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Demon_Skeith

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https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1642885253697261568

Asus unveiled its own alternative to the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally, in an announcement on April Fools' Day. While details about the ROG Ally are still currently unknown, such as a price point or a release date, the device has been listed at retailers like Best Buy. ASUS did however share that the handheld computer will feature a custom AMD chip, and users will be able to charge the device and stream gameplay to a television by plugging it into the ROG XG Mobile eGPU. Also announced by ASUS is that the ROG Ally is compatible with multiple platforms such as Microsoft Windows and Xbox Game Pass.
 
So would you rather have portable Steam games or portable Xbox games? Steam already sounds promising. Not sure if Xbox has an exclusive library or not.
 
ASUS ROG Ally looks like a nice handheld for playing PC games away from home. I hope it comes in different colors like Black.
 
I'm glad the Steam Deck is getting more competition. Would be interested to see what else comes out.
 
Marc said:
I'm glad the Steam Deck is getting more competition. Would be interested to see what else comes out.
Click to expand...
I think this would beat the Steam Deck if not for the fact the Ally most likely costs more.
 
probably around $649-$700, similar price to Valve’s highest-end Steam Deck.
 
Read launch event from tweaktown:

ASUS has announced that it is holding a special ROG Ally launch event on May 11, 2023. It will reveal the full specifications and pricing for its upcoming PC gaming console handheld.

The launch event is being reported by many as the actual launch date for the ROG Ally, though the press release doesn't specifically state this is the case. The presentation will start at 10.00 a.m. Eastern Time (14.00 GMT). It will feature a panel discussion with Shawn Yen, Product Management Director of the Gaming Business Unit from ASUS, Roanne Sones, CVP, Head of Xbox Hardware, and Frank Azor, Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions and Gaming Marketing from AMD.

Although full specifications aren't available, we know quite a bit about the ROG Ally, specifically that it's powered by the new Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor with RDNA 3 graphics that was formally announced earlier today. The powerful chip can run AAA titles at 1080p with frame rates higher than 60fps. Impressive stuff and something that will pair well with the ROG Ally's bright 120 Hz FHD (1080p) panel with AMD FreeSync Premium support.

The big question that the ROG Ally launch event will answer is price. With its cutting-edge hardware, the expectation is that the handheld will cost more than Valve's Steam Deck, with an ASUS representative telling PC Gamer that "I can tell you for sure that the price will be below $1,000." Below USD 1000 could also mean USD 999, but if we had to guess, we'd put the ROG Ally's launch price at USD 799.
 
cm2 said:
Read launch event from tweaktown:

ASUS has announced that it is holding a special ROG Ally launch event on May 11, 2023. It will reveal the full specifications and pricing for its upcoming PC gaming console handheld.

The launch event is being reported by many as the actual launch date for the ROG Ally, though the press release doesn't specifically state this is the case. The presentation will start at 10.00 a.m. Eastern Time (14.00 GMT). It will feature a panel discussion with Shawn Yen, Product Management Director of the Gaming Business Unit from ASUS, Roanne Sones, CVP, Head of Xbox Hardware, and Frank Azor, Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions and Gaming Marketing from AMD.

Although full specifications aren't available, we know quite a bit about the ROG Ally, specifically that it's powered by the new Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor with RDNA 3 graphics that was formally announced earlier today. The powerful chip can run AAA titles at 1080p with frame rates higher than 60fps. Impressive stuff and something that will pair well with the ROG Ally's bright 120 Hz FHD (1080p) panel with AMD FreeSync Premium support.

The big question that the ROG Ally launch event will answer is price. With its cutting-edge hardware, the expectation is that the handheld will cost more than Valve's Steam Deck, with an ASUS representative telling PC Gamer that "I can tell you for sure that the price will be below $1,000." Below USD 1000 could also mean USD 999, but if we had to guess, we'd put the ROG Ally's launch price at USD 799.
Click to expand...
Another thread said the high-end one was $699. But IMO when they bring up higher frame rates, who's willing to animate for that many frames? Great for motion but hard for the animation of characters.
 
CNET early hands on video:
 
So the price is $700, June 13 2023 launch

One thing to note is that there will only be one model to choose from for now, so $700 is the entry price for the Asus ROG Ally. A scaled-down version with a 6-core/12-thread AMD Ryzen Z1 CPU will be available in Q3 2023 and will go for $600. For reference, Valve offers cheaper options for Steam Decks based on storage drive space (and other minor features) at $400 with 64GB eMMC storage and $530 with a 256GB NVMe SSD, while the top-end option is the $650 model with a 512GB NVMe SSD.

The big remaining questions are battery life, power and performance balance, and thermal management under load. And while the built-in gamepad has all the things you expect from a modern controller, we'd like to get a feel for the ergonomics along with its two programmable back buttons.

Asus ROG Ally Full Tech Specs​

Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
CPUAMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor: Zen 4 architecture, 8-core/16-thread (up to 5.1 GHz boost)
GPURDNA 3: 12 CUs up to 2.7 GHz (8.6 TFlops, 4GB VRAM)
APU Power Draw9 to 30 Watts
Display7-inch IPS panel (Glossy finish, 500 nits peak brightness, 7ms response time, touch screen)
Resolution1920x1080 @ 120 Hz refresh rate (AMD FreeSync Premium)
Memory16 GB dual-channel LPDDR5 RAM (6400 MT/s)
Storage512 GB NVMe m.2 SSD
Ports3.5mm audio jack, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 combo port with DisplayPort 1.4 support, UHS-II microSD card reader
Battery40 WHrs
Power Supply 65W USB-C PD 3.0 power supply
Weight608 grams / 1.34 lbs
As an added perk, those who purchase an Asus ROG Ally will get three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free. Seeing as how the ROG Ally is essentially a PC running Windows, having native Game Pass support is another advantage over the Steam Deck, which natively runs Linux, leaving you to play Game Pass games in the cloud without further tinkering.
 
cm2 said:
So the price is $700, June 13 2023 launch

One thing to note is that there will only be one model to choose from for now, so $700 is the entry price for the Asus ROG Ally. A scaled-down version with a 6-core/12-thread AMD Ryzen Z1 CPU will be available in Q3 2023 and will go for $600. For reference, Valve offers cheaper options for Steam Decks based on storage drive space (and other minor features) at $400 with 64GB eMMC storage and $530 with a 256GB NVMe SSD, while the top-end option is the $650 model with a 512GB NVMe SSD.

The big remaining questions are battery life, power and performance balance, and thermal management under load. And while the built-in gamepad has all the things you expect from a modern controller, we'd like to get a feel for the ergonomics along with its two programmable back buttons.

Asus ROG Ally Full Tech Specs​

Operating SystemWindows 11 Home
CPUAMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor: Zen 4 architecture, 8-core/16-thread (up to 5.1 GHz boost)
GPURDNA 3: 12 CUs up to 2.7 GHz (8.6 TFlops, 4GB VRAM)
APU Power Draw9 to 30 Watts
Display7-inch IPS panel (Glossy finish, 500 nits peak brightness, 7ms response time, touch screen)
Resolution1920x1080 @ 120 Hz refresh rate (AMD FreeSync Premium)
Memory16 GB dual-channel LPDDR5 RAM (6400 MT/s)
Storage512 GB NVMe m.2 SSD
Ports3.5mm audio jack, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 combo port with DisplayPort 1.4 support, UHS-II microSD card reader
Battery40 WHrs
Power Supply 65W USB-C PD 3.0 power supply
Weight608 grams / 1.34 lbs
As an added perk, those who purchase an Asus ROG Ally will get three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free. Seeing as how the ROG Ally is essentially a PC running Windows, having native Game Pass support is another advantage over the Steam Deck, which natively runs Linux, leaving you to play Game Pass games in the cloud without further tinkering.
Click to expand...
Well, getting three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free is just like icing on the cake. It's a good deal!
 
Handheld runs hot and battery life around 90 minutes for gaming, read from Laptopmag and pcmag:

When we measured specific areas on the Ally after gaming for a while, things were definitely warm. The D-Pad was on the cooler side of the spectrum at 92 degrees Fahrenheit. The screen measured 112 degrees while the back hit 102 degrees. The actual hottest point on the handheld is the charging port which measured 115 degrees which is well above our 95-degree comfort threshold.

We let the Ally cooldown and did the measurements again after running a 15-minute fullscreen video. The D-Pad registered 84 degrees with the screen rising to 95 degrees. In a shocking development, the rear only measured 87 degrees.

The battery life on the ROG Ally is the weakest part of the package, offering gaming uptime on par with most gaming laptops. By that I mean it's just 90 minutes when gaming. You're going to need some battery packs if you want to take it on holiday, I guess is what I'm saying
 
Latest firmware update lowers performance, read from tweaktown:

The update, available via the MyASUS app, fixes some bugs concerning the ASUS ROG Ally and its software, causing issues regarding everyday gaming on the handheld. In fact, the 319 update was intended to improve performance when using the 9W low-power preset.

Instead, you're getting overall performance degradation with the latest firmware, with the YouTube channel The Phawx showcasing that even across the various power modes, the benchmark results are noticeably worse, especially when it comes to things like 1% Lows, which are great for gauging the overall stability of a game.

ASUS's Whitson Gordon notes that it is aware of the performance issues with the new BIOS and that gamers can choose to skip the upgrade. The ROG Ally team is looking into the matter
 
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