Asus has just announced a new portable console that will take on the likes of Valve's Steam Deck and of course the iconic Nintendo Switch.
ASUS ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: Which Handheld Gaming PC is Right for You?
The ROG Ally certainly seems like a powerful contender, packing an AMD Ryzen Z1-series processor that the company says can “boost through AAA games and indie titles with ease.” To that end, much of the design focuses on heat dissipation, with dual thermal fans, thin cooling fins, and high-friction heatpipes. The end result? A console that runs cool to the touch no matter its orientation.
An initial advantage over the Steam Deck? The ROG Ally runs Windows 11, which allows for easier access to certain game stores and distribution platforms since the Steam Deck runs its own version of Linux. This is also an extremely light and portable handheld gaming device despite its high-end specs, weighing in at just over a pound (21 ounces).
Like all modern handhelds, there’s a touchscreen on board and plenty of backlighting (500 nits) for viewing content when gaming outdoors. The 120Hz display is 1080p and integrates FreeSync Premium for greater motion clarity and less stuttering during frame rate drops. ROG Ally also features dual Dolby Atmos speakers, expandable storage of up to 512GB, and 16GB of dual-channel RAM.