Riding the wave of handheld consoles, ASUS plan to enter the market in a big way with their ROG Ally. Essentially a handheld gaming machine, capable of playing any game playable on PC from any client, whether Steam, EA Play or whatever. There’s been plenty of commentary surrounding the Asus ROG Ally and its similarities to Steam Deck. Whilst both are handheld consoles, Asus are clearly positioning the ROG Ally as a more premium option. It sports performance features and hardware specifications superior to Valve’s handheld too. Here are 14 things you need to know before purchasing the Asus ROG Ally.
It’ll run Windows 11
Comparisons to Steam Deck are rife but fair, but one factor that’ll surely sway many is the ROG Ally will run Windows 11. And, this version of Microsoft’s operating system isn’t a diet, handheld variant but a full fat version too. Many PC gamers have amassed game libraries across different clients – Steam, Epic Games Store, Itch.io, EA Play, et cetera – and having these accessible from one handheld is a major selling point over the Steam Deck’s limitation to Steam.
Armoury Crate software included
This ASUS app helps gamers manage every aspect of their PC – from setup and updates to performance profiles and cooling settings, with customisation options like RGB adjustments along too – and there’ll be a version dubbed Armoury Crate SE pre-installed on ROG Ally. A core feature of this SE version is its collation of entire game libraries, and instead of launching games from the Steam or Itch.io client for example, games can be launched from one singular app instead.
Dual mode controls
Asus ROG Ally is designed with button configurations mirroring Xbox controllers, with a pair of UI buttons either side of the screen, plus paddles to the rear. To function perfectly whether in-game or navigating through Windows, the ROG Ally’s controls feature two modes: a conventional mode for during play, and a mode for Windows, with the left thumb stick mimicking a mouse with the rear paddles emulating left and right clicks.
Two models: Ryzen Z1 Extreme
Asus is set to offer two ROG Ally models, the most powerful of which boasts an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme and a 512 GB Gen4 SSD. AMD recently shared benchmark performance test results for its Ryzen processors running some demanding games: Red Dead Redemption 2 maintained an average FPS of 72.3; Forza Horizon 4 achieved 143 FPS. These results, whilst impressive, were achieved with lowish settings and upscaled 720p resolution.
Two models: Ryzen Z1
The less powerful of the two ROG Ally models ships with a vanilla AMD Ryzen Z1 and 256 GB SSD. It’ll still perform well, with slim loading times expected even for this lesser variant. In the same performance tests as it’s more powerful sibling Red Dead Redemption 2 averaged 41.8 FPS with Forza Horizon 4 sitting at 119.3, again with low settings upscaled from 720p, demonstrating performance will still be smooth and playable in HD.
Up to 16 GB of RAM
Asus has established that up to 16 GB LPDDR5 dual-channel RAM will be available.
1080p display
Comparing to Steam Deck again, but the Asus ROG Ally comes equipped with a 1080p display versus the 720p on the Steam Deck, representing a sizeable bump in pixel count. One thing’s for certain, 1080p will look crisp and sharp on ROG Ally. Also of note is the screen’s 500 nits of brightness and 7ms response time.
Up to 120Hz refresh rate
The ROG Ally’s 1080p display features a variable refresh rate between 30Hz and 120Hz. That’s potentially up to twice the capability of Steam Deck’s maximum 60Hz. Gaming performance at those upper refresh rates will be smooth as silk, although running at 120Hz will surely be a sure-fire way to rapidly drain battery, so in practical terms it’s unlikely to be a consistent setting.
Connects to Asus’ XG Mobile docking station
A high-end feature, sure, owing to XG Mobile’s premium price tag, but for those in possession of Asus’ mobile docking station – equipped with super powerful Nvidia Geforce RTX 4090 gaming laptop GPU – the ability to run games from ROG Ally at maximum settings through the XG Mobile outputting to a gaming monitor – with of course the option to then use keyboard and mouse or external controller – transforms the handheld into a powerhouse. Play testers of this setup are reporting more than playable performance, the only stumbling block for most will surely be the price.
Connects to monitor or TV
The ROG Ally possesses two ports: a 3.5mm headphone jack and an Asus XG Mobile port, with part of the XG Mobile port is a USB-C port. The HDMI 2.0 port, of course, will allow the ROG Ally to connect to TVs and monitors.
Battery life
Asus claim ROG Ally’s battery life will be comparable to Steam Deck, but only when running at 15 watts. Valve advertised the Steam Deck as possessing a battery life of anywhere between 2 to 8 hours, although for the most intensive games it’s obvious batteries will flatten at the lower end of the scale.
Ultra-quiet cooling
Another of Asus’ claims is that ROG Ally will operate ultra-quietly owing to its cooling system marketed as the Zero Gravity thermal system. It’s a dual-fan system with ultrathin heatsink fins and high-friction heat pipes, ensuring the ROG Ally stays cool in any orientation. Play testers are, to be fair, reporting the ROG Ally as running very quietly indeed too.
Dolby Atmos speakers
The Asus ROG Ally will come equipped with dual front-facing Dolby Atmos speakers. To the uninitiated, Dolby Atmos is a spatial audio system that places and tracks audio in a three-dimensional space. In other words, it’s capable of making sound appear as if it’s coming from all directions.
Price
For the less powerful ROG Ally with the vanilla Ryzen Z1, pricing is $599.99. The model housing the Ryzen Z1 Extreme with 512 GB of storage is $699.99.