What you need to know
- ASUS opens preorders for the ROG Ally with confirmed prices, specs, and release dates.
- The handheld PC gaming console features an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU that claims to handle AAA games at a 1080p resolution.
- The price is confirmed at $699.99 in the United States and £699 in the United Kingdom.
- Shipping starts on June 13, 2023, with preorders live now.
What was once believed to be an April Fools' joke has become one of the year's most highly anticipated gaming announcements. The ASUS ROG Ally promises more power than the Steam Deck and access to PC Game Pass, thanks to its choice of Windows 11 as an operating system. Today, ASUS confirms pricing for the PC gaming handheld and a release date for the United States and the United Kingdom via a global announcement and a new trailer.
ASUS trickled out information about the ROG Ally during the past few weeks, but we finally have confirmation that it will cost $700 in the United States and £699 in the United Kingdom. Shipping will start on June 13, 2023, and pre orders are already open if you want to part with some cash.
Price: $700
Display: 7-inch FHD (IPS)
Refresh rate: 120Hz
Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
Memory: 16GB LPDDR5
Storage: 512GB PCie 4.0 NVMe SSD
eGPU support: Yes (XG Mobile eGPU)
Upscaling: AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution
ASUS claims the ROG Ally can run some of the best PC games at 1080p, hence the 'all your games' tagline, though we're hungry for more real-world testing to verify performance and benchmark the battery life. It's the first system to run on AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, built on AMD's Zen 4 architecture combined with AMD RDNA 3 architecture-based graphics.
The Ryzen Z1 Extreme promises 8.6 teraflops of graphics power and has 8 cores and 16 threads. While it won't launch until Q3 2023, a variant with the standard Ryzen Z1 will also be available for $599. Make sure to check our full breakdown of the ROG Ally specs to help decide which model is best for you.
Regardless of your chosen model, they'll support AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution to keep games running smoothly and prevent screen tearing. The ROG Ally also supports AMD FreeSync Premium, which should help games appear smooth on its 120Hz screen.
The ROG Ally can be used in hand or connected to a TV or monitor for a fully-fledged desktop experience, as some lucky users have reportedly already experienced with their early access to sample units. You can boost the performance of the device further with one of the ROG XG Mobile external GPUs, which are among the best eGPU enclosures. Support for an eGPU is one of the many features that makes ASUS' handheld gaming console stand out when comparing the ROG Ally vs the Steam Deck.
Since the ROG Ally runs Windows 11, it works with popular gaming services. Steam, the EA App, and the Epic Games Store are all supported. The system also works with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In fact, the ROG Ally comes with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the box.
