ASUS ROG Ally is official (again) but still leaves a few questions unanswered.

HORN ally This is the handheld console that has generated the most buzz in recent weeks as it is the main threat to the Steam deck. ASUS formally introduced him. Again. Yes, for the second time in less than a month, the Taiwanese brand decided make the existence of this device official and reveal some of its most important technical features.

However, the announcement on Tuesday still leaves a few questions unanswered. Both those related to ASUS ROG Ally performance and those that keep gamers on their toes: price. But the good thing is that we can take a closer look at what the manufacturer intends to achieve with this new device. gadget.

ASUS promises that all questions about ROG Ally will be answered and that they will be revealed next May 11. On that day, there will be a special launch event for the handheld console, which the company says is being called “the most innovative of all time.”

Many will wonder why ASUS decided to half confirm the specifications of the ROG Ally today, when they become official in a couple of weeks. This is likely due to the device’s recent specs leak as what was announced today is basically the same.

ASUS ROG Ally key features

ASUS has confirmed that ROG Ally will use the newly announced APU AMD Ryzen Z1based on the Zen 4 and RDNA 3 architectures. The CPU will have 6 cores and 12 threads, while the GPU will have 4 cores and provide up to 2.8 teraflops. performance schedule. The total cache size is 22 MB.

Recall that during the recent leaks, ROG Ally was unofficially signed with Ryzen Z1 Extreme, which AMD also introduced today. ASUS did not make any direct mention of this in its announcement, although press materials indicate that its console will be “powered by Ryzen Z1 series processors.”

A version with the Z1 Extreme would be monstrous.. The mentioned APU includes a processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. While the GPU will have 12 cores and provide graphics performance up to 8.6 teraflops. For this model, the total cache is 24 MB.

When it comes to storage, there are no big surprises here. New ASUS handheld console will ship with a unit up to 512 GB (PCIe Gen 4) which can be updated by users. As for the RAM, the manufacturer has chosen dual-channel memory up to 16 GB LPDDR5. It also includes a microSD (UHS II) expansion slot.

ASUS ensures that ROG Ally’s hardware is powerful enough to enjoy even AAA games with very intensive graphics. Let’s not forget that the console will use Windows 11 as an operating system, so it will be compatible with Steam, Xbox Game Pass, Epic Games, or the EA app.

As for the screen, we are talking about Full HD (1080p) touchpad with 120Hz refresh rate. They promise a maximum brightness of 500 nits and a response time of 7 milliseconds. In addition, it is compatible with Adaptive Sync technology, which aims to avoid graphics distortion when FPS drops.

Cooling, weight, sound and other software

As for cooling, ASUS ROG Ally boasts a cooling system. Zero gravity. It includes two fans with ultra-thin blades and high-friction heat pipes. Thus, the portable console promises to maintain maximum performance at all times without worrying about heat.

In terms of audio, ASUS has opted to equip the ROG Ally with two front-facing speakers with Dolby Atmos support. You can also see a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the device.

One of the big questions about this portable console compared to the Steam Deck was the weight. And ASUS did not disappoint, because. will be only 608 gramsversus 669 grams of Valve designed hardware.

As we have already indicated, ROG Ally will use Windows 11 as its operating system. Although it will also include a special version of Armory Crate, the game, driver and RGB lighting management software we’ve already seen on PC. games from Asus. In the case of a portable console, the application will act as a kind of easily accessible control panel. This will allow you to create performance profiles, customize the appearance of buttons, triggers, and sticks, use it as a game launcher, and more.

Another important point worth noting is that ASUS ROG Ally It will come with a 90-day trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.. As such, buyers will be able to take advantage of Microsoft’s full subscription for free for three months to see if it’s worth continuing to pay for the console’s performance.

Questions that ASUS ROG Ally has not yet answered

Since the ASUS ROG Ally has already been seen in official photos and has even been used by several YouTube channels such as Linus Technical Tips, gamers already have a pretty good idea about its design and ergonomics. Doubts yet to be resolved in terms of performanceboth at the level of the processor and graphics, and at the level of energy efficiency.

True, during the presentation of the Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme hybrid processors, AMD showed some landmarks obtained with the “improved sample” of this handheld console. But it remains to be seen whether the experience will be passed on to consumers in good faith.

It is not yet known what capacity the battery will have.what will be its autonomy or how it will be affected by the use of a refresh rate of 120 Hz. However, as we mentioned at the beginning, the biggest unknown is knowing its price.

As ASUS mentioned, the ROG Ally will ship with “up to” 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. hints that there will be options with more ascetic trim levels. For now, though, this is just speculation. We’ll have to wait until next May 11, when the portable console’s official launch event takes place, to find out in detail – and once and for all – everything related to it.