Base Model ASUS ROG Ally Said to Cost US$599.99

[TheLostSwede]

If something seems too good to be true, then it often is and the earlier rumoured price point of the "vanilla" ASUS ROG Ally at US$499.99 was apparently one such instance. Pricing information from serial Twitter leaker SnoopyTech suggests it will instead be priced at US$599.99, which seems a lot more realistic. Aside from using the 6-core CPU with a more limited GPU, the cheaper ROG Ally will also see its internal storage cut in half to 256 GB, compared to 512 GB for the "Extreme" version.

The rest of the specs appear to be identical, with both models sporting 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory, the 7-inch, 120 Hz 1080p display and possibly even the same 40 Whr battery pack. At US$70 more than the equivalent Steam Deck, it might be a tough sell, especially as it's only US$100 to upgrade to the fully featured version, a much smaller cost increase compared to each of the Steam Deck SKUs, where you're looking at spending more to get more. It could simply be that this is a sales tactic by ASUS, to push most of its potential customers to buy the more expensive model.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[dj-electric]

If the base model is 599 USD, one of the following 2 is correct:
1 - 699 USD for top model has been a wrong leak, and the price is likely to be 799 or even 899 USD
2 - This base model is a simple decoy product to make the top model look like a lot better deal if it is priced at 699 USD

 

[john_]

Prices are too close together. Then again by replacing only 2 parts, an SSD where the cost difference between a 256GB and a 512GB SSD for ASUS is probably $10 and the main SOC from AMD, don't let room for many price cuts. How much can AMD be charging more for the Extreme APU, over the non Extreme one? $50 - $100?

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

It would be pretty interesting if in the end, AMD was able to gain Dominance in the low end/entry-level gpu market with APUs and not dGPUs....which I think will definitely be the case. I really, really, really hope that AMD releases a DIY desktop APU with Zen4 and RDNA3, and that our only option aren't just mini-pc's with the pheonix mobility APUs...I want a true desktop APU sold to consumers, and it'd be even better I'd it had more CUs (though I know that's an absolute longshot).

 

[john_]

It would be pretty interesting if in the end, AMD was able to gain Dominance in the low end/entry-level gpu market with APUs and not dGPUs....which I think will definitely be the case. I really, really, really hope that AMD releases a DIY desktop APU with Zen4 and RDNA3, and that our only option aren't just mini-pc's with the pheonix mobility APUs...I want a true desktop APU sold to consumers, and it'd be even better I'd it had more CUs (though I know that's an absolute longshot).

AMD NEEDS to remain competitive in performance and features important in gaming with Nvidia, or Nvidia will be able in 5-10 years to eliminate both Intel and AMD. Who will buy an X86 APU, if Nvidia comes out with an ARM based SOC that performs 2 times better in gaming and is priced about the same? Windows on ARM, or SteamOS could be the base of such a system. Microsoft could also go Nvidia next time if the performance distance between Nvidia and AMD becomes huge, hoping to have a significant advantage over PS6, if PS6 remains an AMD hardware.

 

[Easy Rhino]

Are that many people walking around playing video games that we need a second handheld?

 

[ToTTenTranz]

I keep seeing LPDDR5 instead of LPDDR5X which is Phoenix's fastest supported memory.

This would mean the Ally is using, at best, LPDDR5 6400Mbps (total 102GB/s) instead of the SoC's maximum LPDDR5X 7500 (120GB/s). On such a bandwidth-starved GPU this should make a substantial difference.

I wonder if Asus will let people overclock the LPDDR5, as it could be very beneficial to performance.

 

[TechLurker]

Are that many people walking around playing video games that we need a second handheld?

More like 7+ handhelds, between other various Steam Deck-alikes (like the well-known AyaNeo or GPD variants).

But the answer is probably yes; I'm starting to see these more often even in my local area (and it's not a progressive city by any means). Even saw a group of players just chilling at the park playing on their Decks.

 

[TheLostSwede]

More like 7+ handhelds, between other various Steam Deck-alikes (like the well-known AyaNeo or GPD variants).

But the answer is probably yes; I'm starting to see these more often even in my local area (and it's not a progressive city by any means). Even saw a group of players just chilling at the park playing on their Decks.

Don't forget AOKZOE...

AOKZOE A1 Pro console with Ryzen 7 7840U "Phoenix" APU has a retail price of $999 - VideoCardz.com

AOKZOE A1 PRO costs at least $799 during flash sale, $999 at retail The season for new handheld gaming consoles has begun. Chinese AOKZOE has just introduced The A1 Pro. The A1 Pro is the first handheld gaming console to officially feature AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840U “Phoenix” APU. It looks like this...

videocardz.com

 

[TumbleGeorge]

1080P and even 1440 with medium or low settings (depending on the game title and using FSR 2.1) and with DDR5. Let's take a peek into the not-so-distant future in 2027, when handheld consoles with DDR6 will be released. Oops!

 

[enb141]

Don't forget AOKZOE...

AOKZOE A1 Pro console with Ryzen 7 7840U "Phoenix" APU has a retail price of $999 - VideoCardz.com

AOKZOE A1 PRO costs at least $799 during flash sale, $999 at retail The season for new handheld gaming consoles has begun. Chinese AOKZOE has just introduced The A1 Pro. The A1 Pro is the first handheld gaming console to officially feature AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840U “Phoenix” APU. It looks like this...

videocardz.com

I prefer a known brand than a chinese with unknown support, at least ASUS has a pretty good support.

 

[Fungi]

Prices are too close together. Then again by replacing only 2 parts, an SSD where the cost difference between a 256GB and a 512GB SSD for ASUS is probably $10 and the main SOC from AMD, don't let room for many price cuts. How much can AMD be charging more for the Extreme APU, over the non Extreme one? $50 - $100?

It's a valid marketing strategy to sell the premium products, Apple does it all the time

 

[enb141]

It's a valid marketing strategy to sell the premium products, Apple does it all the time

Yep, apple charges you just $200 for upgrading from 8GB to 16 GB RAM or from 256 GB SSD to 512 GB, they sell an obsolete 8GB/256GB forcing you to pay $400 to get a real minimum 16GB/512 GB.

 

[Space Lynx]

Are that many people walking around playing video games that we need a second handheld?

Steam Deck has me gaming more than any time in my entire life. I never realized how much I had grown hating sitting at my desk all day and night. I am 100% buying Steam Deck 2 on launch day in a few years, and giving Steam Deck 1 either to a relative or to whoever is my gf at that time.

That being said, still happy I only paid $360 for my Deck, it's been the best $360 I have spent in ages.