Why You Can Trust CNET Asus Unveils Steam Deck Competitor
The ROG Ally will give gamers another option to make their PC games portable.
Steam Deck has some competition.
Asus' ROG line of gaming-focused hardware is already established with its phones and laptops. Now the company is taking on Valve's Steam Deck with the reveal of its own portable gaming device.
The ROG Ally made its debut on Saturday and, as of Monday, is already listed at Best Buy though it's not available for preorder yet. On paper, the Ally has a similar build to the Steam Deck, but there are several differences that could give it the upper hand over Valve's hardware.
Powering the Ally is a custom AMD Zen 4 APU that's a step up from Steam Deck's Zen 2 APU, according to a video released by YouTuber Dave2D who had access to a prototype. Both devices have a 7-inch screen, but the Ally's is brighter, and has a 1,080p display and 120Hz refresh rate. There is also a significant decrease in fan noise on the Ally.
Unlike the Steam Deck, the Ally will not have touchpads and will instead have the standard two analog sticks. It will also run Windows 11, which means it'll be easier to run more games than the Steam OS although it won't be as gaming focused. At home, the Ally can connect to an external GPU that will provide even more power when playing games.
Asus didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company hasn't provided a release date or details on price, but according to Dave2D, Asus says it will be a "competitive" price.