Seems the Asus Rog Ally is an actual Steam Deck different, because the element big simply confirmed it’s not an April Fools’ gag. Not solely will the hand-held gaming PC boast Home windows 11 help, however you’ll be capable of hook it as much as top-of-the-line graphics card choices to provide it a real desktop enhance.
Information of the Asus Rog Ally Steam Deck rival arrived on an unlucky day, however that was the corporate’s plan all alongside. When you consider it, unveiling a “too good to be true” product on a day of disbelief is sensible, because it makes for an amazing double bluff. That’s to not say the brand new handheld guarantees something fictitious, however it has a couple of issues going for it that might shake up the transportable PC gaming scene.
For starters, Asus says it has labored along with AMD to supply the Rog Ally with the “quickest AMD APU but.” We’re nonetheless ready for official specs to land, however that might imply it’ll wield the ‘Little Phoenix‘ chip that we thought was supposed for the Steam Deck 2. That maybe permits Asus to boldly declare it’ll carry “true PC efficiency to your life on the go,” regardless that Valve’s handheld arguably already does simply that.
The hand held’s promotional trailer additionally claims it’ll present a clean “Full HD” gaming expertise, which suggests it’ll come armed with a 1080p display screen. Higher nonetheless, Asus says you’ll be capable of play underneath the solar, that means it could include anti-glare capabilities that maintain up in opposition to the 512GB Steam Deck mannequin.
Identical to Valve’s handheld paired with the perfect Steam Deck dock, you’ll be capable of hook up the Rog Ally to an enormous display screen. But, quite than pairing the transportable with a docking station, the trailer says it’ll work with the Rog XG Cell – an eGPU inclosure that permits you to hook up a fully-fledged graphics card to suitable laptops and the upcoming handheld.
That alone will give it a hybrid edge in opposition to each Valve’s handheld and consoles just like the Nintendo Swap, as ‘docked mode’ will enhance fps. Nevertheless, the most recent Rog XG Cell eGPU enclosure prices an eye-watering $1,999 USD, so the setup is nowhere close to the identical worth as a Steam Deck and docking station combo.
Given the Asus Rog Ally’s premium vibe, the hand-held itself will most likely value way more than the Steam Deck too. Different transportable Home windows-based Steam Deck alternate options, just like the Onexplayer Mini, are available at $1,229, so it’ll be something however a rival by way of worth. That mentioned, Asus’ achievements inside the perfect gaming laptop computer area ought to assist it seize a slice of the transportable PC market pie, one which may allow it to make cheaper fashions sooner or later.
In truth, if Asus efficiently steps into the hand-held limelight, there’s no motive why a SteamOS model of the Rog Ally can’t emerge down the road. Valve has mentioned it’s open to the thought of producers making their very own Decks, and it could make my dream of a modular Steam Deck 2 extra viable. After all, we’ll want to check the Rog Ally first-hand earlier than realizing whether or not the corporate can supply one thing actually new, so watch this area for extra deets.
