Will this be your ally? Or the Steam Deck’s greatest enemy?
This is the ROG Ally. Initially announced on April Fools so of course, a lot of media outlets, gamers, and techies saw it as a joke (Hence, you shouldn’t really announce serious stuff during April Fools’ Day). However, ASUS has confirmed the existence of such a handheld device and boldly, it will attempt to take the crown away from the Steam Deck. A Linux-based handheld gaming PC that could launch Steam titles on the go.
The company is yet to announce its details but we do know it will run a modified version of Windows 11 which means you could run your favourite PC games on it. Handheld PCs are probably the reason why no one is that enthusiastic about gaming phones anymore. They’re merely just benchmark subjects now.
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What made the Steam Deck popular was its affordable starting price of just USD 400. It’s also available in the Philippines albeit at a more hefty price due to import taxes. Moreover, gamers love the concept of playing their favourite PC titles anywhere, as well as running a portable version of Windows (yes, you can dual-port it).
A popular tech YouTuber, Dave2D actually has tested a prototype of the ROG Ally and also revealed some key specs. While ASUS has barred the YouTuber from revealing internal details, he was allowed to reveal the basics. This includes the 7″ 1080p screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio (the Steam Deck has a 16:10 aspect ratio with the same screen size). Also, the Ally has double the refresh rate, at 120Hz.
It also features a new AMD chip which ASUS has not specified. This is a 4nm APU based on the company’s RDNA 3 architecture. RAM and storage are not announced yet either.
Despite the higher-res screen, the device itself is lighter, slimmer, narrower, and thinner. So we’re actually thinking about how well does the battery last on this. ASUS has not reported this yet.
Currently, it’s only available for pre-orders in North America via Best Buy. We’re actually waiting for the price because that was the biggest attraction the Steam Deck offered. ASUS is well aware of the Deck’s affordable price, so we’re hoping it’s only a tad more expensive, or even better, at a much affordable price.
Source: Engadget
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