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Asus announces major Steam Deck rival, the ROG Ally

The Asus ROG Ally is set to take on the Steam Deck in the handheld console wars.
asus rog ally handheld gaming pc

Taiwanese computer and hardware manufacturer Asus has announced a major Steam Deck rival, in the form of a handheld gaming PC known as the ROG Ally. The device will allow keen owners to play through a vast and open-ended library of PC games, with a powerful AMD APU processor providing solid performance and battery life.

While the ROG Ally was announced on April Fool’s Day, and therefore was surrounded by much confusion and questions about its legitimacy, Asus has now officially confirmed that the device is real – and that it has major potential to disrupt the handheld PC market.

Per The Verge, which collated information from hands-on previews of the device, it will support a 1080p display and 120Hz refresh rates. It will also reportedly ‘double’ the performance of the Steam Deck – although exact specifications are not yet available.

Likewise, Asus has not yet detailed a formal price point.

Read: Valve is already talking about a new Steam Deck

Given the claims of extremely high performance, and that the device appears to leapfrog the Steam Deck, it’s likely to be an expensive investment. This may form part of the reason why Asus has yet to dive deeper with exact details, merely tantalising keen buyers with its potential.

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‘Taking your AAA game out of your gaming room is no longer a fantasy,’ Asus said in a relatively over-the-top teaser trailer for the upcoming device. ‘And thanks to the high performance display, you can enjoy gorgeous and smooth Full HD gaming wherever you go, even under the sun, or the spotlight.’

‘The Ally is the achievement of years of ROG Intelligent Cooling. Featuring a dual fan design, it stays cool and silent in your hands, and guarantees great performance with quiet operation.’ Games from multiple PC storefronts will be available on the device, and it can be streamed to larger screens with the appropriate equipment.

So far, Asus has not provided a firm release date, although you can now register to be the first to hear preorder details. In the US and Canada, it’s confirmed to be available at Best Buy. For our readers in Australia, there has been no word of a local release, as with the Steam Deck – so sit tight if you’re keen for a local update.

At this stage, the ROG Ally appears to be at least several months away, if it makes a 2023 window at all, but it is clear that Asus has major plans for the device. Whether these plans extend to a true worldwide release is currently unknown.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.