ASUS announces its Steam Deck competitor, the ROG Ally

Hardware manufacturer ASUS has announced its first foray into the handheld PC market, the ROG Ally, and speculation regarding its specifications, features, and pricing has already begun.

The details:

• ASUS released what many thoughts was a fake trailer for a handheld gaming PC on April 1; however, it has since been revealed that the system is real, and prototypes have already been sent to select tech influencers. With a 7-inch, 1080p, 120Hz, IPS LCD screen surrounded by gamepad-style face buttons, the device has immediately drawn comparisons with Valve's Steam Deck and the Ayaneo handhelds. ASUS’ handheld is expected to be available in black or white, with 512GB and 1TB models priced at $649 and $899, respectively. Linus Tech Tips' video outlines what to expect from the device, and shows how the prototype model currently performs.
• The Ally will be powered by Windows 11, which means it will be compatible with far more games at launch than the Steam Deck which uses a Linux-based operating system. According to a Reddit user who claims to have used the device, a custom ASUS operating system is still being developed, and Steam, Xbox, Epic, and Origin accounts will all be able to connect to it for achievement and screenshot support. It will be powered by an AMD Zen 4 APU with Radeon RDNA 3 graphics and will have LPDDR5 RAM. To improve performance at home, owners of the device will be able to use an ASUS external GPU hub, the ROG XG eGPU, which features an RTX 4090 (laptop version, not the more powerful desktop models).
• According to the aforementioned user, it will be released in October 2023, with Microsoft stepping in to help market the system by using its Xbox Game Pass service as a major selling point. The decision to collaborate with Microsoft was reportedly prompted by news that Sony is also secretly developing its handheld PC, bringing even more competition into the emerging market. Nothing else is known about the rumored Sony system; however, it is likely that it will be branded as part of the PlayStation family and will include PlayStation Network integration.

Other recent gaming announcements:

• Square Enix has announced the release of sets of Final Fantasy VII trading cards featuring artwork from the game; however, fans have blasted the company for including a "digital exchange card" that can be used to redeem an NFT version in each pack. Because the NFT cannot be sold or transferred between owners, many have argued that blockchain technology is completely unnecessary in this case.
• Ubisoft has confirmed that it will be hosting its event, Ubisoft Forward Live, on June 12. The event will take place in Los Angeles and serves as a replacement for the publisher’s previous appearances at E3, which has since been canceled this year.