen 2+/RDNA 2 APU found in the Steam Deck.
https://stock-checker.com/uploads/ASUSROGAlly3.png
The ROG Ally boasts a 7-inch touchscreen display with a 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, higher than the Steam Deck's 800p and 60Hz display. The device also supports Asus' XG Mobile external GPU, which can connect to an RTX 4090 for potentially unrivalled graphics quality compared to the Steam Deck.
The ROG Ally has a similar layout to the Nintendo Switch, with two analogue sticks, a D-pad, four face and shoulder buttons, and two triggers. It also has a headphone jack, a USB-C port, a microSD card slot, and front-facing speakers. The device weighs about 1.3 pounds, slightly lighter than the Steam Deck's 1.47 pounds which may make it more comfortable to play.
Asus has not revealed the battery life, storage capacity, or price of the ROG Ally yet. Still, some rumours suggest it will come in two models: a 512GB version for $649 and a 1TB version for $899. This would make it about even with the Steam Deck, which starts at $399 for a 64GB model and goes up to $649 for a 512GB model.
https://stock-checker.com/uploads/ASUSROGAlly2.png
The ROG Ally is one of the most ambitious handheld gaming PCs to date, and it could pose a severe threat to Steam Deck's dominance in the market. However, it will also face some challenges, having to prove it can offer a smooth and seamless gaming experience on Windows 11 and support a wide range of games and applications without any issues. The Steam Deck has the advantage of being backed by Valve's established ecosystem and reputation and having a dedicated operating system and user interface for handheld gaming.
The ROG Ally and the Steam Deck differ in their operating systems: Windows 11 and SteamOS. Windows 11 offers compatibility and flexibility, as it can run games from various sources and platforms. However, it also requires more resources and updates, which can affect the performance and battery life of the device. It also has a more complex and cluttered user interface, which can be hard to use on a small screen.
https://stock-checker.com/uploads/ASUSRogAllyandSteamDeck.png
SteamOS offers a more streamlined and simplified user experience designed for gaming and streaming on a TV or monitor. It has a big-picture mode that makes it easy to browse and launch games with a controller or touch controls. It also has a compatibility layer that allows it to run many Windows games without issues. However, it also has some limitations, such as being restricted to games available on Steam or compatible with Proton.
The choice between the ASUS ROG Ally and the Steam Deck will depend on the players' preferences and needs. ASUS still has yet to reveal specific information about the new handheld, so we will have to wait to see how the two consoles stack up against each other.
[Kamran Shamsi](https://twitter.com/Kamrann64) is a gaming and technology journalist for Stock Checker. Images used in this article belong to ASUS, Dave2D, and Valve.
Specifications
The ROG Ally is a portable device that runs on Windows 11 and allows users to play games from various digital platforms, such as Steam, Xbox, Epic Games Store, and more. The device is powered by a custom AMD APU, which Asus claims is the fastest chip yet for handheld gaming. The APU is based on a 4nm Zen 4 architecture with an RDNA 3 integrated GPU, which should offer superior performance and efficiency than the Zen 2+/RDNA 2 APU found in the Steam Deck.
https://stock-checker.com/uploads/ASUSROGAlly3.png
The ROG Ally boasts a 7-inch touchscreen display with a 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, higher than the Steam Deck's 800p and 60Hz display. The device also supports Asus' XG Mobile external GPU, which can connect to an RTX 4090 for potentially unrivalled graphics quality compared to the Steam Deck.
Pricing
The ROG Ally has a similar layout to the Nintendo Switch, with two analogue sticks, a D-pad, four face and shoulder buttons, and two triggers. It also has a headphone jack, a USB-C port, a microSD card slot, and front-facing speakers. The device weighs about 1.3 pounds, slightly lighter than the Steam Deck's 1.47 pounds which may make it more comfortable to play.
Asus has not revealed the battery life, storage capacity, or price of the ROG Ally yet. Still, some rumours suggest it will come in two models: a 512GB version for $649 and a 1TB version for $899. This would make it about even with the Steam Deck, which starts at $399 for a 64GB model and goes up to $649 for a 512GB model.
https://stock-checker.com/uploads/ASUSROGAlly2.png
Operating System
The ROG Ally is one of the most ambitious handheld gaming PCs to date, and it could pose a severe threat to Steam Deck's dominance in the market. However, it will also face some challenges, having to prove it can offer a smooth and seamless gaming experience on Windows 11 and support a wide range of games and applications without any issues. The Steam Deck has the advantage of being backed by Valve's established ecosystem and reputation and having a dedicated operating system and user interface for handheld gaming.
The ROG Ally and the Steam Deck differ in their operating systems: Windows 11 and SteamOS. Windows 11 offers compatibility and flexibility, as it can run games from various sources and platforms. However, it also requires more resources and updates, which can affect the performance and battery life of the device. It also has a more complex and cluttered user interface, which can be hard to use on a small screen.
https://stock-checker.com/uploads/ASUSRogAllyandSteamDeck.png
SteamOS offers a more streamlined and simplified user experience designed for gaming and streaming on a TV or monitor. It has a big-picture mode that makes it easy to browse and launch games with a controller or touch controls. It also has a compatibility layer that allows it to run many Windows games without issues. However, it also has some limitations, such as being restricted to games available on Steam or compatible with Proton.
The choice between the ASUS ROG Ally and the Steam Deck will depend on the players' preferences and needs. ASUS still has yet to reveal specific information about the new handheld, so we will have to wait to see how the two consoles stack up against each other.
[Kamran Shamsi](https://twitter.com/Kamrann64) is a gaming and technology journalist for Stock Checker. Images used in this article belong to ASUS, Dave2D, and Valve.