Asus has announced a possible successor to Valve’s widely acclaimed and popular Steam Deck.of Asus ROG Arai It looks like you’ve checked a lot of things on your Steam Deck 2 wishlist. A more powerful custom APU, better screen, quieter operation, Windows instead of SteamOS. However, Asus decided to launch the device on April Fool’s Day instead.
Despite the launch timing, it definitely looks like the ROG Ally is a real product, aiming to become the second major branded device in this niche. Also, ROG Ally is powered by AMD’s new custom his silicon thanks to Asus being a major name, which is key to its success.
| row 0 – cell 0 | Asus ROG Arai | steam deck |
| CPU | AMD Zen 4 SoC Built on TSMC 4nm | Custom Zen 2 ‘Van Gogh’, 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.4-3.5 GHz |
| GPUs | RDNA 3 GPUs | 8 RDNA 2CU, 1.0-1.6GHz |
| memory | i don’t know | 16GB LPDDR5 |
| depository | 512GB NVMe SSD (pictured) | 64 eMMC, 256GB/512GB NVMe SSDs |
| connectivity | Unknown (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth assumed) | Dual-band 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| port | USB-C, Asus XG Mobile external GPU connector.Headphones, UHS-III micro SD, fingerprint sensor | USB Type-C with DisplayPort, 3.5 mm headphone jack, microSD card reader (UHS-I) |
| battery | Equivalent to Steam Deck | 40WHr |
| screen | 7 inch 16:9 display | 7 inch 16:10 display |
| operating system | Windows | Steam OS |
| size | 280×113×39mm | 298×117×50.5mm |
| weight | 608g | 669g |
| price | i don’t know | $399 – $649 |
On Monday, YouTuber Dave2D released a video overview of the Asus ROG Ally. He said he’s been using the device in the wild (for about a week so far), and that the claims Asus made about his ROG Ally offering twice the Steam Deck performance are “legitimate.” said that it seems to be
Of course, ROG Ally’s performance owes a lot to its internal SoC. The YouTuber said that the new custom AMD SoC would be built on his TSMC 4nm and offer a mix of Zen 4 CPUs and RDNA 3 GPU cores. Unfortunately, his more precise SoC specs have not been revealed. Inside the Steam Deck is an AMD Aerith SoC with a 4C/8T (Zen 2) CPU and 8 CU (RDNA 2) GPU.
With more power, you may expect a noisier cooling system. But Dave2D was surprised by his ROG Ally’s quiet performance. In other words, Asus devices are surprisingly quiet, and their noise profile is completely different from Steam decks. ROG Ally’s noise level is estimated at 20 dB, but this has not yet been independently verified.
screen superiority
Portable screens are extremely important in providing entertainment on the go, and Asus’ screens are said to outperform their rivals in several key ways. With ROG Ally, users can enjoy brighter, better colors, higher resolutions (1080p, 16:9), and smoother visuals at up to 120Hz. Importantly for ROG Ally, according to Dave2D, games can comfortably reach higher frame rates on more powerful hardware, making better use of the display and its fast refresh rate. Mind you, the Steam Deck has a 16:10 aspect ratio he’s an 800p screen that maxes out at a rather mediocre level of 60 Hz.
move your body
After pondering the controls, YouTubers thought the ROG Ally’s buttons, sticks, paddles, and ergonomics seemed fine, with no obvious errors, but lacked the Steam Deck’s capacitive touchpad.
At the top are various controls and I/O such as a headphone jack, microSD card slot, volume rocker and fingerprint sensor. There’s also an Asus XG Mobile external GPU connector (supports up to RTX 4090) with a USB-C charging port inside. The included USB C charger also has a USB 3 port and an HDMI output, convenient for quickly connecting ROG Ally to larger displays.
ROG Ally’s battery life is currently said to be about the same as the Steam Deck in pre-production samples. Dave2D comments on the device, unboxing it and saying it is practical and easy to upgrade and repair.
Asus ROG Ally runs Windows 11 as its main OS. The Windows UI is a bit unwieldy on such a small screen, but the plan seems to be for gamers to navigate the large game thumbnail view via the Asus Armory Crate. Not everyone has a good opinion of this Asus accessory software that is also used for adjustments.
Some good news is that the Asus ROG Ally is said to be a global release. If Asus products are available in your country, a ROG Ally may also be available.
After multiple requests, Asus wouldn’t reveal the price, other than to say that the ROG Ally is “very competitive.” A partnership with Best Buy should also mean that Asus intends this to be a mass-produced product. Dave2D doesn’t think ROG Ally will compete with the Steam Deck’s $399 starting price, but it will still be an attractive $600 or $650 option.
