ASUS officially unveiled its first handheld gaming PC, the ROG Ally, on Thursday. With so many handheld gaming systems out there, including the Steam Deck, ASUS needed something special to succeed and live up to the promise of the ROG brand. That’s why ROG Ally promises a unique combination of AMD’s latest mobile CPU performance, high compatibility with Windows 11, and portability.
Performance: Extreme or Not Extreme?
First unveiled by Asus last month, ROG Ally is Valve’s effort to enter the handheld gaming PC space virtually this year with Steam Deck.
during development ROG Alley, Asus wanted to build a no-compromise machine that brings the performance of a mobile PC with the portability of a handheld device. This is where AMD’s recently launched Zen 4 based Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoCs specifically aimed at ultraportable devices come into play.
Based on AMD’s 4nm Phoenix silicon, the 8-core Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and its 12 CU RDNA 3 based GPU are similar to the company’s Ryzen 7 7840U CPU. On the other hand, Asus also offers a version of Ally using his Z1 chip on the lower tier, but this still uses 8 CPU cores and is paired with a 4 CU GPU. In theory, the Z1 Extreme chip is significantly more powerful (roughly 3x) in graphics tasks as a result, but heat and memory bandwidth limitations prevent the Extreme chip from running, so in practice the chip can’t compete with it. will be close. that too Far away.
When it comes to graphics performance, Asus’ ROG Ally console features a ROG XG Mobile connector (PCIe 3.0 x8 for data, USB-C for power and USB connectivity) that can be used to connect an Asus ROG XG. It should also be noted that Mobile eGFX dock with handheld. The XG Dock comes with various GPUs installed up to the GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPU. The XG Dock replaces many of the onboard features, but essentially turns ROG Ally into a high-performance gaming system. The fact that Asus offers out-of-the-box eGFX functionality is a key feature differentiator for ROG Ally, but if you want an XG dock with his GeForce RTX 4090 laptop on the top end, Ready to invest $1999.99.
Both versions of ROG Ally are equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory and 512GB SSD in M.2-2230 form factor with PCIe 4.0 interface. Replacing the M.2 drive is reportedly a relatively easy task, but for those looking to expand storage capacity without opening anything, the body also has a UHS-II compliant microSD card slot. I have it.
Display: Full HD (120Hz)
ROG Ally will not only be the first handheld to feature a Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU, but also one of the first portable consoles to feature a 7-inch display with 1920×1080 resolution. And some support refresh rates up to 120 Hz. The Gorilla Glass Victus-covered display uses an IPS-class panel with a peak brightness of 500 nits, and Dolby Vision HDR support makes gaming more engaging.
In addition to the Dolby Vision HDR-badged display, the Asus ROG Ally also features a Dolby Atmos-certified audio subsystem with smart amplifier speakers and noise-cancelling technology.
Ergonomics: 600 grams and all controls
Ergonomics are very important when it comes to mobile devices. However, it is very difficult to design a handheld game console that basically uses laptop-class silicon with all the characteristics. When Asus set out to develop the ROG Ally mobile, he asked gamers what he thought was the most important feature of a portable console, and obviously it was weight. So he set ASUS to design a device that weighs around 600 grams and is easy to use.
“When we surveyed our focus group, the number one thing they wanted was a handheld device with a balanced weight,” said Sean Yen, vice president of Asus’ gaming business unit responsible for ROG products. said. “My goal was 600 grams because the current mobile phones on the market are too heavy. It’s not something I can use for long periods of time. When we thought of Ally’s design targets, we wanted a device that gamers would enjoy for hours.”
The display and chassis are one of the heaviest components in virtually any mobile device, so there’s little you can do about them. However, in order to optimize weight and distribute weight throughout the device, the company implemented a very thoughtful motherboard design and used anti-gravity heat pipes to avoid overuse with increasing weight. to ensure proper cooling at all times. weight. Asus, on the other hand, had to use two fans and a radiator with ultra-thin 0.1mm fins to properly cool the CPU, which can dissipate up to 30W of heat. To further optimize weight, ASUS chose a polycarbonate chassis.
Although the Asus ROG Ally is in the form factor of a portable game console, it’s essentially a Windows 11-based PC, so the company has added all the pads and buttons found on traditional gamepads, plus I had to incorporate some additional controls for the . Specifically things like the Armor Crate game launcher and his two macro buttons. It’s also worth noting that Ally is unable to continuously pause the game while sleeping, presumably because he’s using Windows 11. This is a noticeable difference compared to other handheld game consoles.
On the other hand, the trade-off for hitting target weight while using a relatively powerful SoC is battery life. Ally comes with his 40Wh battery, and Asus officially advertises this handheld as offering up to two hours of battery life for heavy gaming workloads. Early reviews are also consistent with this, if not less than two hours in some cases. High-resolution displays and high-performance AMD CPUs are both key differentiators for Ally, but these parts come with high power costs.
vast connectivity
ROG Ally is a PC, so it’s ready to deliver the connectivity you’ve come to expect from a portable computer. So the unit features Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth adapters for connectivity, a MicroSD card slot for additional storage, a USB Type-C port for both charging and display output, and a ROG XG for external GPU. Includes Mobile Connector. TRRS audio connector for headsets.
price
Powered by AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU, the ROG Ally is expected to launch on June 13, 2023 for $699.99 worldwide. Meanwhile, Ally’s non-extreme Z1 version retails for his $599.99, though no release date has been announced. With the first reviews already out, ASUS is giving potential customers a long lead time to evaluate the console before it launches next month.
