ASUS ROG Ally Preview: First Impressions and Tests with AAA Games

The portable console ASUS ROG Ally will be officially released on May 11, and we have been able to test it first hand to find out what this striking device will offer ready to make us forget about the Steam Deck with much more capable specifications with a custom processor AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with Zen 4 architecture and RDNA 3 graphics, along with options as striking as the option to attach up to an external NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and turn it into a high-performance PC.

With this letter of introduction, to which must be added a 7-inch 120 Hz FullHD screen, the ASUS ROG Ally seeks to become a truly hybrid console and PC with Windows 11.

Its white design reminds us of other ASUS gaming devices such as the ROG Zephyrus G14 or the latest ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. The layout of the 7-inch screen is in the central area with a 16:9 format that leaves black frames at the top and bottom.

Atomic Heart Gameplay on ASUS ROG ALLY:

On the sides we have the control system, where the two analog joysticks stand out with a ring-shaped ARGB lighting system that borders them.

They are complemented by a crosshead on the left and four buttons on the right, as well as 4 buttons, two on each side, for different options such as menus or start.

On each side we also have two triggers that we can configure from the software, together with a haptic vibration system that is also configurable.

Two front-facing Dolby Atmos speakers deliver virtual 5.1.2-channel sound directly to the user.

ASUS ROG ALLY Technical Specifications

Besides of SoC Ryzen Z1 Extreme, Which will be the version that will arrive in Spain, the ASUS ROG Ally will have 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR5 memory and PCI Express 4.0 storage with a 512 GB SSD that can be supplemented with UHS-II microSD cards.

All this integrated into a body weighing only 608 grams that includes a cooling system with double fans and copper heatpipes specifically designed to work in any position without being influenced by gravity.

Below we leave you with the technical specifications of the ASUS ROG ALLY that will arrive in Spain.

ASUS ROG ALLY Technical Characteristics

• 7-inch touch screen.

  • Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution.
  • 120hz.
  • 500 nits.
  • 7ms.
  • 100% sRGB gamut.
  • Contrast 1000:1.
  • Gorilla Glass DXC anti-glare and Victus.

• AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU.

  • 8 cores and 16 threads Zen 4.
  • RDNA 3 GPU with 12 Compute Units
  • 4 nanometers.
  • Support for RSR and FSR.

• Support for External ROG XG Mobile GPU (up to RTX 4090).
• RAM memory: 16 GB LPDDR5 in dual channel.
• Storage:

  • 512GB PCI Express 3.0 SSD.
  • UHS-II microSD card up to 312 MB/s.

• Cooling system with Anti-Gravity HeatPipes.

  • Double fan.
  • Dust Filters.
  • Aluminum heatsinks with 0.1 mm fins.

• Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.
• Dolby Atmos sound.
• Integrated system of customizable joypads and triggers.
• Haptic feedback.
• Armory Crate SE software.
• Fingerprint reader.
• Windows 11.
• 608 grams of weight.

AMD Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme SoCs with Zen 4 and RDNA 3 will be exclusive to ASUS ROG Ally

Inside the ASUS ROG Ally will be integrated the new AMD Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoCssome custom and exclusive processors, at least for the moment, for the ASUS portable console.

Elder Ring Gameplay on ASUS ROG ALLY:

The CPU part is based on the latest Zen architecture 4 from AMD, with 6 cores and 12 threads in the case of the AMD Ryzen Z1 and with 8 cores and 16 threads in the case of the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme.

Both models are manufactured at 4 nanometers and are accompanied by a GPU with the recent AMD RDNA 3 architecture. We expect that there will be differences in the number of computing units and frequency, but for the moment ASUS has not revealed details on this point. The latest rumors suggested that the AMD Ryzen Z1 will have 4 CUs in its GPU and the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme would go up to 12 CUs, but we have not yet been able to confirm this information.

UPDATE: AMD has officially introduced the Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme, leaving the Ryzen Z1 GPU with 4 Compute Units and the Ryzen Z1 Extreme with 12 Compute Units, as previously reported.

We have been able to test the model with AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with the games Atomic Heart, Hogwarts Legacy, Elden Ring and God of War, with good performance at FullHD resolution, some of them with the technology AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution or FSR.

GOD OF WAR Gameplay on ASUS ROG ALLY:

Hogwarts Legacy Gameplay on ASUS ROG ALLY:

In addition to this integrated RDNA3 GPU, ASUS ROG Ally will take advantage of the ASUS ROG XG Mobile external dedicated graphics ecosystemwhose variant with the RTX 3080 we already tested with the ASUS ROG Flow of the X and Z range, and which can now integrate up to an RTX 4090, turning this small console into a high-performance gaming desktop computer.

ROG XG Mobile also adds USB connectivity, an SD card reader, HDMI 2.1 and even an Ethernet port, and connects to ROG Ally via the proprietary USB-C combo port located on the top next to the card reader. , volume buttons, audio output, etc.

The ASUS ROG Ally will launch on May 11, so it is hoped that we can reserve it from that day. The same version that we have tested will arrive in Spain, that is, the top of the range with the 8-core AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC. The price is still unknown, but considering its specifications, it is expected that it will be above the price of the Steam Deck.

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