Is ASUS ROG Ally better than Valve Steam Deck
ASUS has unveiled ROG Ally as its first-ever handheld gaming console. It is powered by AMD Ryzen Z1/Z1 Extreme APUs and offers a variety of features. At a starting price of $599 (nearly Rs. 49,200), the device steps forward as a new challenger to Valve's Steam Deck. But is the new entrant better for gaming than the established Steam Deck? Yes, here's why.
Reason #1: Superior screen
The ROG Ally and Steam Deck have a plastic build but the former looks more eye-catching thanks to its angular design, geometric patterns, and RGB lighting. It is also more compact and lighter (590g v/s 669g) than Steam Deck. Both consoles bear a 7.0-inch touchscreen, but ROG Ally's 120Hz, Dolby Vision-supported, Full-HD IPS-LCD screen is better than Steam Deck's 60Hz HD+ display.
Reason #2: Better performance
The ROG Ally uses AMD's Z1 series processors. The Ryzen Z1 has six Zen 4 cores and four RDNA 3 cores, offering 2.8 TFLOPs performance. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme gets eight Zen 4 cores and 12 RDNA 3 cores, delivering 8.6 TFLOPs performance. The Steam Deck houses a custom CPU with four Zen 2 cores and eight RDNA 2 cores, providing 1.6 TFLOPs performance.
Reason #3: More games on offer
The ROG Ally and Steam Deck get 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. For storage expansion, they include a microSD card slot. The ASUS console has 512GB onboard SSD storage, whereas the Steam Deck comes in 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB trims. The ROG Ally leverages Windows 11 Home. It provides more game storefronts/programs than Steam Deck which runs on Arch Linux-based Steam OS 3.0.
Reason #4: Dedicated mobile interface
The ROG Ally and Steam Deck pack a 40Wh battery, with 65W and 40W fast-charging, respectively. They have a Type-C port and a headphone jack as well. The ROG Ally also gets a dedicated ROG XG mobile interface. The ASUS console supports Dolby Atmos-powered dual speakers and a built-in array microphone. Its rival has stereo speakers with embedded DSP and a dual-array microphone.
Reason #5: Latest connectivity options
The ROG Ally supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity while the Steam Deck settles for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. The gamepads house A/B/X/Y buttons, D-pad, L & R analog triggers, L & R bumpers, View & Menu buttons, assignable grip buttons, and two full-size analog sticks with capacitive touch. Steam Deck also has trackpads. They get HD haptics and a 6-axis gyroscope.
ASUS ROG Ally and Valve Steam Deck: Pricing
The ROG Ally with Ryzen Z1 Extreme can be pre-ordered for $699 (nearly Rs. 57,400). It'll be available from June 13. The Ryzen Z1 variant costs $599 (around Rs. 49,200) and will be available in Q3 2023. It comes with a three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. The Steam Deck is listed at $399, $529, and $649 for 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB models, respectively.
The ROG Ally is a clear winner
The ROG Ally offers a better deal than Steam Deck. It has better-performing hardware, a higher-resolution display, a faster refresh rate, and new-age connectivity standards. Additionally, it runs Windows 11 and can play any game/service including Steam Deck's games. On the other hand, the Steam Deck falls behind due to its OS-based limitations, which allow it to run only native games.
