20 May 2023 , 12:00
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The newest handheld gaming PC to enter the market is here, say hello to the Asus ROG Ally.
After a promising launch event, in which Asus claimed that the device will perform significantly better than Valve's Steam Deck, doubts were raised about the validity of these claims. However, after undergoing rigorous testing, the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme's performance speaks for itself.
However, it's by no means perfect. The battery life is quite disappointing, despite still holding out relatively well compared to other handheld devices. Another downside is the lack of software optimisation, but this is something which will seemingly improve over time, it runs Windows 11 after all!
The Asus ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme) is priced at £699 / $699 / AU$1299 which is slightly more than the most expensive edition of the Steam Deck, which comes in at £569 / $649 / AU$975.
You’re also able to pick up additional docks for the device including the ROG XG Mobile with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU for £2,199 or the XG Mobile with an AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT for £699 which allows you to achieve desktop performance.
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Asus ROG Ally - Design
The first thing you’ll notice about the Asus ROG Ally is its sleek white colour. If you’re not a fan of light-coloured devices then you’re out of luck here as it's not available in an alternative colour. You’ll also be presented with RGB rings around the joysticks which is great for all of those RGB fanatics like myself out there.
In terms of the shape of the device, it has absolutely been designed with ergonomics in mind. You’ll find a 14-degree and 2-degree slant around the edges to ensure that it fits comfortably in your hands and it really does do just that.
Contributing to this comfort is the fact that the device is very lightweight, coming in at just 608 grams, it doesn’t feel hefty to hold making it easier to use for longer periods of time and to take on the go with you.
Paired with the buttons which are on the top half of the device to ensure you can easily find and access them are two additional trigger-style buttons on the back which you can assign keys to.
For those who find the Steam Deck too big, you’ll be thrilled to know that this device is slightly smaller but still larger than the Nintendo Switch. This means it fits perfectly in my hands and I never felt like I was straining to reach or use any of the buttons or the screen.
The display is absolutely gorgeous, and even when games aren't reaching 120 fps, it's fantastic to have a 120Hz display in a device this size as it makes gameplay silky smooth. Despite the screen not being OLED, it provides an impressive depth of colour. With the screen resolution of the Ally being 1080p, it looks like a significant step up from the Steam Deck display (1280 x 800).
Featuring dual-front-facing speakers, the Asus ROG Ally brings absolutely fantastic 3D sound quality to the table. The audio really is directional, which allows for an immersive gameplay experience for all game genres, particularly FPS titles where being able to hear where sounds are coming from is so crucial.
Asus ROG Ally - Specifications
The Asus ROG Ally features an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, which was made specifically for the device. The processor has a built-in graphics processor too, and this chip really is state of the art.
- AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
- Windows 11
- 16GB LDDR5 RAM
- 512 GB PCIe Gen4 SSD with MicroSD slot for expansion
- 608 grams
- 7 inch, 120hz, 1080p, touchscreen
- Dual front-facing speakers powered by Dolby Atmos
Asus ROG Ally - Performance
Asus made claims that its Asus ROG Ally would bring double the performance of the Steam Deck to the table, and despite that not quite ringing true in my testing, it easily came out on top. There were three modes to take advantage of, all of which brought a different level of output to the table.
Asus ROG Ally - Turbo Mode performance
Turbo Mode provides you with the highest performance, but can only be activated when the device is plugged in. Due to the higher frames, I found myself taking advantage of it whenever I was near an electric outlet. But, in this mode, the heat and fan noise is something to bear in mind, particularly if you’re out and about.
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Injustice 2
1080p: 102
720p: 142
Counterstrike Global Offense:
1080p: 105
720p: 135
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2:
1080p: 73
720p: 93
Valorant:
1080p: 73
720p: 85
Cyberpunk 2077 (automatically capped):
1080p: 30
720p: 60
Asus ROG Ally - Performance Mode performance
Performance mode is likely the mode you’ll be using most often, giving you a consistent level of output without needing to be plugged in. I didn’t find many frames dropping while in this mode and it also wasn’t too loud. However as you’re not required to be plugged in when you’re using this mode, you’ll find your battery depleting quite quickly. When playing more demanding games I found my battery running out within 90 minutes.
Injustice 2:
1080p: 98
720p: 122
Counterstrike Global Offense:
1080p: 97
720p: 102
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2:
1080p: 66
720p: 89
Valorant:
1080p: 62
720p: 75
Cyberpunk 2077 (automatically capped):
1080p: 30
720p: 60
Asus ROG Ally - Silent Mode performance
The last mode is Silent Mode, which despite the name isn’t exactly silent but is close. You don’t get the greatest level of performance here but if you need your device to stay quiet while you’re on the go.
Injustice 2 (automatically capped):
1080p: 30
720p: 30
Counterstrike Global Offense:
1080p: 63
720p: 71
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2:
1080p: 34
720p: 63
Valorant:
1080p: 24
720p: 53
Cyberpunk 2077 (automatically capped):
1080p: 30
720p: 30
Paired with the processor is Asus’ brand new anti-gravity cooling solution which means that no matter how you’re playing, whether that be right way up or upside down, your device will stay efficiently cooled. This cooling system also means that the heat from the device is not transferred to the shell, so you won’t ever feel it, I certainly didn't!
- Idle: 40 degrees
- Idle while charging: 70 degrees
- Idle while docked: 95 degrees
- Silent Mode Average: 53 degrees
- Performance Mode Average: 65 degrees
- Turbo Mode Average: 78 degrees
One component which just didn’t perform as expected was the SSD, which despite being Gen4 felt exceptionally slow. Games took a long while to boot which was rather disappointing, but once they were open, ran relatively quickly. Curiously, the device did boot quite quickly meaning this could have been a result of poor optimisation.
In general, the battery life on this device wasn’t outstanding and is one of the main negatives of this device. It lasted around 90 mins when playing more demanding titles in Performance Mode, such as Injustice 2, and then closer to three and sometimes four hours when playing less demanding indie games like Calico.
Asus ROG Ally - overall
The Asus ROG Ally has taken the philosophy of Valve's Steam Deck and turned the dial up to 11 in every aspect. It's not perfect, it certainly has its flaws, but the Ally offers an unprecedented handheld gaming experience. If you're after the best-performing gaming handheld, this is what you're looking for.
Asus ROG Ally - Rating 5/5