The ASUS ROG Ally will be available in June, Z1 Extreme version starts at $699

It has been a few weeks since Asus first teased the ROG Ally handheld gaming system and now, the company is ready to share more in-depth details. Today, Asus is officially launching the ROG Ally, with prices starting at $599 and the first units set to ship out in June. 

The new Ryzen Z1 series APUs combine Zen 4 CPU cores with RDNA 3 GPU cores to enable impressive Windows gaming performance in a handheld form factor. To keep the chip running cool, Asus is using the ROG Zero Gravity thermal system, which uses dual-fans and an ultra-thin heatsink with high-friction heatpipes to swiftly transfer and dissipate heat during gaming sessions.

The ROG Ally will only weigh 608g, so it should be easy to hold and carry around. The display offers FullHD resolution at 120Hz with a maximum screen brightness of 500 nits, making it easier to see the action in lighter environments. If the need arises, the display also has touchscreen capabilities.

The ROG Ally will run Windows 11, meaning it will be fully compatible with all PC games. Asus is also bundling in a 90-day trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, granting instant access to hundreds of games through the Xbox Game Pass app on Windows. Asus has taken steps to ensure Windows 11 is easily navigatable using the included controllers, but there is also an upgraded version of Armory Crate with a new UI to grant quick launcher access to games and performance settings for the system.

You can see the full technical specifications in the table below:

As part of the launch stream, Asus did dive into performance to set expectations. The Z1 is a brand-new APU, offering up to 2.8 TFLOPS of graphics performance, a significant increase over the Switch and Steam Deck. The Z1 Extreme version is capable of 8.6 TFLOPS of performance, paving the way for true 1080p/60FPS gaming on the go. If you need more performance, the ROG Ally is compatible with the ROG XG Mobile external GPU, so you can dock the Ally at home and enjoy the performance of a full-powered desktop graphics card, like the RTX 4090.

The ROG Ally will be available priced at $599 for the standard model, while the Z1 Extreme version starts at $699. The device is already available for pre-order, but the first shipments will go out in June, starting with the Z1 Extreme version. The standard model will ship later in Q3. Here in the UK, the ROG Ally is available exclusively through Currys for the time being.

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KitGuru Says: The ROG Ally is shaping up to be an impressive handheld. Are any of you thinking about picking one of these up?

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