ASUS ROG Announces the ROG Ally, Its First Windows 11 Gaming Handheld

[GFreeman]

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) is proud to announce the ROG Ally, an incredibly powerful new Windows 11 gaming handheld. Powered by a cutting-edge AMD Ryzen Z1 series processor, the Ally can breeze through AAA games and indie titles with ease. A bright and high-refresh-rate touchscreen ensures that gamers see their content clearly even when gaming outdoors. The Ally is easy to carry and handle all day, thanks to its lightweight 608 g design and ergonomic handholds.

Featuring an all-new purpose-built APU - an AMD Ryzen Z1 series processor with RDNA 3 graphics - the ROG Ally is primed to deliver never-before-seen levels of handheld gaming performance. Gamers who enjoy lighter indie titles, or more graphically intensive AAA games, can do it all with the Ally. Making all this possible is also ROG's Zero Gravity thermal system, which uses a dual-fan system with ultrathin heatsink fins and high-friction heat pipes to ensure the Ally stays cool in any orientation.



Flagship gaming performance demands a panel to match, and the Ally does not disappoint. Equipped with a 120 Hz FHD (1080p) panel with FreeSync Premium support, gamers will enjoy supreme motion clarity in fast-paced games, with no tearing or stuttering in the event of an FPS drop. The display also has a maximum brightness of 500 nits, enabling gamers to easily keep track of the action in more challenging environments like the great outdoors. This touchscreen also allows seamless navigation of the Windows desktop when gamers need to change settings or install their next game.

Full-fledged Windows 11 gaming
The ROG Ally runs Windows 11, meaning gamers can access all their publisher libraries and game streaming services on a single device. No matter where the latest and greatest titles are available, the Ally can power gamers to victory. Navigating the Windows desktop is a seamless experience, either through the Ally's joysticks and buttons or through Windows' robust touchscreen support.

Additionally, a Special Edition of Armoury Crate makes its debut with the ROG Ally, customized with quick performance mode toggles, a game launcher, in-game monitoring software, Aura Sync support, and more. ROG is also offering a bundled 90-day trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving users instant access to hundreds of great games from Xbox Game Studios, indie studios, and blockbusters the moment they boot their Ally.

Ergonomic and lightweight design
For a handheld, weight and ergonomics are everything. ROG engineers painstakingly developed and iterated the shape and weight of the ROG Ally until they were satisfied that they had created the perfect machine to carry and play all day. Weighing in at just 608 grams, the Ally will never weigh heavily in a gamer's backpack or hands, allowing for plenty of uninterrupted and comfortable gameplay.

The Ally's ergonomics continue with its handgrips, with unique triangle texturing on the rear giving gamers a solid hold on the machine from any angle. ROG styling lines adorn the palm side of the grip while also helping to reduce any accidental slipping.

Learn more at the ROG Ally launch event
The official ROG Ally launch event will be held on May 11, 2023. Please tune in to learn more about the full specifications and pricing. The keynote will start at 10.00 a.m. Eastern Time (14.00 GMT), followed by a panel discussion with Shawn Yen, Product Management Director of Gaming Business Unit from ASUS, Roanne Sones, CVP, Head of Xbox Hardware, and Frank Azor, Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions and Gaming Marketing from AMD to talk about the design story of the ROG Ally and its impact on the gaming landscape.



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[enb141]

May 11 for a handheld with Windows 11, 17 days left.

 

[Nordic]

The hardware looks impressive. The one spec I don't see is battery life. The Steam Deck gets approximately 90 minutes of battery life in demanding games and as high as 8 in the least demanding games. The ROG Ally has more powerful hardware and a faster screen. One of the biggest criticisms of the Steam Deck has been a lack of battery life. Will the ROG Ally have better or worse battery life?

I am excited to see the handheld market expand. It's higher performance and lack of track pads might draw in new people who wouldn't consider the Steam Deck.

 

[Dragokar]

I guess we will see a smooth €899 and €699 for the later "lite" edition.

 

[Dimitriman]

I hope Nintendo is looking at these AMD chips for it's next consoles... Would be a hella upgrade.

 

[Nordic]

I hope Nintendo is looking at these AMD chips for it's next consoles... Would be a hella upgrade.

Nintendo would probably underclock them to maximize battery life and then build games for that spec. I hope they do.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Freesync confirmed? Asus is really nailing down this one.

 

[kapone32]

Announcing without pricing means one thing, expensive. Thanks but no thanks Asus. AMD please release these for AM5 by Chirstmas so so that we can have Great Gaming over the holidays. better yet release them on June 1 so that kids can build their first Gaming PCs without a DGPU for around $450 US top play on Donated 1080P screens.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Nintendo would probably underclock them to maximize battery life and then build games for that spec. I hope they do.

Even so they would be a major improvement, the switch console is using MAXWELL tech. From 2014.

 

[Spartanjet]

I was going to buy a steam deck but now I'm getting this. Why buy an old product with an outdated processor at this point? Plus its a native windows 11 system meaning no issues running any game.

 

[Cheeseball]

Hopefully the support for this device will be just as big, if not bigger than how Valve and the *nix community supports the Steam Deck. If one can get SteamOS to run on it (with proper APU controls) that would be a big boon.

The only problem is we may need to deal with trash like Armoury Crate. LOL!

EDIT: I have a bad feeling the APU control software will actually be some version of Armoury Crate.

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

I'm hoping AMD's defacto monopoly in the handheld market equates to a lucrative revenue stream that can help them get closer to matching Nvida and (though highly unlikely) Intel's R&D budget.

 

[sam_86314]

Hopefully the support for this device will be just as big, if not bigger than how Valve and the *nix community supports the Steam Deck. If one can get SteamOS to run on it (with proper APU controls) that would be a big boon.

The only problem is we may need to deal with trash like Armoury Crate. LOL!

EDIT: I have a bad feeling the APU control software will actually be some version of Armoury Crate.

I'm sure G-Helper will get updated to support this when it releases.

I use it on my G14, and it's infinitely better than the bloated nonsense that is Armoury Crate. Just one 3MB executable compared to the 3GB of crap that AC has.

Though honestly, I'd probably rather run SteamOS were I to get one of these.

 

[Cheeseball]

I'm sure G-Helper will get updated to support this when it releases.

I use it on my G14, and it's infinitely better than the bloated nonsense that is Armoury Crate. Just one 3MB executable compared to the 3GB of crap that AC has.

Though honestly, I'd probably rather run SteamOS were I to get one of these.

Yeah G-Helper is the only software I run on my ASUS laptops (G14\6700S and G15\6800M). Hopefully it gets developed well enough to be like Legion Toolkit.

The problem is G-Helper still "kind-of" needs MyASUS (which is not as bad as Armoury Crate itself) still installed since you need it to control battery charging (e.g. limiting it to 60%, thermal limit, etc.).

 

[HisDivineOrder]

"Less than $1k" sounds like $900-999.99 to me. They didn't even clarify which model they were talking about being less than $1k, which probably means the lower end model gets the $800-900 price and the higher end model, the upsell, is more.

A little less battery capacity with benchmarks all being run at Low and twice the TDP of the Steam Deck means the battery life would be about half the worst case scenario of the Steam Deck, which means the 1-2 hour becomes 30 minutes to an hour for the Ally.

The Steam Deck has quad-channel memory but the Ally is saying dual-channel only. APU's like this are often memory bandwidth starved.

The shape looks wildly uncomfortable and both Linus (LTT) and The Verge's review mentioned how the unit is uncomfortable if you aren't propping it on a table at an angle.

Eh, it's got a lot to prove.

 

[Squared]

The Steam Deck has quad-channel memory but the Ally is saying dual-channel only. APU's like this are often memory bandwidth starved.

That might just be a matter of how DDR5 works. As I understand "single channel" means a 64-bit interface and "dual channel" means a 128-bit interface, but "single-channel" DDR5 is 2x 32-bit channels. The Steam Deck memory specification is "5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels", which is normally just called "5500 MT/s dual channel".

Steam Deck :: Tech Specs

Available now.

www.steamdeck.com

 

[R0H1T]

"Less than $1k" sounds like $900-999.99 to me. They didn't even clarify which model they were talking about being less than $1k, which probably means the lower end model gets the $800-900 price and the higher end model, the upsell, is more.

A little less battery capacity with benchmarks all being run at Low and twice the TDP of the Steam Deck means the battery life would be about half the worst case scenario of the Steam Deck, which means the 1-2 hour becomes 30 minutes to an hour for the Ally.

The Steam Deck has quad-channel memory but the Ally is saying dual-channel only. APU's like this are often memory bandwidth starved.

The shape looks wildly uncomfortable and both Linus (LTT) and The Verge's review mentioned how the unit is uncomfortable if you aren't propping it on a table at an angle.

Eh, it's got a lot to prove.

This is a substantially more powerful chip than anything else in the handheld space, but the slightly good news is that if sales aren't spectacular it may come down in price towards the holiday season! Unlike actual consoles I don't see it holding on to that price for very long.

 

[dlgh7]

One thing that will be interesting from a device like this is they have to pay for Windows Licensing, which the Steam Deck doesn't. So no matter what they do they have added cost right off the top.

 

[enb141]

The hardware looks impressive. The one spec I don't see is battery life. The Steam Deck gets approximately 90 minutes of battery life in demanding games and as high as 8 in the least demanding games. The ROG Ally has more powerful hardware and a faster screen. One of the biggest criticisms of the Steam Deck has been a lack of battery life. Will the ROG Ally have better or worse battery life?

I am excited to see the handheld market expand. It's higher performance and lack of track pads might draw in new people who wouldn't consider the Steam Deck.

Yeah I'm one of those that doesn't like steam deck because of track pads.

 

[trsttte]

but "single-channel" DDR5 is 2x 32-bit channels. The Steam Deck memory specification is "5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels", which is normally just called "5500 MT/s dual channel

LPDDR5 is 2x16bit but same difference. Which makes me wonder with the steam deck saying "LPDDR5 quad 32bit channels" what's going on here?

 

[Nordic]

One thing that will be interesting from a device like this is they have to pay for Windows Licensing, which the Steam Deck doesn't. So no matter what they do they have added cost right off the top.

I thought they were silly and a waste of space until I actually got a steam deck in hand and tried them out. They are not the same low quality lenovo laptop track pads I have used in the past. With some configuration they become far preferable for FPS games than the analog sticks. Valve impressed me. I never thought I would like a track pad.

 

[Kyan]

I was going to buy a steam deck but now I'm getting this. Why buy an old product with an outdated processor at this point? Plus its a native windows 11 system meaning no issues running any game.

Actually, the SteamOS with proton have not a lot of game that don't run properly, just check the game you intended to play and see how they run, there's a huge gap of price between these two. If the w11 is not a lot debloated, they will probably lose perf compare to steamOS and battery life. So not 100% a win

 

[Durvelle27]

If the price is right I'm sold

But I'm am leery due to the different variants offering different hardware

 

[Regenweald]

Yeah I'm one of those that doesn't like steam deck because of track pads.

I specifically want a steam deck because of the trackpads, I feel like they'd offer a level of precision input that I can't get with sticks. Started gaming later in life, never built up thumbstick dexterity...

I'm also wary of Asus and their long term support of this, Valve is for sure building an ecosystem, Asus just looks like they wanted to put something on the market with 'better' numbers than the deck. Still though, it's good to see more manufacturers entering the handheld space again.

 

[enb141]

I specifically want a steam deck because of the trackpads, I feel like they'd offer a level of precision input that I can't get with sticks. Started gaming later in life, never built up thumbstick dexterity...

I'm also wary of Asus and their long term support of this, Valve is for sure building an ecosystem, Asus just looks like they wanted to put something on the market with 'better' numbers than the deck. Still though, it's good to see more manufacturers entering the handheld space again.

I've been playing before PC gaming existed (no RTS, MOBA, FPS), anyway for those games wouldn't play them without mouse and keyboard (keypad in my case), so if I game doesn't supports gamepad, I wouldn't play it on a handheld anyway.