Asus recently surprised the gaming world by announcing the ROG Ally, a small PC gaming machine that could compete with Valve's Steam Deck in a big way. At first, people thought the device was an April Fools' Day joke, but Asus has revealed that it is real and shown off a powerful Windows 11 device that is powered by a customized AMD Ryzen APU.

The ROG Ally will join handheld gaming devices like the Ayaneo 2, the GPD, and the OneXPlayer. But unlike its rivals, the Ally is said to have a custom-designed chipset that gives it the right amount of speed and efficiency for handheld gaming.

Everything We Know About the ROG Ally So Far

The ROG Ally has a normal set of controls. That includes two analog sticks, a D-pad on the left side, four face buttons, and a few smaller buttons for menus and settings. It even lets users “experience Ally's full potential” by connecting it to the ROG XG Mobile eGPU and sending games to a TV.

Dave2D's hands-on video shows that the ROG Ally is more movable than Valve's Steam Deck because it is smaller, lighter, and flatter. The Ally has a seven-inch 16:9 display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Steam Deck has a seven-inch 16:10 display with 1280 x 800 resolution, 400 nits of brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate.

People say that the dual-fan technology on the prototype shown in the video makes it much quieter than the Steam Deck. Also, the SSD and joysticks look like they would be easy to change, giving gamers more ways to customize their games.

Even though the ROG Ally has better specs, there are still concerns about battery life. There's also the question of how well Windows 11 works as a gaming OS. The size of the battery and how much it will cost are still unknown, but Asus says it will be affordable.

This diminutive handheld PC looks like a strong and well-designed addition to the market for pocket gaming. There's no information on price, battery life, or a release date just yet. Still, gamers can sign up with Best Buy to get updates on when preorders will be available. Watch this new device as it competes with the Steam Deck to be the best handheld gaming device.