ASUS ROG Ally April Fools' joke was about a very real Steam Deck competitor
ASUS has a new handheld gaming device on the way, though it was unveiled in a confusing way.
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What you need to know
ASUS may decide to change its future marketing plans after a saga that unfolded over this past weekend. The company unveiled a handheld gaming device called the ROG Ally on Saturday. The issue was that Saturday happened to be April Fools' Day. That fact led many to believe that ASUS was joking, as it’s a normal prank of large companies to unveil fake hardware or software on the day.
Shawn Yen, ROG’s head of project management, only added to the confusion when he shared a post on LinkedIn that stated “Happy April Fools. ROG Ally (A-lie).”
Then, on April 2nd, ROG Japan shared a tweet about the ROG Ally that emphasized that it was 4/2, implying that the device wasnotan April Fools' joke (viaPC Gamer).
今日は｢｢4/2｣｣です！ https://t.co/OEKrYIQ11oApril 2, 2023
The timeline made it unclear if the product was real. But today, April 3, 2023, ROG North America explained “It’s real” in a tweet telling people to “stay tuned for more 👀.”
It’s real!Stay tuned for more 👀#ROG #ROGALLY #PlayALLYourGames pic.twitter.com/UcYyUebBSZApril 3, 2023
ASUS also shared aBest Buy page about the ROG Ally, though no details are listed. With any questions of the device’s legitimacy out of the way, we can now focus on what the ROG Ally actually is.
The ROG Ally is a handheld gaming device that will likely compete with the Steam Deck. It has a similar form factor and allows people to enjoy games on the go.
Well-known tech YouTuber Dave Lee (aka Dave2D) spent a week with the device and has a video up about his first impressions. Lee was not able to share benchmarks or certain specs, but his video includes some important details about the ROG Ally.
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ASUS claims that the ROG Ally delivers double the performance of the Steam Deck. The ROG Ally runs on a custom 4nm APU Zen 4 chip with RDNA 3. Lee said that the claims appear to be true based on his testing.
The device features a 7-inch screen that’s better than that of theSteam Deckin several ways:
ASUS has not shared pricing for the ROG Ally at this time. The company told Lee that the ROG Ally would have “very competitive pricing,” and did not elaborate.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
