Handheld gaming is a thing, an inevitable thing. Nintendo has always championed the concept and is a huge pioneer in the handheld gaming industry. The Nintendo Gameboy, for example, is one of the first and one of the most popular gaming handheld devices ever produced. It was iconic too, the namesake stayed on for a couple of generations and made way for a couple of new ideas in the handheld gaming space. It gave birth to the Nintendo Switch, partly.
The Nintendo Switch gave way and inspired many other new gaming devices that flooded the market. All that accumulates to Valve’s very own Steam Deck handheld gaming device. While not the first of its kind to play games on the Steam library while on battery, it is sort of the best solution and culmination of that concept. Then there is this new device, the new ROG Ally.
If you have scoped around the internet; YouTube especially, the ROG Ally should not be foreign to you by now. It is an ASUS manufactured handheld gaming device that mimics the concept of the Steam Deck. Unlike the Steam Deck though, it does not run its own version of Linux. It runs Windows, like a lot of the Chinese made gaming handheld that fancies itself the “Switch” of the PC gaming industry. More Specifically it runs Windows 11, making not just Steam library games available to users. You can theoretically play games from Ubisoft, Amazon Games, Epic Games, or even Origin Games.
The internal that keeps you happy gaming as long as the battery allows you is an integrated AMD APU. It is an AMD Ryzen Z1 series processor, not the same one you find on the latest gaming consoles for your couch. The Ryzen Z1 processor you find in the ROG Ally comes with AMD’s latest RDNA 3 architecture making it the most efficient and powerful APU of its kind found in a gaming handheld. You do need to keep it rather cool to get the best out of it though. In the restricted space that is the ROG Ally’s body is their new Zero Gravity thermal solution that keeps the internals happy with two fans pulling temperature away from ultrathin heatsink fines and high-friction heat pipes out the top of the device.
The powerful APU and cooling system projects Windows 11 and all your games on a high-resolution 7-inch display. It offers Full HD 1080p resolution, twice as much as the Steam Deck, and it is possible thanks to the powerful APU. It also offers 120Hz in refresh rate with FreeSync Premium, meaning your AAA games play smoothly and tear-free. If you wish to play in the great outdoors; because your mother has been telling you to play outside, it offers 500 nits in maximum brightness. It is also a touch sensitive display for easy Windows 11 and the Special Edition Armoury Crate navigation.
All of this is packed in a hardware that weighs only 608g. Unlike a Switch, the control panels are not detachable. But that means that the lightweight device is a solid build that you can just chuck in your bag without taking up too much space and adding too much weight in your backpack. The device is also shaped ergonomically for maximum comfort for its users with unique textures to improve grip on the device.
The ROG Ally will be launching globally on the 11th of May 2023. You can be part of that launch too on their event website. For now, that is the only information we have on ASUS’ ROG Ally. More information on the ROG Ally can be found on their website.