ASUS ROG Ally Gaming Console Is Real!! Will It Compete Steam Deck?

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ASUS caused a bit of skepticism when they announced the ROG Ally console on April Fool’s Day, but today they have confirmed that it wasn’t a joke after all and the console is definitely going to be released.

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ASUS has developed a gaming console called the Ally, which runs on Windows and is licensed to support the Xbox Game Pass library. Unlike other cloud-streaming devices, this console is a fully-fledged handheld gaming device that comes with a powerful APU, similar to the Steam Deck. This is ASUS’s first handheld gaming console and it uses a custom-built AMD Ryzen APU, which the company claims is the fastest yet. Although ASUS has not confirmed what type of APU will be used, a video from Dave2D has revealed that it will most likely be a custom AMD Phoenix APU with a 4nm architecture, a Zen4 CPU, and RDNA3 graphics.

The ASUS ROG Ally console has a dedicated XG connector, which allows it to take advantage of the most advanced gaming GPU for laptops. However, the main issue here is the price of the XG Mobile GPU, with the latest RTX 4090 model currently retailing at $2000.

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ASUS has promised a stunning and seamless “full-HD gaming” experience with the Ally console. According to Dave2D, the console features a 500-nit 1080p display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The display is not only brighter, but also more responsive with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time.

The ROG Ally has a dual-fan cooling system that is much quieter than the one in the Steam Deck. In fact, it only generates 20 dB of noise under load, which is significantly lower than the 37 dB produced by Valve’s product.

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ASUS has not announced a release date for the ROG Ally, nor have they shared full specifications or pricing information. However, Dave2D has confirmed with ASUS that the console will be launched globally and won’t be limited to just US BestBuy, where it is currently listed. ASUS has promised that the pricing will be competitive but we highly doubt that!