Good news to everyone down under: the ASUS ROG Ally is officially available for pre-order now in Australia.
The ASUS ROG Ally is shaping up to be the first real competitor to Valve’s handheld, coming from a major hardware manufacturer and thus able to hit a lower price than more boutique options like the Ayaneo Geek.
We’re happy to see Valve’s Steam Deck get some big competition, and are especially happy to see that competition actually come to Australia, a market that the Deck has avoided since it was first released in early 2022.
ROG Ally technical specifications
Specs for the ROG Ally available in Australia are as follows:
- CPU/GPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor (8 cores, 16 threads, 24MB cache with up to 5.10Ghz)
- OS: Windows 11 Home
- Display: 7-inch 1920 x 1080 16:9 touch screen (120hz) with Gorilla Glass Victus
- Memory: 16GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 512GB NVMe, expandable with an SD card
- Battery: 40WHrs
- Ports: USB-C, External GPU port
- Weight: 608 grams
- Dimensions: 28.0 x 11.1 x 2.12
- Colours: White
- Sensor: fingerprint reader on power button
On paper, the ROG Ally seems like a clear winner over the Steam Deck, with its larger, seven-inch full-HD 120Hz display. It’s also able to connect to the ASUS ROG XG Mobile eGPU for improved performance and graphics when playing through a larger external display, whereas the Steam Deck dock does nothing to improve its performance.
And while impressions of the ROG Ally have been mostly positive since it debuted in the U.S., concerns have been raised for its disappointing battery life.
There’s also the question of using the full version of Microsoft’s Windows for its operating system, which helps with game compatibility but can be a challenge to navigate using just joysticks and buttons. Unlike the Steam Deck, the ASUS ROG Ally doesn’t come with touchpads for easily moving an on-screen cursor around. But for certain games, like Destiny 2, the ROG Ally is looking to be your best bet.
ROG Ally Australian price
If you head on over to JB Hi-FI’s website or the ASUS online store, you can order the ASUS ROG Ally for $1,299.
At the moment, only the model with 512GB storage and the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor is available in Australia.