ASUS’ ROG Ally is real, and it looks like a solid Steam Deck competitor

ASUS' ROG Ally is real, and it looks like a solid Steam Deck competitor

ASUS promises more performance than Steam Deck, lower noise levels, and more with their ROG Ally

ASUS’s ROG Ally handheld gaming system was not an April Fools joke, it is a real system and it looks like it can be a true Steam Deck rival, offering gamers higher performance levels, lower noise levels, and a higher quality display. 

The ROG Ally looks like a promising system, ditching SteamOS for Windows to deliver stronger game compatibility, and a smaller, lighter form factor to make the system more portable than Valve’s Steam Deck handheld. On top of that, you can also hook the ROG Ally into ASUS’ XG Mobile GPU, allowing users to augment this system with the power of an RTX 4090. 

Powering ASUS’ new system is a custom SOC from AMD, a 4nm Zen 4 processor that features an RDNA 3 graphics chip. Dave2D, a YouTuber who has gotten an early look at the system (watch his video below), noted that this SOC is two times as powerful as the Steam Deck’s AMD SOC, and that this level of performance makes higher resolution and higher framerate gaming possible.

ASUS' ROG Ally is real, and it looks like a solid Steam Deck competitor

Like Valve’s Steam Deck, the ROG Ally features a 7-inch screen, but unlike the Steam Deck (which uses a 1280×800 screen), the ROG Ally uses a full HD 1080p (1920×1080) screen that supports 120Hz refresh rates. 2D Dave also notes that the screen ASUS uses produces better colours and offers brightness levels of up to 500 nits.

Alongside this screen upgrade comes a powerful dual-fan cooling solution, which allows the ROG Aura to remain cool and quiet with 20dB noise levels. For comparison, Valve’s Steam Deck runs at about 37dB. The ROG Ally is a stronger system that is significantly quieter.

Sadly, ASUS has not commented on the exact specifications of their ROG Ally’s SOC specifications, but with it being a 4nm Zen 4/RDNA 3 SOC, you can bet that it is a lot stronger and more efficient than Valve’s 7nm Zen 2 RDNA 2 Steam Deck SOC. 

ASUS' ROG Ally is real, and it looks like a solid Steam Deck competitor

When comparing the ROG Ally to the Steam Deck, it is clear that the ROG ally is only designed to play games that support gamepad controls. In contrast, Steam Deck features two track pads that can be used to control mouse cursors. These control options make Valve’s Steam Deck a great system for games like Civilization VI, games that might not play as well on ASUS’ ROG Ally system.  

ASUS' ROG Ally is real, and it looks like a solid Steam Deck competitor

In one sense, ASUS’ ROG Ally appears to be a strong Steam Deck replacement with its more powerful SOC, better screen and improved cooling system. On the other hand, it also appears to lack some of the features that make Steam Deck a great handheld gaming solution, such as its track pads and SteamOS’ user friendly nature and features. That said, there are perks to the ROG Ally being a Windows machine, such as full Windows game compatibility and better support for games on non-Steam PC clients like the EA App, the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Battle.net.

If ASUS prices this new machine well, it should be a strong seller. Will it kill Steam Deck? We will have to wait and see. 

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