The launching of the Asus ROG Ally is upon us and we ’ve received the newfangled handheld . The Steam Deck stay on its cardinal rivals so now , with the noesis of exhaustively testing both these auto , we can put them head - to - head .
The Asus ROG Ally is the first serious competitor to Valve ’s gaming handheld . But , as has been carry since some of its glasses began to leak out , the price seriously hampers direct competition . The absence of a standard Ryzen Z1 Asus ROG Ally for a lower damage as of yet further hampers the new handheld as a economic value suggestion too .
Now that we ’ve had the probability to retrospect the Asus ROG Ally and the Steam Deck , and run those all - important benchmarks , we can facilitate you form a light judgement on what gadget attain the most gumption for you . Here are the cardinal battlegrounds for ROG Ally vs Steam Deck .
The Asus ROG Ally is more powerful
The ROG Ally is undoubtedly more powerful than the Steam Deck . The reveal of the specification of the AMD Ryzen Z1 series microchip set the stage for Asus to fume Valve ’s rival . However , despite the ROG Ally still getting the W , the interruption is n’t as big as you might think .
In Horizon Zero Dawn , at 720p , the ROG Ally wield 37fps up against the Steam Deck ’s 32fps . The Asus ROG Ally can stretch along to 46fps in its Turbo mode . The difference was even more marginal at 720p in Cyberpunk 2077 , with 26fps for the Asus and 25fps for the Steam Deck . Again , the ROG Ally get going up further in Turbo modality , to 35fps this time .
The difference is far from a chasm , intend other factors , like cost , will still have a larger core on your decisiveness . It is also deserving note the Asus ROG Ally does have a high ceiling to venture towards too though , with 1080p and a 120Hz refresh charge per unit available to it .
ROG Ally is a step forward in design
Both devices are made of plastic but the Steam Deck was never specify to be an centre - catching equipment , while the bright white chromaticity of the Asus ROG Ally , its more angular design and geometric patterns make for a much more attention - seeking equipment . A splash of RGB help too .
There ’s just something about hold the ROG Ally that feels good than wield the Steam Deck too . The equipment are standardised sized but Asus has nailed weight distribution in a direction that feels more comfortable , sum to the overall design triumph .
Steam Deck runs on SteamOS 3.0
The Steam Deck is unique to other gambling portable , as it usesSteamOS . This is an operating system created by Valve , and so is locked down to the Steam library and storage . Since the Steam Deck run on Linux , you are capable to give a desktop mode to use handheld like a portable PC , but it ’s not very user - favorable for those more accustomed to Windows .
talk of which , the Asus ROG Ally lead on Windows 11 , admit for more flexibility in full term of software . You ’ll be capable to employ a web internet browser just like a standard laptop or desktop or even load up apps such as Game Pass and GeForce Experience .
Asus has also created a customs duty version of its Armoury Crate app which should load up by nonremittal , reserve you to bring up up game and alter options easily . Although it may not be quite as dodgy as SteamOS or the Nintendo Switch interface . We ’ll have to wait for examination to notice out .
The Steam Deck has touchpads
The Asus ROG Ally has a largely similar control setup as the Steam Deck . Both feature dual analog marijuana cigarette , a D - launchpad , articulatio humeri buttons and triggers , front - facing buttons and even back button – although the Steam Deck has an spare pair of the latter .
Not much separates the two in terms of remark then , but those who wish trackpads may be sad to see them exclude on the ROG Ally . The Steam Deck ’s trackpads are n’t quite exact enough to replace a gaming mouse for control first - person shooters and the like , but we still found them passably useful for carte du jour pilotage in the likes of Football Manager .
There is n’t a bounteous conflict for ports either , both sporting a microSD card slot for storage expanding upon and a earphone jack . The ROG Ally swash a tenuous reward with a fingerprint sensor though , which could derive in ready to hand for logging into Windows .
The ROG Ally also has a connection port for Asus ’ XG mobile GPU , which is an international artwork result that can boost performance even further . This does n’t come with the Ally , and is a very expensive accessory , but is still squeamish to have the choice .
Asus ROG Ally is more expensive
Now the Asus ROG Ally is fully launched , we get it on the pricing come in at £ 699/$699/€799 for the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme version . That ’s a passel more than the £ 349 base Steam Deck and , even , a decent leap up from the top of the range £ 569 version . The difference is significant enough that your budget will probably be the biggest determine component for you here .
The brassy Asus ROG Ally with the stock Ryzen Z1 scrap has not launched alongside its higher - power equivalent , but we do jazz it ’ll be come to the US in Q3 for $ 599 . No word on other realm . That good example could be polar in aligning this gimmick more close with the high-pitched - end Steam Deck .
