Asus Challenges Valve, Reveals Steam Deck Competitor

Asus officially announced the ROG Ally — a new handheld portable console aimed at rivaling Valve’s Steam Deck.  

While information on the upcoming console remains limited, the computer software company revealed that ROG Ally will run on Windows 11, is powered by a custom AMD APU chip and has a 1080p resolution and runs at 120Hz.   

This means there is a high chance that cloud-based gaming services will work on the console, including Steam and Xbox Cloud Gaming.  

Announced on April Fool’s Day, some netizens were convinced the drop was a joke.  

The ROG Ally was first unveiled by ROG Global via Twitter, where users were quick to question the marketing planwhether it was even real to begin with. 

Introducing ROG’s first gaming handheld console!
Taking your PC games out of your gaming room is no longer a fantasy!

Play wherever you are, whenever you want. With the #ROGALLY, you’ll never have to stop gaming again!

Notify me 👉 https://t.co/ljc2GNN0UU#ROGpic.twitter.com/6iqyGbTGa4

— ROG Global (@ASUS_ROG) April 1, 2023

“Is this April Fool’s or real?” one user wrote. 

However, some user remain optimistic despite their confusion with the announcement. “I am skeptical given it is April 1st, but also this seems totally within the realm of a product for ROG to make, custom AMD APU, FullHD screen, nothing screams "Yeah this is an April fools joke" so weird time to announce it, but I'm here for it,” another user shared.  

I am skeptical given it is April 1st, but also this seems totally within the realm of a product for ROG to make, custom AMD APU, FullHD screen, nothing screams "Yeah this is an April fools joke" so weird time to announce it, but I'm here for it

— Max Herman (@MaxHerman11) April 1, 2023

Two days after the announcement, Asus confirmed that the ROG Ally is indeed a real product, having YouTubers Dave2D and Linus Tech Tips showcase the product on-hand in their videos.  

Asus has yet to reveal more information regarding its plans of release, the pricing of the console and its compatibility.