ASUS ROG Ally releases in June priced competitively to the Steam Deck

It's going to hurt the Steam Deck for sure. Moreover, I'd expect Steam Decks to start shipping with Windows configurations soon.

Also, it's no coincidence that Microsoft is buying up all the big game publishers. It also wouldn't surprise me if Asus was getting near free OS licensing from Microsoft as a carrot.

It's going to hurt the Steam Deck for sure. Moreover, I'd expect Steam Decks to start shipping with Windows configurations soon.

Also, it's no coincidence that Microsoft is buying up all the big game publishers. It also wouldn't surprise me if Asus was getting near free OS licensing from Microsoft as a carrot.

negative licensing. (microsoft could be paying then)
anyway, i doubt valve will give windows options, dealing microsoft is like dealing with the devil, either you go full windows or they dont give you a far deal.
they usually charge for device sold not device with windows, meaning that linux machines would pay the windows licence too, and cost the same if not more.

valve will probably fight with prices.
they make money on each game sold and have almost 0 competition on steamOS, that alone is a big reason for then to charge less.
if other stores start supporting linux, they win again because they will reduce gaming dependence on windows.
and even if this device sell well, that might mean more people purchasing pc games in many stores but mostly steam.

It's going to hurt the Steam Deck for sure.

Seems likely, yeah.

Moreover, I'd expect Steam Decks to start shipping with Windows configurations soon.

Why? It seems to be sucking.

Also, it's no coincidence that Microsoft is buying up all the big game publishers. It also wouldn't surprise me if Asus was getting near free OS licensing from Microsoft as a carrot.

That also seems likely, yeah.

Does it even have gyro?

It has a gyro, but the Asus software doesn't let you use it. To be fair, the same was true of the Steam Controller at launch.

I feel the biggest risk to the Steam Deck is the ROG Ally actually being in a store. As far as I'm aware, Steam Deck is only available from Steam (at least in the US). That means most customers would either have to already be familiar with Steam or (to a much lesser extent) be willing to "risk" the Steam eco-system sight unseen. The Steam Deck had a *HUGE* amount of positivity after it's release (definitely a key benefit to not over-hyping your hardware before release), so Steam Deck saw converts who were not normal PC gamers.

But ROG Ally will be in a store. This means it will be *A LOT* easier for (grand)parents to buy the Ally for their gamer (grand)child's birthday or as a holiday gift. This is a huge deal! Even if the ROG Ally is only half as good as the Steam Deck (and more likely it'll be, all around, on par) that could lead to more ROG Ally units in gamers hands after a year than Steam Deck units.

I feel Valve *really* needs to find a way to get at least the base-line model Steam Deck on store shelves (including Amazon, Walmart, etc). Otherwise, I fear the Steam Deck (and more directly, Steam OS) will be drowned out by more easily purchasable devices.

Is this sort of a counterstrike(*) by Microsoft as well? ASUS cannot hand out game passes without an agreement with Microsoft, and MS could be interested in fighting that the PC handheld market is Linux dominated at the moment...

(*) Is it a global offensive already? :-D

Microsoft are a strategic partner for this device - lots of cross-promotion and likely Microsoft paid them to have Windows on it rather than the other way round. So much so that Asus aren't sure they're contractually allowed to support the hardware after a user has installed Linux on it. Both parties appear to have assumed that everyone will simply fawn over Windows and ignore the reality of what it's like to use in comparison to Linux.

Edit: sauce

Speaking of rivalries, Microsoft may have also precluded the ROG Ally’s SteamOS possibilities: “our partner for this device is Microsoft, it’s primarily made as a Windows device, and it’s made only as a Windows device,” says Krohn. But he’s not sure if the deal precludes Asus from supporting SteamOS if users install it themselves.

Last edited by CatKiller on 11 May 2023 at 5:14 pm UTC

I feel the biggest risk to the Steam Deck is the ROG Ally actually being in a store.

Yeah, this is a huge deal, esp at an average Joe retailer, probably moreso than the appeal of a more powerful device. I hope Valve are deeply invested enough to keep up Deck hardware and not have it become a Steam Machine 2. I doubt they would go as far as to also sell them B&M but it would be nice at least for exposure.

(I also hope it has them eyeing an upgraded Deck in the decently near future)

I just want to see developers support more games on Linux and the Steam Deck has made such a huge impact. As long as the ROG Ally doesn't hurt all the good work that has been put in.. It's cool. It might even make Valve drop the already low prices. What the ROG Ally has going for it though is it will be sold in stores.. Valve are only just doing that in Asia but really should be doing it worldwide.

Wonder how many people go into retail stores these days. I'm a terrible example, I don't go into retail stores very often anymore! Last time I did was for a Yoga laptop, and the dude at the shop was annoying me (it was Best Buy). Would you like Anti-virus? No, would you like Office? No. Would you like... piss off. :P

8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

Do you really think this is going to be as fast as an RTX2070 ? Im might be wrong, but im sensing something off with spending $100 more and getting Three Times the performance

Normally spending $100 more gets you a bigger SSD and a matte finish on a display.



Also the screen on this is 16:9 so it's an inferior aspect ratio.

8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

And that's probably all it's good for, to be honest. To get that kind of speed, you have to run it at full power and barely get an hour of battery life. Coupled with the clunky Windows UI and half-baked Asus software, it would be better to use it plugged into a monitor on a desk than as a handheld. It makes sense if you want it instead of a gaming laptop. For a desktop, you can still build a cheaper machine. In fact, I just built one for my living room, and it runs SteamOS.

1-2h battery...
I hate to bring this up, but my also-ASUS laptop with Fedora can play most games at 15W TDP, and that lasts me definitely longer than 2 hours.

That's because you don't have Windows chugging greenhouse gasses underneath the hood. The Wired magazine review of the Ally said it was drawing like 6 watts just idling, which is all the Steam Deck draws even when it's running Stardew Valley. He only got 2.5 hours playing Stardew Valley on the Ally but can get 7 hours on the Steam Deck. Not saying I recommend playing Stardew Valley for 7 hours though. You need to get up and move around for the sake of your health.

8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

And that's probably all it's good for, to be honest. To get that kind of speed, you have to run it at full power and barely get an hour of battery life. Coupled with the clunky Windows UI and half-baked Asus software, it would be better to use it plugged into a monitor on a desk than as a handheld. It makes sense if you want it instead of a gaming laptop. For a desktop, you can still build a cheaper machine. In fact, I just built one for my living room, and it runs SteamOS.

like i said previously im not sure this thing is really at 8.6TF. i could be wrong but it says "Upto".
So this might just be false advertising / marketing.. like, Technically if you ran the thing in desktop APU environment it might be .. idk seems a bit high seen as the steam deck is 1.6TF and terraflops can be measured in different ways to inflate the number.

Steam desk is 15W =1.6TF
ROG Ally is max 30W at 8.6TF

I know its a new generation RDNA but the extreme variant doesn't actually have anything different architecturally than the basic Z1 its just able to use more power.. so your paying $100 for a software boost if anything. You might actually be able to unlock the basic version with a firmware update.

https://www.amd.com/en/processors/ryzen-z1

It's possible that the measure of value for TFLOPS is not based on even the 30W limit but just theoretical. Or i could be wrong and that's the right number.

BTW that number is actually closer to a RTX2070-Super than a stock 2070. Which has a 215W TDP ...

8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

And that's probably all it's good for, to be honest. To get that kind of speed, you have to run it at full power and barely get an hour of battery life. Coupled with the clunky Windows UI and half-baked Asus software, it would be better to use it plugged into a monitor on a desk than as a handheld. It makes sense if you want it instead of a gaming laptop. For a desktop, you can still build a cheaper machine. In fact, I just built one for my living room, and it runs SteamOS.

like i said previously im not sure this thing is really at 8.6TF. i could be wrong but it says "Upto".
So this might just be false advertising / marketing.. like, Technically if you ran the thing in desktop APU environment it might be .. idk seems a bit high seen as the steam deck is 1.6TF and terraflops can be measured in different ways to inflate the number.

Steam desk is 15W =1.6TF
ROG Ally is max 30W at 8.6TF

I know its a new generation RDNA but the extreme variant doesn't actually have anything different architecturally than the basic Z1 its just able to use more power.. so your paying $100 for a software boost if anything. You might actually be able to unlock the basic version with a firmware update.

https://www.amd.com/en/processors/ryzen-z1

It's possible that the measure of value for TFLOPS is not based on even the 30W limit but just theoretical. Or i could be wrong and that's the right number.

BTW that number is actually closer to a RTX2070-Super than a stock 2070. Which has a 215W TDP ...

maybe they are including the ability to an external gpu?

8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

And that's probably all it's good for, to be honest. To get that kind of speed, you have to run it at full power and barely get an hour of battery life. Coupled with the clunky Windows UI and half-baked Asus software, it would be better to use it plugged into a monitor on a desk than as a handheld. It makes sense if you want it instead of a gaming laptop. For a desktop, you can still build a cheaper machine. In fact, I just built one for my living room, and it runs SteamOS.

like i said previously im not sure this thing is really at 8.6TF. i could be wrong but it says "Upto".
So this might just be false advertising / marketing.. like, Technically if you ran the thing in desktop APU environment it might be .. idk seems a bit high seen as the steam deck is 1.6TF and terraflops can be measured in different ways to inflate the number.

Steam desk is 15W =1.6TF
ROG Ally is max 30W at 8.6TF

I know its a new generation RDNA but the extreme variant doesn't actually have anything different architecturally than the basic Z1 its just able to use more power.. so your paying $100 for a software boost if anything. You might actually be able to unlock the basic version with a firmware update.

https://www.amd.com/en/processors/ryzen-z1

It's possible that the measure of value for TFLOPS is not based on even the 30W limit but just theoretical. Or i could be wrong and that's the right number.

BTW that number is actually closer to a RTX2070-Super than a stock 2070. Which has a 215W TDP ...

maybe they are including the ability to an external gpu?

maybe idk.

8.6 tflops is crazy number for a handheld device, it is twice bigger than ps4pro, on par with rtx2070 tier GPU, and just a bit behind current gen consoles. you literally can replace a decent gaming pc with it

And that's probably all it's good for, to be honest. To get that kind of speed, you have to run it at full power and barely get an hour of battery life. Coupled with the clunky Windows UI and half-baked Asus software, it would be better to use it plugged into a monitor on a desk than as a handheld. It makes sense if you want it instead of a gaming laptop. For a desktop, you can still build a cheaper machine. In fact, I just built one for my living room, and it runs SteamOS.

like i said previously im not sure this thing is really at 8.6TF. i could be wrong but it says "Upto".
So this might just be false advertising / marketing.. like, Technically if you ran the thing in desktop APU environment it might be .. idk seems a bit high seen as the steam deck is 1.6TF and terraflops can be measured in different ways to inflate the number.

Steam desk is 15W =1.6TF
ROG Ally is max 30W at 8.6TF

I know its a new generation RDNA but the extreme variant doesn't actually have anything different architecturally than the basic Z1 its just able to use more power.. so your paying $100 for a software boost if anything. You might actually be able to unlock the basic version with a firmware update.

https://www.amd.com/en/processors/ryzen-z1

It's possible that the measure of value for TFLOPS is not based on even the 30W limit but just theoretical. Or i could be wrong and that's the right number.

BTW that number is actually closer to a RTX2070-Super than a stock 2070. Which has a 215W TDP ...

maybe they are including the ability to an external gpu?

maybe idk.

confirmed!
https://youtu.be/qLVgr29NMA0?t=207

it says "Upto"

Oh, so it's just like my Comcast speeds then.

I feel the biggest risk to the Steam Deck is the ROG Ally actually being in a store.

Yeah, this is a huge deal, esp at an average Joe retailer, probably moreso than the appeal of a more powerful device. I hope Valve are deeply invested enough to keep up Deck hardware and not have it become a Steam Machine 2. I doubt they would go as far as to also sell them B&M but it would be nice at least for exposure.

(I also hope it has them eyeing an upgraded Deck in the decently near future)

I'm skeptical that this will make any difference. Both of these devices target existing PC gamers and most of these users also use Steam.

I wonder how difficult it would be to use Linux on this device.
I am sure people will bring steam OS to it eventually.

I feel the biggest risk to the Steam Deck is the ROG Ally actually being in a store. As far as I'm aware, Steam Deck is only available from Steam (at least in the US). That means most customers would either have to already be familiar with Steam or (to a much lesser extent) be willing to "risk" the Steam eco-system sight unseen. The Steam Deck had a *HUGE* amount of positivity after it's release (definitely a key benefit to not over-hyping your hardware before release), so Steam Deck saw converts who were not normal PC gamers.

But ROG Ally will be in a store. This means it will be *A LOT* easier for (grand)parents to buy the Ally for their gamer (grand)child's birthday or as a holiday gift. This is a huge deal! Even if the ROG Ally is only half as good as the Steam Deck (and more likely it'll be, all around, on par) that could lead to more ROG Ally units in gamers hands after a year than Steam Deck units.

I feel Valve *really* needs to find a way to get at least the base-line model Steam Deck on store shelves (including Amazon, Walmart, etc). Otherwise, I fear the Steam Deck (and more directly, Steam OS) will be drowned out by more easily purchasable devices.

Realistically, Valve just can't compete with Asus in hardware distribution. Asus is a gigantic multinational corporation that makes Valve look tiny. Valve is also primarily a software company. What would be nice is if Valve partners with some hardware vendors like Asus to get more SteamOS devices out there, similar to what they did with the Steam Machines but hopefully more successful.

It's going to hurt the Steam Deck for sure. Moreover, I'd expect Steam Decks to start shipping with Windows configurations soon.

Also, it's no coincidence that Microsoft is buying up all the big game publishers. It also wouldn't surprise me if Asus was getting near free OS licensing from Microsoft as a carrot.

Microsoft is buying publishers because a) they mostly made terrible bets and game quality has suffered in last few years b) they want that "premium game" window what Sony has. They do it all mostly for XBOX pass.

Why would Steam Deck ship with Windows? Valve is not making money with SD, they are not very interested in direct competition. They are building their platform, and have no shareholders to report. Microsoft in turn has, and has just dropped everything for AI, so I would not hold my breath.

So far it sounds that Microsoft offering has been pretty weak, it feels they want to do something about it - let's be honest, Linux as gaming platform is threatening them - but result has been very mediocre at best.

Microsoft definitely offered huge discount for Windows license to offset costs. Again, we can see how someone who has virtual monopoly and limitless money can muscle other companies. Any other company than Valve would just fold in and move away.

On more realistic side, Steam Deck is just better integrated platform, it is still cheaper, Steam actually has been very good with integrating all bits needed to run the game. None of that is native to ROG Ally. If Microsoft would get serious about this, then we would see UX developed and improved in long run. But Microsoft outside it's lion share markets are not that interested in doing this.

In the end I am more interested to see this device run SteamOS.