ASUS has just officially lifted the lid on its Steam Deck killer, the ROG Ally.
Powered by AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor, the ROG Ally can, according to its manufacturer, "breeze through AAA games and indie titles in 1080p with ease" and is "poised to be the ultimate handheld gaming machine." We'd also imagine it's going to be the most potent portable emulation system money can buy.
The ROG Ally will run Windows 11, so you'll be able to play all of your usual PC games, as well as Steam, Epic Game Store and Xbox Game Pass purchases. In handheld mode, you can expect Full HD resolution and 60 FPS in "many" of the latest titles – ASUS even takes a dig at the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch by comparing the 1080p display with the 720p of "competing devices".
However, ASUS is keen to point out that the ROG Ally can also behave like a Switch and link with your TV screen via an optional dock, bringing a world of "couch co-op and competition" via extra wireless controllers. Finally, when twinned with "an XG Mobile external GPU sporting up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, the ROG Ally becomes a true gaming powerhouse for living room couch gaming or a high-end experience with mouse and keyboard. Play AAA games at 4K with ray tracing and DLSS 3, or take down the competition in high framerate esports titles."
Renato Fragale, senior director of product management for the Consumer and Gaming Client
Business at AMD, had this to say about the machine:
"Our team has spent over a decade developing the technologies necessary to enable the Ryzen Z1 Series of processors. Working with visionary partners like ROG, we’ve designed a platform that redefines mobile gaming. We’re excited for gamers to experience the first device powered by Ryzen Z1 Series processors with the launch of the ROG Ally."
To help you get started, the ROG Ally comes bundled with a 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code for free. Roanne Sones, CVP, Head of Xbox Hardware, says:
"Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have access to hundreds of games, including hits like Minecraft Legends, Grounded, Age of Empire IV and many more. With the ROG Ally and Game Pass Ultimate, we can’t wait for people to discover and play their next favorite game on the go, whether it’s playing native PC games with Windows or streaming console games with Xbox Cloud Gaming."
The ROG Ally will be available for sale in the UK from June 13th 2023 for £699 (that's the 512GB model), with pre-orders starting from May 11th.