TheAsus ROG Allyis launching on June 13. This particular handheld gaming PC has built up significant hype ever sinceAsus first announced it on April Fools Day. A month later, Asus is already gearing up to bring the device to customers' hands.
Following the release of Valve’s Steam Deck in February 2022, the handheld gaming PC market has seen a spike in popularity. Some companies, such as Ayaneo and OneXPlayer, have tried to bring out rival products that can give the Steam Deck a run for its money. TheAsus ROG Ally might seem a bit late to party. However, it might also be the most promising contender in this space, especially judging from the combination of specs and price that it’s going to bring to the table.
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According to Asus, the ROG Ally will come in two different configurations: a standard one for $599, and a more powerful one for $699, both of which have the same 512GB of NVMe storage in tow. This is in line withwhat was leaked recently for the ROG Ally, which has already set high expectations among fans given that it’s only just $50 more expensive than the 512GB Steam Deck. Keen buyers now also know that they can opt for even cheaper with the lower-end model. As for the release date, the top-end model is primed to ship on June 13 in the United States, with the lower-end model following suit in Q3 2023.
The difference between those two variants lies on their processors. The $599 base version is powered by AMD Ryzen Z1 APU, while the $699 top tier version is sporting an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU that offers better graphics performance, rivaling that of modern living room consoles, in Asus' words. The rest ofthe specs for both ROG Ally models, such as the screen and the RAM capacity, will be identical.
Given the competitive price point and the substantially better performance, the Asus ROG Ally has potential to make the Steam Deck lose its top position in the handheld gaming PC market. Despite that, Valve has shown that it actuallydoesn’t mind some competition for the Steam Deck. The company is even excited to see the PC handheld gaming niche grow, as it means players will have more ways to play Steam games on the go.
Regardless, the Asus ROG Ally has much to prove to customers when it lands on store shelves this June.Early impressions of the ROG Ally from criticshave been somewhat positive, which are great indicators that the device can really pull this off.
TheAsus ROG Allyships on July 01, 2025.
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