The Steam Deck would have to worry since a big competitor could completely overturn the cards again. Especially since it is a manufacturer who no longer has much to prove.
ASUS is set to launch the ROG Ally X, its new portable gaming console, scheduled for June 2. This new model, running Windows 11 and equipped with the AMD Z1 Extreme chipset, promises notable improvements compared to its predecessor. Enough to completely eclipse the Steam Deck? See instead. What is certain is that this version erases the defects of the old model.
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Much more powerful than a Steam Deck?
Notably, the ROG Ally X will feature a significantly larger battery, a response to frequent community requests for increased battery life. Although the first generation already had space for a larger battery, ASUS opted for a lighter build. This time, the Taiwanese firm has revised its copy to integrate a battery offering much more than 30 to 40% additional capacity.
In addition, the ROG Ally X will benefit from a renewed design and will be equipped with a 7-inch LCD screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, available in black color. Significant improvements also include an M.2 2280 SSD slot, allowing users to install higher capacity SSDs than the current generation M.2 2230 slot.
According to Gabriel Meng, senior product manager at ASUS, the new model will add more ports to enrich connectivity options. Although precise specifications have not been confirmed, it is expected that the ROG Ally X will have more than 16 GB of RAM, exceeding the capabilities of current models.
A big gap?
ASUS' confidence in the Windows platform for handheld gaming consoles remains strong, although the company remains open to exploring other solutions. Discussions with Valve, the creators of the Steam Deck which uses SteamOS, have been mentioned, suggesting an openness to various platforms to maximize the user experience. As a reminder, here is the configuration of the old version:
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- Operating system : Windows 11 Home
- Processor : AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor (Zen4 architecture, 8 cores / 16 threads, up to 5.10 GHz)
- Graphics : AMD Radeon Graphics (RDNA 3, 12 CUs, up to 2.7 GHz, up to 8.6 TFlops)
- Screen : 7-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, touch, Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness
- Memory : 16GB LPDDR5 (6400MT/s dual channel)