Steam Deck different by Asus isn’t really an April Fools gag

Seems the Asus Rog Ally is an actual Steam Deck different, because the element big simply confirmed it’s not an April Fools’ gag. Not solely will the hand held gaming PC boast Home windows 11 help, however you’ll be capable to hook it as much as top-of-the-line graphics card choices to offer it a real desktop increase.

Information of the Asus Rog Ally Steam Deck rival arrived on an unlucky day, however that was the corporate’s plan all alongside. When you consider it, unveiling a “too good to be true” product on a day of disbelief is sensible, because it makes for an excellent double bluff. That’s to not say the brand new handheld guarantees something fictitious, but it surely has a number of issues going for it that might shake up the moveable PC gaming scene.

For starters, Asus says it has labored along with AMD to supply the Rog Ally with the “quickest AMD APU but.” We’re nonetheless ready for official specs to land, however that might imply it’ll wield the ‘Little Phoenix‘ chip that we thought was meant for the Steam Deck 2. That maybe permits Asus to boldly declare it’ll convey “true PC efficiency to your life on the go,” although Valve’s handheld arguably already does simply that.

The hand-held’s promotional trailer additionally claims it’ll present a easy “Full HD” gaming expertise, which suggests it’ll come armed with a 1080p display. Higher nonetheless, Asus says you’ll be capable to play beneath the solar, which means it might include anti-glare capabilities that maintain up towards the 512GB Steam Deck mannequin.

Similar to Valve’s handheld paired with the perfect Steam Deck dock, you’ll be capable to hook up the Rog Ally to a giant display. But, reasonably than pairing the moveable with a docking station, the trailer says it’ll work with the Rog XG Cellular – an eGPU inclosure that permits you to hook up a fully-fledged graphics card to appropriate laptops and the upcoming handheld.

That alone will give it a hybrid edge towards each Valve’s handheld and consoles just like the Nintendo Swap, as ‘docked mode’ will increase fps. Nevertheless, the most recent Rog XG Cellular eGPU enclosure prices an eye-watering $1,999 USD, so the setup is nowhere close to the identical worth as a Steam Deck and docking station combo.

Given the Asus Rog Ally’s premium vibe, the hand held itself will in all probability value far more than the Steam Deck too. Different moveable Home windows-based Steam Deck options, just like the Onexplayer Mini, are available at $1,229, so it’ll be something however a rival by way of worth. That stated, Asus’ achievements inside the perfect gaming laptop computer house ought to assist it seize a slice of the moveable PC market pie, one which may allow it to make cheaper fashions sooner or later.

The truth is, if Asus efficiently steps into the hand held limelight, there’s no motive why a SteamOS model of the Rog Ally can’t emerge down the road. Valve has stated it’s open to the concept of producers making their very own Decks, and it might make my dream of a modular Steam Deck 2 extra viable. After all, we’ll want to check the Rog Ally first-hand earlier than realizing whether or not the corporate can supply one thing really new, so watch this house for extra deets.