The handheld gaming console category just got more exciting with the release of the ASUS ROG Ally.
A first from the company, the ASUS ROG Ally promises a more flexible and capable gaming experience than the popular Steam Deck at a reasonable price.
It comes in two models: the vanilla ROG Ally with an AMD Ryzen Z1 CPU that has 6 cores and 12 threads and an RDNA 3 GPU at 2.8 teraflops. ROG claims that it can do 720p AAA gaming at 25 to 30fps. It has 256GB of storage
Meanwhile, the ROG Ally Extreme is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with 8 cores and 16 threads and an RDNA 3 at 8.6 teraflops that can do 1080p gaming at 50 to 60fps. This one has 512GB.
For extra power, it also works with the ROG XG Mobile so you can play at better graphics quality with a powerful RTX 4090 GPU. Plus, it adds extra ports to the device if you want to use it in desktop mode.
ASUS also included a microSD card slot for storage expansion if you want to play more games on the go.
Running on Windows 11, the console can handle pretty much any game from Steam and Xbox Game Pass.
It also has a special interface that has a dedicated Game Library; Command Center that lets you play with different performance modes, real-time data monitoring, and more; and a Customization area to assign different buttons.
The ROG Ally has a 7-inch FHD IPS display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s a 10-point touchscreen that has a fast 120Hz refresh rate, and 7ms response time, and works with FreeSync Premium.
It has a pretty decent battery life that can last for up to 2 hours of heavy gaming and 6.8 hours of video streaming.
ASUS also spent a lot of time developing the Zero Gravity Thermal System that uses special heat pipes, dual fans, and a dust filter so it keeps the device cool without being distracting.
For audio, it has dual Smart Amp speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res audio.
Of course, we have the controls. It has left and right sticks, directional buttons, A/B/X/Y, left and right bumper and triggers, and two macro buttons at the back.
For ports, there are a bunch of them, which include the ROG XG Mobile interface and USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 that can do DisplayPort and Power.
The ASUS ROG Ally has a price of USD599 (~Php33,500) while the ROG Ally Extreme retails for USD699 (~Php39,000). Its official price and availability in the Philippines should be announced real soon, so stay tuned for that.
ASUS ROG Ally Specs
- Windows 11
- 7-inch FHD IPS touchscreen, 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~314ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate, 7ms response time
- 100% sRGB, 75.35% Adobe
- 500-nits, FreeSync Premium
- Corning Gorilla Glass DXC, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
- ROG Ally: AMD Ryzen Z1 4nm CPU, 6-cores, 12-threads / AMD Radeon GPU, 4 CUs, 2.8 Teraflops / 256GB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD
- ROG Ally Extreme: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU, 8-cores, 16-threads / AMD Radeon Graphics, 12 CUs, 8.6 Teraflops / 512GB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD
- 16GB LPDDR5 6500MT/s dual channel RAM
- Fingerprint scanner
- 2x stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res, AI noise-canceling
- Aura Sync
- 3.5mm headphone/mic audio jack
- WiFi 6e, tri-band
- Bluetooth 5.2
- ROG XG Mobile Interface
- 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort, DC)
- 1x UHS-II microSD card
- A/B/X/Y, D-pad, LR Hall effect analog triggers, LR bumpers
- View Button, Menu Button, Command Center button, Armoury Crate button
- 2x assignable grip buttons
- 2x full-size analog buttons
- 6-axis IMU
- Dimensions: 28.0 x 11.1 x 2.12 ~ 3.24cm
- Weight: 608g
- 40WHr 4-cel Li-Ion battery, 65W USB-C charging