We’ve been in somewhat of a handheld gaming renaissance over the last decade, with things picking up speed over the last few years especially. Even though Game Boys and the like have been around for some time, it wasn’t until handhelds like the PSP came around that we saw a shift toward portable consoles that could rival their larger counterparts. When the Nintendo Switch came around in 2017, it seemed like every other company started scrambling to get its own triple-A capable handheld out. Since then, we’ve seen powerful handhelds, like the Steam Deck, starting to incorporate traditional PC features while maintaining a gaming focus. ASUS is another company among these industry leaders that has a long gaming history, with the Republic of Gamers (ROG) sublabel they launched in 2006 being a veteran in the PC gaming space. The label’s products do include some gaming phones, but now ROG has finally dropped its first true handheld gaming PC: The ROG Ally.
This handheld comes equipped with Windows 11, AMD’s Ryzen Z1 processors (which also dropped this year), and RDNA 3 graphics. The 7-inch 1080p LCD touchscreen has a 120Hz refresh rate along with AMD FreeSync Premium support. ROG’s Armoury Crate software is back, but this time it’s been customized for the Ally, featuring a seamless UI and a bevy of customization options for the handheld and your games. Additionally, you can connect it to a monitor or a TV for more options. There isn’t a set number regarding battery life, but it’s hovering around two hours for gaming and five hours for light activity like web browsing.
The big advantage that the ROG Ally has over its competitors is the Windows 11 OS, as opposed to the in-house operating systems that most other handhelds have. This allows you to use other software for not only gaming, but as you would on a desktop computer.
The ROG Ally is available now for $699.
