Do you know that feeling of doubt that comes over you when faced with the veracity of information, especially when it comes to April 1? It’s often frustrating. Well, Asus managed to trick us into thinking their ad was a joke, when it wasn’t. Here is the Asus ROG Ally portable console.
Update from April 3, 5 p.m.:
We obtained additional information thanks to a video of Dave2D, an American YouTuber who had the chance to test the console in preview.
He confirms that the ROG Ally has a very efficient cooling system, as it generates much less noise (20 dB against 37 dB). The screen has a different display ratio (16/9 instead of 16/10) and twice the definition (1080p), which will obviously require more graphics power.
The screen is also brighter (500 nits against 400) and its refresh rate is doubled (120 Hz against 60). Regarding performance, despite a more demanding screen, Dave2D confirms that they are clearly superior.
However, it does not provide accurate data, as it is a prototype. However, we have confirmation that it is an AMD Zen 4 chip with RDNA 3, but without additional information. This confirms that we are dealing with a more powerful GPU than that of the Steam Deck.
One of the main challenges will be to offer a competitive price for this console. The Steam Deck sits around $500, and staying within that range will be crucial to attracting consumers.
Original post:
As every year, the weekend of April 1 was the occasion for many players in the world of technology to indulge in jokes and pranks of all kinds. Among them, the Asus ROG Ally, which received a lot of attention and reactions. And… it turns out to be a real product that’s going to be released.
It’s real!
Stay tuned for more ?
Want to know when pre-orders start?
?https://t.co/ljc2GNN0UU#ROG #ROGALLY #PlayALLYourGames pic.twitter.com/IG6vDtgTag— ROG Global (@ASUS_ROG) April 3, 2023
The joke was not one
This portable console will be officially unveiled later this month. running under Windows 11, it has quite imposing dimensions, similar to those of the Steam Deck. In addition, just like the Steam Deck, it is equipped witha custom AMD processor to optimize graphics performance.
The screen will provide gaming experience in Full HD, while the console will benefit from a quiet design thanks to a dual-fan cooling system. The classic layout will feature two analog sticks, a left-facing D-pad, and four primary buttons, along with a few additional buttons around the screen for accessing the menu and settings.
The console also highlights the possibility of exploiting its full potential by connecting it to the ROG XG Mobile eGPU, designed by the Taiwanese manufacturer to be used with its gaming laptops, thus allowing you to stream your games on an external screen. .
The joke orchestrated by Asus turned out to be particularly well done, leaving some doubt as to the potential success of this category of products. Asus is not the first company to venture into this field: Logitech, Valve and Razer have also developed similar products. However, an approach close to that of the Steam Deck, allowing games to run natively, appears to be the most promising and the most demanding.
The Steam Deck certainly has many flaws, which represents an opportunity for Asus, but it has above all been able to seduce a community of well-informed players. This situation raises the question of whether Asus will be able to take advantage of this experience and create a product capable of competing with the Steam Deck and satisfying the expectations of gamers.
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