Teased at the beginning of April, Asus has now fully unveiled its new handheld gaming console: the ROG Ally.

The company has also announced that the device will be arriving in South Africa in Q3 2023, but there’s no word yet on pricing and the exact launch date.

Here’s what to know about the exciting device.

Asus ROG Ally: A new Steamdeck competitor

When seeing the ROG Ally, the Steamdeck will immediately come to mind. But there are a few key ways that the new console from Asus will differ from Steam’s device.

One of the most notable differences is that the ROG Ally runs Windows 11 (while the Steamdeck runs SteamOS).

This means that you can install games from a variety of libraries. Asus has introduced a special edition of its Armoury Crate software: Armoury Crate SE. It is designed to act as a central hub for your installed games, making it easier to launch them by scanning your device and including shortcuts for games.

So what about the hardware?

According to Asus, the ROG Ally is the “most powerful portable console today”. Its performance can also be boosted with the ROG XG Mobile external GPU.

The Ally weighs only 608 grams. In this lightweight package, the company has managed to include a 7-inch 1080p touch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display also supports AMD FreeSync.

Asus says that it worked closely with AMD to develop the hardware of the device. The ROG Ally includes a custom APU: The AMD Ryzen Z1 series.

The device has also been designed with ergonomics in mind, according to Asus. There is a slight slant in the chassis, which is apparently more comfortable to hold than a completely flat surface. The buttons are designed according to an Xbox controller layout, with Asus saying that gamers know and enjoy this design.

The ROG Ally also features macro keys that can be edited. It also includes a fingerprint unlock feature.

For its storage, the device features up to a 512GB PCIE 4.0 SSD. It also features up to 16GB of dual-channel DDR5 RAM.

If you want the flexibility of portable gaming but also enjoy a more traditional console and PC setup, the good news is that the ROG Ally can be connected to a television or external display using a charging dock.

When will the ROG Ally launch?

The global launch for the ROG Ally is set for May 11. While it has been confirmed that the device is coming to South Africa in Q3, there isn’t an exact date and launch price available at the time of writing.

_{Feature image: Asus}