Seems the Asus Rog Ally is an actual Steam Deck various, because the element large 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 offer 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 smart, because it makes for an amazing double bluff. That’s to not say the brand new handheld guarantees something fictitious, but it surely has a couple of issues going for it that would shake up the moveable 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 would 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,” though Valve’s handheld arguably already does simply that.
The hand-held’s promotional trailer additionally claims it’ll present a easy “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 beneath the solar, which means it might include anti-glare capabilities that maintain up towards the 512GB Steam Deck mannequin.
Identical to Valve’s handheld paired with the very best Steam Deck dock, you’ll be capable of hook up the Rog Ally to a giant display screen. But, slightly than pairing the moveable with a docking station, the trailer says it’ll work with the Rog XG Cellular – an eGPU inclosure that allows you to hook up a fully-fledged graphics card to suitable laptops and the upcoming handheld.
That alone will give it a hybrid edge towards each Valve’s handheld and consoles just like the Nintendo Change, as ‘docked mode’ will enhance fps. Nonetheless, the most recent Rog XG Cellular eGPU enclosure prices an eye-watering $1,999 USD, so the setup is nowhere close to the identical value as a Steam Deck and docking station combo.
Given the Asus Rog Ally’s premium vibe, the hand held itself will most likely price way more than the Steam Deck too. Different moveable Home windows-based Steam Deck alternate options, just like the Onexplayer Mini, are available in at $1,229, so it’ll be something however a rival by way of value. That stated, Asus’ achievements inside the very best gaming laptop computer area ought to assist it seize a slice of the moveable PC market pie, one that may allow it to make cheaper fashions sooner or later.
Actually, if Asus efficiently steps into the hand held limelight, there’s no purpose why a SteamOS model of the Rog Ally can’t emerge down the road. Valve has stated it’s open to the concept of producers making their very own Decks, and it might 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 figuring out whether or not the corporate can provide one thing actually new, so watch this area for extra deets.
