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ROG Ally

ROG Ally

Manufacturer
ASUS
Released
2023
Generation
Gen 9
Type
Handheld
Launch price
$699
Units sold
1.5M

About ROG Ally

The Asus ROG Ally is a handheld gaming computer developed and manufactured by Asus as part of their Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. Released on June 13, 2023, the device competes with Valve's Steam Deck. The ROG Ally runs the Windows 11 operating system and uses an AMD Zen 4 processor called the AMD Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme. In addition to handheld use, the ROG Ally can be connected to a TV or monitor through a docking station or a dongle and be used like a desktop computer or home video game console.

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).

Read about the ROG Ally in the Chapter 8: The Hybrid Era era of our long-form console history.

Library & collector facts

Best-selling game
Cyberpunk 2077

Pricing

Launch price (2023)

🇺🇸 USD
$699

Controller

2 × analog sticks

Launch titles & exclusives

Launch titles

No traditional launch titles — runs full Windows 11 + Xbox Game Pass + Steam + Epic + GOG + emulators

Pack-in game

None (Windows handheld — no platform exclusives); ships with 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial bundle

Notable exclusives

ROG Ally has no licensed-game library in the traditional sense — runs the full Windows PC ecosystem (Xbox, Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Battle.net, Ubisoft, EA); no platform-exclusive games

Final licensed game

Still in production (active platform; ROG Ally X refresh released July 2024; ROG Xbox Ally / Xbox Ally X joint product with Microsoft announced/launched 2025)

Most valuable collectible

Limited data on collectible variants; ROG Ally X launch units and the upcoming Xbox Ally collaboration models are the most-watched collector targets

Hardware specs

Os
Windows 11
Cpu
AMD Ryzen Z1, AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
Gpu
Z1 Models:, AMD RDNA 3, 4 CUs, up to 2.5 GHz, up to 2.56 Teraflops, TFLOPS, Z1 Extreme Models:, AMD RDNA 3, 12 CUs, up to 2.7 GHz, up to 8.29 Teraflops, TFLOPS
Ram
16 GB LPDDR5-6400, Quad-channel 32-bit (128-bit), 102.4 GB/s (Ally), 24 GB LPDDR5X-7500, Quad-channel 32-bit (128-bit), 120.0 GB/s (Ally X)
Power
TYPE-C, 65 W (Ally) or 140 W GaN (Ally X) AC Adapter & Charger, Output: 20 V DC, 3.25 A, 65 W, Input: 100~240 V AC 50/60 Hz universal 40 Wh Lithium-ion battery 4S1P, 4-cell (Ally) 80 Wh Lithium-ion battery 4S1P, 4-cell (Ally X)
Sound
Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
Weight
608 g (Ally), 678 g (Ally X)
Dimensions
280×111×21.2~32.4 mm(Ally), 280x111x24.7~36.9 mm (Ally X)
Display Output
7-inch, 1920 × 1080 FHD Touchscreen IPS LCD @ 120 Hz, 16:9, 500 nits (SDR) with VRR FreeSync Premium & Dolby Vision
Storage Internal
512 GB NVMe M.2 2230 (Ally) 1 TB NVMe M.2 2280 (Ally X) SSD (expandable)

Hardware revisions

  • Original ROG Ally Z1 / Z1 Extreme(June 2023)

    AMD Z1 / Z1 Extreme APU, 7" 1080p 120Hz VRR LCD, 16GB LPDDR5-6400, 512GB NVMe SSD

    well-documented microSD card slot defect (overheating destroyed cards) that ASUS extended warranty coverage for in 2024

  • ROG Ally X(July 2024)

    doubled battery (40Wh→80Wh), 24GB RAM, larger 1TB SSD, fixed microSD overheating issue, better thermals, redesigned grips — the definitive Ally generation

  • ROG Xbox Ally / Ally X(2025)

    ASUS-Microsoft collaboration shipping with full-screen Xbox UI replacing Windows 11 shell as default

    details still emerging — limited data

Launch colorways & special editions

Launch colors
White with black accents (original Ally launch)Black (Ally X)
Special editions
  • ROG Ally X (2024, black, 80Wh battery, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
  • ROG Xbox Ally / Xbox Ally X (2025, Microsoft co-branded variant launching with deep Xbox Game Pass and full-screen Xbox UI integration — limited data on full SKU details)

Modding scene

Difficulty
soft-mod
Custom firmware
No CFW concept (it's Windows); third-party software: HandheldCompanion, Armoury Crate SE (ASUS), RetroBat, EmulationStation
ROG Ally is a Windows PC — no jailbreak/CFW concept; 'modding' means installing alternative launchers (Playnite, Steam Big Picture), replacing Armoury Crate SE with HandheldCompanion for better controls, or installing Bazzite (Linux) as a SteamOS alternative; microSD slot overheating was the defining hardware defect on original units

Reception & legacy

Launch reception

Strong reviews praising Windows compatibility and 120Hz screen; criticized for battery life (~1.5–2 hours on demanding games), Windows 11 desktop UX on a handheld (clunky), and the microSD slot defect that surfaced within weeks of launch

Notable controversies

microSD card slot overheating destroyed user SD cards in original Ally units (mid-2023); ASUS RMA process initially poor — became a major Reddit/YouTube controversy; ASUS later extended warranty coverage and fixed the defect in the Ally X

Cultural significance

Validated the Windows-handheld category alongside Lenovo Legion Go and MSI Claw; ROG Xbox Ally collaboration (2025) marks Microsoft's first co-branded handheld hardware and signals a Microsoft strategic shift toward licensed handheld hardware rather than first-party — potentially a defining shift in console-platform business models

References

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ROG Ally in the news

Recent coverage mentioning the ROG Ally, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.

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