Asus Unveils ROG Ally to Rival Steam Deck

Asus made a surprising announcement by introducing a new gaming console named ROG Ally, which falls under their Republic of Gamers brand. This handheld device operates on Windows 11 and is expected to compete with the Steam Deck.

The company from Taiwan has not disclosed extensive information, except for a few specifications, a teaser video, and a couple of pictures. Hence, the extent of its capabilities remains unclear and we don’t know what kind of games it will be able to handle for now.

Asus does claim that this machine is about twice as powerful as the Steam Deck, but we will have to wait for reviews to confirm that.

According to Asus, the device is equipped with a customized AMD APU chip that can be combined with a ROG X6 Mobile eGPU, allowing for 4K gaming on a bigger screen. Yes, just like Steam Deck and the Switch, it can connect to a bigger screen to give you a full-on gaming console experience.

The display boasts a 1080p resolution and runs at 120Hz. This gives it an advantage over the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch since both of those are locked at 60Hz. Asus also boasts louder speakers and quiet fans on a cooling system that features two separate exhausts and heat sinks.

In terms of design, the console seems to be a bit less chunky than the Deck, almost like a balance between the Switch and the Steam console. It can easily fit into backpacks and purses for travel. For ports, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB C port, and a microSD card slot. There is also a fingerprint sensor for added security.

Since the device operates on Windows 11, it is reasonable to assume that all cloud-based gaming services, such as Steam and Xbox Cloud Gaming, will function without any issues.

However, many details remain unknown. Apart from the absence of specifications, we are still in the dark about the pricing and release date. To receive pre-order updates for Ally, one can only register on the device’s landing page.