ASUS has today formally revealed all about their handheld gaming PC, the ROG Ally and it's releasing in June with a pretty competitive price. It runs Windows 11, so for the GamingOnLinux followers, it may not exactly be what you're after. However, with handheld PC gaming rising, especially with the Linux powered Steam Deck, it's good to keep an eye on the competition right?
Today they revealed the pricing after many leaks:
- AMD Ryzen Z1 model: $599 - launching in Q3.
- AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme model: $699 - launching June 13th.
Goes without saying really but I will anyway: I will be sticking to the Steam Deck and desktop Linux. Just because something new comes along, doesn't mean I'm going to instantly jump towards it. Not everyone has money to burn every time something a bit more powerful comes along.
IGN already have a review of it up and it sounds overall like a good device, with battery life also not long when playing bigger games like the Steam Deck. They do make a point that the initial experience with Windows 11 and ASUS Armoury Crate being a nuisance.
It will definitely be interesting to watch how this will affect the Steam Deck though. Competition is absolutely good! It benefits everyone and it pushes all sides to do better. Plus, the more companies that show there's a demand for handheld gaming like this, the better the future will be for it, including a potential Steam Deck 2.
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...and then the battery life kicker at the end. Yeah, you can get 8hrs out of it, 'just like the Steam Deck', if you drop to 720p and drop all your settings to Low so the thing isn't running full bore. Otherwise an hour and a half is a little quick for a handheld.
It'd be nice to have the option of brief, high power sessions and then a battery life preset, I guess, so at least they're trying something a little different, but if you already have a gaming desktop or laptop and are supplementing with a handheld, I feel like you probably want that battery life.
Quoting: omer666To think this device could have been $50 cheaper without the Windows licence...Might as well be a strategic partnership...
QuoteThe biggest negative is that the Ally lacks the Steam Deck’s (and the Switch’s) ability to suspend and resume a game at the touch of a button. This means that any time you want to stop playing for longer than a simple pause, you’ll need to save and quit out of your game entirely, and load up again fresh the next time you want to play. This is, of course, the standard way things go on desktop PCsDamn, I'll keep my Deck for this alone :/
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.
QuoteThey do make a point that the initial experience with Windows 11 and ASUS Armoury Crate being a nuisance.
Quoting: constQuoteThe biggest negative is that the Ally lacks the Steam Deck’s (and the Switch’s) ability to suspend and resume a game at the touch of a button. This means that any time you want to stop playing for longer than a simple pause, you’ll need to save and quit out of your game entirely, and load up again fresh the next time you want to play. This is, of course, the standard way things go on desktop PCsDamn, I'll keep my Deck for this alone :/
As usual... Linux is just more user friendly! :D
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