ASUS ROG Ally announced: Setting up new benchmarks for handheld gaming consoles

Time for yet another handheld gaming console. Just after Valve announced its Steam Deck, we started seeing companies coming up with their own versions. Some were quite disappointing like the Logitech G Cloud. However, the battle doesn’t stop here. This is just the beginning as there is one more big name announcing their handheld console. This time it is ASUS with its ROG Ally console. Frankly, I like the name; a handheld gaming console named Ally as it can be played whenever it wants. Asus ROG Ally also has some really cool features which will surely give some hard competition to the likes of Steam Deck.

ROG Ally Design: It looks clean yet has a vibe

ASUS ROG Ally announced: Setting up new benchmarks for handheld gaming consoles

Folks, there is much more exciting about the hardware of Ally, but let’s start from the design perspective. The latest handheld gaming console has been exposed in a white color. You will find an analog stick and a D-pad, on the left. While on the right, there are face buttons and another analog stick placed at an offset angle. The buttons are black giving panda color vibes. Moreover, the joysticks have RGB lighting which looks super good.

On the back, you get the iconic ROG logo along with an RGB strip. I would say it has a clean look to it without losing the “gaming” aesthetics. Finally, the ROG Ally weighs 1.3 pounds (0.58 kg) which is quite good for a handheld console.

Finally, no more 720p gaming

ASUS ROG Ally announced: Setting up new benchmarks for handheld gaming consoles
Via Dave2D

Who wasn’t angry at Steam for not giving a 1080p display on Deck? The discussion was whether 720p is even distinguishable from 1080p if the display is too small. But I disagree; if a manufacturer is coming up with a console, they should keep the next 5 years in mind. 720p is not the standard anymore, and luckily Asus understands it.

The ROG Ally has a 7-inch display with an FHD+ resolution. Asus also decided to add a 120Hz refresh rate on top to make things even better. Hence, on paper, the Ally ticks the box of the display segment.

Twice the power of Steam Deck

According to Dave2D, the Rog Ally has double the power of a Steam Deck. The Ally is using a new custom AMD SoC built on TSMC 4nm. It offers a mix of Zen 4 CPU and RDNA 3 GPU cores. On paper, it sounds really good. But that’s not even the complete picture; Ally is quieter than Steam Deck. Dave2D compared both of the handheld consoles and found the ROG Ally has a much quieter fan noise. He also said that the noise was too low that he thought maybe there is something wrong with the device, but there wasn’t.

What about software?

ASUS ROG Ally announced: Setting up new benchmarks for handheld gaming consoles

Finally, let’s talk about the software. This department will also shock you as ROG Ally uses Windows 11 OS. It means you get a complete computer in the palm of your hand. While there is also a custom UI on top for a better experience, the fact that there is Windows 11 gives the handheld console endless possibilities.

I am impressed by the Asus ROG Ally, however; it is too early to say. There is no price confirmation right now. However, with the current set of features, I would likely say it will target at $600 price range. Well, in this scenario, should Steam come up with a Deck 2? Well, the portable handheld console market is going to be exciting in the next couple of years. Make sure to stick around MobiGaming for the latest gaming updates.

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