Valve’s Steam Deck will soon have a new competitor that’s currently being developed by Asus. While the Steam Deck has been wildly popular since its original release there has been a notable lack of competing handheld gaming devices, with exception to the Nintendo Switch. Asus is aiming to change this with the release of its own handheld computer, which the company confusingly announced on April Fools’ Day.
While the Steam Deck isn’t the only handheld gaming device on the market, with other alternatives like AYANEO 2 and the Nintendo Switch, none of the device’s competitors can boast a similar performance to Valve’s handheld electronic. The Steam Deck’s 64 gigabyte iteration is priced at $399.00, with higher storage options being priced at $529.00 and $649.00, for 256 gigabytes and 512 gigabytes respectively. Since Valve introduced the Steam Deck to the market in 2022 there has yet to be an alternative that can boast the type of quality that it can.
Asus unveiled its own alternative to the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally, in an announcement on April Fools’ Day. While details about the ROG Ally are still currently unknown, such as a price point or a release date, the device has been listed at retailers like Best Buy. ASUS did however share that the handheld computer will feature a custom AMD chip, and users will be able to charge the device and stream gameplay to a television by plugging it into the ROG XG Mobile eGPU. Also announced by ASUS is that the ROG Ally is compatible with multiple platforms such as Microsoft Windows and Xbox Game Pass.
The ROG Ally is the latest competitor for the Steam Deck to be revealed, and while details remain scarce users can expect that ASUS is hoping to provide a major competitor to the market. The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise to online audiences, especially since ASUS initially revealed the device on April Fools. Since the first reveal ASUS has clarified its device is legitimate, and the ROG Ally has now been shared on Twitter further establishing the upcoming Steam Deck alternative. Although a release date has yet to be revealed, users can expect the device to be a considerable competitor to Valve’s popular gaming device.
