The ROG Ally, as pictured on the product page. Photo by Asus.
By Josh Levin
Published May 12, 2023 | Updated February 18, 2024 at 10:29 am
Asus opened pre-orders for the ROG Ally handheld gaming PC at a Thursday launch event.
“Powering the ROG Ally is an AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Series processor that delivers exhilarating speed, hours of gameplay, and breathtaking visuals,” AMD stated.
AMD announced the Z1 series, based on their 4 nanometer process, April 25. The Z1 comes with six CPU cores and four RDNA 3 GPU compute units, according to AMD. The Z1 Extreme is equipped with eight CPU cores and 12 GPU compute units.
The Ally features a 1080p 120 hz touch screen with 100 percent coverage of the sRGB spectrum and 75.35 percent coverage of Adobe RGB, according to Asus. The display also supports AMD Freesync Premium and has 500 nits of peak brightness. “A higher brightness allows the Ally to clearly display the action on screen when in challenging brighter environments,” Asus stated. “Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® keeps the touchscreen looking factory new.”
According to a press release from AMD, the Ally is the first product on the market to be powered by Z1 series chips. The Ally’s TDP can be adjusted between 9-20 watts while on battery and up to 30 watts while connected to AC power, according to Asus.
The Ally is available in two configurations: The lower-end model — with the Z1 APU — comes with 256 GB of storage on an NVMe M.2 2230 SSD, while the high-end model – with the Z1 Extreme — comes with 512 GB. Both configurations come with 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR5 memory clocked at 6400 megatransfers per second.
The launch competes with the Valve Steam Deck, which started shipping last year. Unlike the Steam Deck, which runs a custom, gaming-focused, version of Linux called SteamOS, the Ally ships with Windows 11 Home, according to the product page. The Steam Deck is rumored to have sold more than a million units in 2022.
“The ROG Ally is fully compatible with Steam, Xbox Game Pass, Epic, GOG, and more, ensuring that no matter where you buy your games, you can play them on the Ally,” Asus stated. It also supports Asus Armory Crate SE, which includes a cross-store game launcher and settings menu for tweaking options like FPS cap and controller layout, according to Asus.
The Ally can be paired with the ROG Gaming Charger Dock which plugs directly into the wall to provide up to 65 watts of power delivery, HDMI 2.0 display output, and a USB-A port.
In addition to a 3.5 mm headphone-and-microphone combination jack, Micro-SD card slot, and USB-C port, the Ally comes equipped with Asus’s proprietary “ROG XG Mobile Interface,” which allows it to connect to the XG Mobile eGPU and dock. The XG Mobile is available with an AMD 6850M XT or Nvidia 4090 Mobile GPU. The XG Mobile also includes USB type-A, an SD card reader, an Ethernet port and HDMI 2.1. USB-C is available on the Nvidia model.
The USB-C port on the Ally supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Displayport 1.4 alt mode, according to the product page. The MicroSD card slot supports up to UHS-2 speeds.
Said Asus Gaming Product Management Director Shawn Yen, “we’re working with AMD to deliver the power, visuals and efficiency needed to enable a superior portable gaming experience — whether you’re traveling, commuting for work or simply want to game untethered.”
Josh Levin is the publisher and executive editor of The Terabyte Tribune, handling all aspects of operations and coverage. He can be reached via email at [email protected]
