Steam Deck alternative by Asus isn’t actually an April Fools gag

Seems the Asus Rog Ally is an actual Steam Deck different, because the part 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 of hook it as much as one of many best graphics card choices to present 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 concentrate on it, unveiling a “too good to be true” product on a day of disbelief is smart, because it makes for an amazing double bluff. That’s to not say the brand new handheld guarantees something fictitious, but it surely has a couple of issues going for it that would shake up the transportable PC gaming scene.

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

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

Identical to Valve’s handheld paired with the best Steam Deck dock, you’ll be capable of hook up the Rog Ally to a giant display. But, reasonably than pairing the transportable with a docking station, the trailer says it’ll work with the Rog XG Cell – 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 in opposition to each Valve’s handheld and consoles just like the Nintendo Swap, as ‘docked mode’ will boost fps. Nevertheless, the most recent Rog XG Cell eGPU enclosure prices an eye-watering $1,999 USD, so the setup is nowhere close to the identical value 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 rather more than the Steam Deck too. Different transportable Home windows-based Steam Deck options, just like the Onexplayer Mini, are available in at $1,229, so it’ll be something however a rival when it comes to value. That mentioned, Asus’ achievements inside the best gaming laptop house ought to assist it seize a slice of the transportable PC market pie, one which may allow it to make cheaper fashions sooner or later.

In reality, 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 mentioned it’s open to the thought of producers making their very own Decks, and it could 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 understanding whether or not the corporate can supply one thing actually new, so watch this house for extra deets.