Asus ROG Ally Takes Aim At Steam Deck

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Yes, it is a real

Asus ROG Ally
(Image credit: Asus)

Asus has unwrapped a device which could be the successor to the widely praised and popular Steam Deck from Valve. The Asus ROG Ally appears to check many things that would be on a Steam Deck 2 wish-list; a more powerful custom APU, better screen, quieter running, and Windows in the place of SteamOS. However, Asus perversely chose to launch the device on April Fool’s day, a time when companies often "launch" joke products.

Despite the timing of the launch, it now looks certain that the ROG Ally is a real product, aiming to be only the second major branded device in this niche. And it is largely thanks to Asus being a major name that the ROG Ally features a fresh slice of custom silicon from AMD, which will be key to its success.

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Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Elusive Ruse
    Asus premium is a thing I know, but both Dave2D and LTT were adamant that Asus knew that Steam Deck's pricing is what makes it the most attractive option out there. So I'm gonna give Asus the benefit of the doubt that they won't release the base model with a $700 MSRP or higher. I personally wouldn't pay more than what I paid for my PS5 for a handheld; but I also haven't had an urge for gaming on the move since I owned a Game Boy.

    The product itself is intriguing though, 1080p and a 120hz screen is compelling especially considering it is Windows based which I assume it would mean much more freedom than having to use SteamOS. The 4090 part is a total marketing point as it defeats the purpose of a handheld gaming device. The rumours are that it will launch early summer, so let's see how it will turn out, the pricing is the most important thing however.
    Reply
  • KingZarkon
    Elusive Ruse said:
    The 4090 part is a total marketing point as it defeats the purpose of a handheld gaming device.

    I'm assuming that connection is so that you can dock it, ala the Nintendo Switch, to use it on your TV via the more powerful GPU.
    Reply
  • Giroro
    I have Asus wireless earbuds and an Asus phone. The earbuds connect fine to the phone, but I every time I connect them, I get 3 popup errors telling me to install the app (which is already installed) and that they can't communicate with the earbuds. I don't think I would have this problem if I were not attempting to make 2 Asus devices talk to each other.
    Also, the fan controller ROG app on my Asus laptop power throttles games, or something, until I force fan control back to Windows.
    Asus doesn't have good enough software to compete with Steam, in any way. Asus's software is not as bad as Razer, but it's still really bad. (Razer is up to requiring 6-processes and close to 512MB memory usage just to turn my mouse LEDs from "rainbow vomit" to static purple).

    Also, the Steam Deck is completely embarrassing to use and not a device worth copying, but that is a separate issue.
    Reply
  • helper800
    Giroro said:
    Also, the Steam Deck is completely embarrassing to use and not a device worth copying, but that is a separate issue.
    In what ways is it embarrassing to use? Its a very successful product...
    Reply
  • bigdragon
    I think the ROG Ally is DOA. Streamers and ROG addicts will run out and buy it immediately. Then it'll just collect dust on shelves. I bet it launches at $700 starting and gets discounted a month after release.

    While the pricing, performance, and size of the Steam Deck are important features, there's one thing that Asus cannot dream to compete on -- software support. I'd rather have a Steam Deck and know there are dedicated, internal developers at Valve contributing to the OS and drivers than buy something from Asus with nebulous development support.

    I do think Asus did a good job with this gaming handheld. Good design, good specs, and likely good performance. That's not enough for the high price they're going to demand.
    Reply
  • helper800
    bigdragon said:
    I think the ROG Ally is DOA. Streamers and ROG addicts will run out and buy it immediately. Then it'll just collect dust on shelves. I bet it launches at $700 starting and gets discounted a month after release.

    While the pricing, performance, and size of the Steam Deck are important features, there's one thing that Asus cannot dream to compete on -- software support. I'd rather have a Steam Deck and know there are dedicated, internal developers at Valve contributing to the OS and drivers than buy something from Asus with nebulous development support.

    I do think Asus did a good job with this gaming handheld. Good design, good specs, and likely good performance. That's not enough for the high price they're going to demand.
    I do not necessarily agree with everything you have said, but I definitely agree on pricing. It would be a miracle if this cost less that 800 dollars in my opinion. I wonder if you could get decent support on this device by putting the steam OS on it. They have very close hardware in terms of I/O for support. The SoC is also from AMD.
    Reply
  • Vorador2
    It's an interesting device, but they always do the same mistakes while pursuing the Deck.

    1º Add a beautiful, high res screen that massively cuts battery life. Plus the integrated GPU won't be able to run games at native resolution unless they're 3 years old at least or lowering a lot of the graphic settings. The external GPU would help but likely will need an external screen, so not much of a point.
    2º Windows 11 with a custom launcher. Custom launcher sucks, and Windows 11 is not designed to be managed from a controller. It is doable, but is not the same experience as SteamOS
    3º Price. Pursuing the latest SoCs and quality screens invariably gives a high price. GPD, Ayaneo...all launched a "Deck killer" that is twice or thrice the price.

    Steam Deck works because it is cheap and easy to use, no need to fiddle with settings if you don't want. Sure, not every game works, but most do. Proton is surprisingly solid.
    Reply
  • 3tank
    I love their products as gaudy as some may look and was goping this was mlre than a april fools joke but they really need to nail Armoury Crate because sometimes it is a total mess for months at a time.
    Reply
  • Sluggotg
    The handheld market is getting a bit crowded. Asus will have to do something to stand out. I wish they had Information about the Rog Ally on their site. I will most likely preorder one. I might regret it later, but we shall see.

    I love Asus but Armoury Crate is an issue. It is by far the biggest complaint on Asus Products. I am not impressed that I have to Use Armoury Crate to install drivers on my Asus Mothboards. ( I foolishly thought I could download the drivers and install them by hand during New Builds, I didn't realize that was not an option). I hope they take a good look at Armoury Crate and doing new builds.
    Reply
  • _dawn_chorus_
    The Phawx's video on this product today kind of nuked any excitement I might have had for it.

    sCgPQlrMhkUView: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCgPQlrMhkU

    Having a Steam Deck and a gaming desktop myself, I really cannot see the trade off of more power and less battery being worth it. I love the Steam Deck for Indie games where I can get 3-7 hours of on the go gameplay because to me that is what it is for, gaming on the go, but having a proper desktop or powerful gaming laptop to play newer or more graphically intensive titles for longer sessions is a must imo.
    Until efficiency is ratcheted up a few degrees more power is unattractive to me in this formfactor.

    Also the symmetrical joysticks on the SD are just the best feeling I have had with a controller. Why aren't any other handhelds copying that layout?
    Reply