Six weeks ago, ASUS posted on April 1st that they’d be competing with the Steam Deck and everyone assumed it was a joke. Today, a few weeks after they admitted that no, they were being serious, ASUS showed off the ASUS ROG Ally.
It’s not far off, either: the Ally will be available worldwide in just over a month, hitting shelves on June 13th at a price of $699.99 — only $50 more than the highest-end Steam Deck. A lower-tier model will also be arriving later this year for $599.99.
For that price, you’ll be getting a handheld with some pretty impressive specs. Powered by new handheld chips from AMD, the Windows device will have 16GB of memory, 512GB of storage, and a 1080p HD display. As with the Steam Deck, you’ll also be able to purchase a dock that allows you to plug the system into your TV or monitor (which you may need for extended play sessions, given that early reports suggest that all that power drains the battery pretty quickly).
Given that it’s Windows, the Ally will be able to draw from a wider range of game libraries without the need for side-loading apps. As they note in the press release below, the Ally will have full support for Steam, the EA App, the Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy 2.0, Android apps, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass — and to sweeten the deal for Xbox, the Ally will have a 3-month subscription for Game Pass Ultimate.
You can read more details below, as well as pictures and the full video unveiling everything the ASUS ROG Ally has to offer.
ASUS ROG Ally product shots:
ROG ALLY – New Windows Gaming Handheld Launch Event | ROG:
Republic of Gamers (ROG) is proud to announce the launch of the ROG Ally, an incredibly powerful new Windows 11 gaming handheld. Driven by the cutting-edge AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, the ROG Ally can breeze through AAA games and indie titles in 1080p with ease, whether you?re playing alone or with friends. The ROG Ally will be available for sale worldwide on June 13th 2023 for just $699.99, with pre-orders starting May 11th. With robust support and partnerships throughout the industry, the Ally is poised to be the ultimate handheld gaming machine.
Full HD AAA gaming in the palm of your hand
The ROG Ally a truly next-gen handheld, offering Full HD gaming on the go, able to run even modern AAA titles faster and smoother than any other handheld on the market. Since it runs Windows 11, it can play any game from any platform, and includes 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate right out of the box. Play alone, connect to a TV to play with friends, or kick into high gear with the ROG XG Mobile suite of external GPUs for a truly top-tier gaming experience.
The Ally is powered by an all-new Ryzen Z1 Series processor from AMD. Built on the ?Zen? 4 architecture combined with AMD RDNA 3 architecture-based graphics, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor rivals the prowess of game consoles with 8 cores, 16 threads, and up to 8.6 teraflops of graphics processing power. An AMD Ryzen Z1 variant will be available later in Q3 2023 with 6 cores and 12 processing threads, and both models support AMD FidelityFXTM Super Resolution and AMD Radeon Super Resolution upscaling technologies for excellent performance and stunning visuals in demanding AAA and indie titles.
?Our team has spent over a decade developing the technologies necessary to enable the Ryzen Z1 Series of processors. Working with visionary partners like ROG, we?ve designed a platform that redefines mobile gaming,? said Renato Fragale, senior director of product management for the Consumer and Gaming Client Business at AMD. ?We?re excited for gamers to experience the first device powered by Ryzen Z1 Series processors with the launch of the ROG Ally.? Making this possible is ROG?s Zero Gravity thermal system, which uses a dual-fan system with ultra thin heatsink fins and high-friction heat pipes to ensure the Ally stays cool in any orientation. The Ally also comes equipped with 16GB of high speed LPDDR5 6400MHz memory, 512 GB of PCIe Gen 4 storage, and a UHS-II microSD card slot to further expand its storage capacity. Wi-Fi 6E support ensures that the Ally stays on a rock-solid connection, even in congested networks, whether you?re natively playing a multiplayer match or streaming a game via Xbox Cloud Gaming or AMD Link.
Flagship gaming performance demands a panel to match, and the Ally does not disappoint. Equipped with a 120Hz Full HD (1080p) panel with AMD FreeSync? Premium technology1, gamers will enjoy supreme motion clarity in fast-paced games, with no tearing or stuttering. The display also has a max brightness of 500 nits, enabling gamers to easily keep track of the action in more challenging environments like the great outdoors. This touchscreen display also acts to seamlessly allow navigation of Windows 11 when gamers need to change settings or install their next game.
Versatile performance at the right price
ME Time: The ROG Ally takes handheld gaming to new heights. With a Full HD screen and hardware capable of 60 FPS in many of the latest titles, the ROG Ally provides an on-the-go experience that will satisfy gamers of all stripes. Compared to the 720p resolution of competing devices, the ROG Ally offers superior image and motion clarity thanks to its Full HD panel and AMD FreeSyncTM Premium technology.
WE Time: With the optional ROG Gaming Charger Dock, gamers can connect the Ally to a TV and charge at the same time, allowing for couch co-op and competition with extra controllers. The Ally can handle multiplayer games like NBA 2K3, Moving Out, and Street Fighter V with ease for a party that never stops.
PRO Time: When paired with an XG Mobile external GPU sporting up to an NVIDIA? GeForce RTX? 4090 Laptop GPU, the ROG Ally becomes a true gaming powerhouse for living room couch gaming or a high-end experience with mouse and keyboard. Play AAA games at 4K with ray tracing and DLSS 3, or take down the competition in high-framerate esports titles with a mouse and keyboard.
All of this versatility comes at an excellent price. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme equipped model with 512GB of storage will be available for pre-order starting on May 11th, and available for sale for $699.99 at Best Buy on June 13th. The ROG Ally model with the Ryzen Z1 chip will be available later this year. Gamers can also purchase the ROG XG Mobile with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU for $1,999.99, or the XG Mobile with an AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT for $799.99.
Play all your games
The ROG Ally was designed from the ground up with Windows at its heart, able to play all your games from any platform. ROG has collaborated with Microsoft, game publishers, and individual studios to ensure that gamers using the Ally have the best experience possible. Full support for Steam, the EA App, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, the Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy 2.0, Android apps, and more game libraries ensures that no matter where gamers download their games, the ROG Ally has them covered.
The ROG Ally even comes bundled with a 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code for free, giving gamers instant access to Microsoft?s game library the moment they unbox the machine. ?Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have access to hundreds of games, including hits like Minecraft Legends, Grounded, Age of Empire IV and many more,? said Roanne Sones, CVP, Head of Xbox Hardware. ?With the ROG Ally and Game Pass Ultimate, we can?t wait for people to discover and play their next favorite game on the go, whether it?s playing native PC games with Windows or streaming console games with Xbox Cloud Gaming.?
ROG is also proud to work with Xbox Game Studios, Capcom, HoYoverse, Level Infinite, 505 Games, Team 17, Nacon, Techland, Squanch Games, and Fatshark to provide the best gaming experience on the ROG Ally.