Gaming News
Asus Just Announced Their Upcoming Handheld Gaming PC
What fans thought was an April Fool's joke turned out to be a real product.
In a couple of previous posts, I spoke about powerful handheld consoles such as the Steam Deck, as well as Asus’ gaming smartphone. In this post, I will discuss the recent reveal of Asus’ upcoming handheld gaming PC.
Asus has confirmed that the ROG Ally, its handheld gaming PC, is a real product after initially announcing it on April Fools’ Day as a joke.
A custom AMD SoC powers the device built on TSMC’s 4nm process node, featuring a Zen 4 CPU and an RDNA 3 GPU, making it more performant than the Steam Deck.
The ROG Ally has a 7-inch 1080p 16:9 screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, making it suitable for games that require high resolution and refresh rates.
The device runs on Windows 11 and comes with a custom Asus app that includes a game launcher and allows for some tweaks to the system on the fly.
It also connects to one of Asus’ external GPU enclosures, increasing its GPU performance by up to an RTX 4090. The price is yet to be announced.
Asus initially announced the ROG Ally on April Fools’ Day, and it was considered a joke until two days later, when the company confirmed that it was a real product.
Despite its rocky announcement, the device looks impressive and is expected to be a decent handheld PC. The ROG Ally resembles the Steam Deck, but it is bigger and fancier with a professionally shot video, making it look like a very real product.
The device’s custom AMD SoC makes it more performant than the Steam Deck, which has an 800p screen, and Ally’s screen runs at up to 120Hz, while the Steam Deck’s maximum refresh rate is not yet known.
According to Dave2D, the ROG Ally runs quietly, making it more comfortable to use for extended periods.
The device runs on Windows 11, less restrictive on what games can be played than Valve’s Linux SteamOS on the Steam Deck.
However, whether Asus can nail its launcher app and make it as sleek to operate as the Steam Deck remains to be seen.
The most exciting feature of the ROG Ally is its compatibility with one of Asus’ external GPU enclosures.
This feature makes it possible to dock the device at home and play demanding games at a higher resolution by connecting it to an RTX 4090.
However, the price of the ROG Ally is yet to be announced, and it remains to be seen whether it will be competitive enough to attract gamers.
Although the ROG Ally was initially announced on April Fools’ Day, Asus confirmed it was a real product, making it one of the most genuine-looking joke products in recent years.
Asus posted a professionally shot video with real game footage and mock-ups, claiming to have a custom AMD APU.
The video is publicly listed on YouTube without mentioning April Fools beyond the date it was uploaded, making it easy for viewers to believe it was a real product.
Final Words
Asus has confirmed that the ROG Ally, its handheld gaming PC, is a real product after initially announcing it as an April Fools’ joke.
A custom AMD SoC powers the device and features a 7-inch 1080p 16:9 screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, making it more performant than the Steam Deck.
The device runs on Windows 11, and it comes with a custom Asus app that includes a game launcher and allows for some tweaks to the system on the fly.
The most exciting feature of the ROG Ally is its compatibility with one of Asus’ external GPU enclosures, making it possible to increase its GPU performance by up to an RTX 4090.
The price is yet to be announced, and whether it will be competitive enough to attract gamers remains to be seen.
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