The portable gaming console market has rapidly grown with major players like Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally. Both devices are notable for their technical specifications, screen, and performance. While the Deck is based on Valve’s own SteamOS, the ROG Ally comes with Windows 11 out of the box. So, which one is the best handheld console?
In-depth comparison of Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally
ROG Ally comes with a higher resolution display and a more powerful chipset option. Steam Deck, on the other hand, comes with a touchscreen and more storage tiers. We took an in-depth look at two handheld consoles that are in direct competition with each other.
Screen and Design
The ROG Ally comes with a higher resolution screen and a 120Hz refresh rate on a 7-inch IPS LCD display. This display offers brightness of up to 500 nits and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. On the other hand, the Deck features a 7-inch IPS LCD HD screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800.
In terms of design, the ROG Ally has an aluminum chassis and weighs 608 grams. The Deck, on the other hand, weighs 669 grams and is presented with a mix of leather and hard plastic casing.
Performance and Hardware
The ROG Ally is powered by either the AMD Ryzen Z1 or Ryzen Z1 Extreme chipset. The Z1 version features a six-core Zen 4 CPU, while the Z1 Extreme version boasts an eight-core Zen 4 CPU. The Deck, on the other hand, is powered by a four-core Zen 2 CPU with an AMD RDNA 2 GPU.
Both devices have 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, but the ROG Ally offers 256/512 GB M.2 SSD storage. The Deck, on the other hand, provides users with three storage options: 64 GB eMMC, 256 GB NVMe SSD, and 512 GB NVMe SSD.
Battery Life
Asus claims that the ROG Ally can last up to two hours in AAA games under the 15W performance mode. Valve claims that the Deck can last up to eight hours, but real-world tests have shown that it can range from two to six hours depending on the game.
OS
Since the ROG Ally is based on Windows 11, it has the capability to play all games available on PC. However, it may experience performance drops in AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War.
The Deck comes with a Linux-based operating system called SteamOS. This software works in conjunction with the Steam interface and expands with Valve’s game optimization. There are three types of game optimization: “Fully optimized,” “Partially optimized,” and “Untested.”
Pricing
The pricing of the ROG Ally varies depending on the Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme versions. The Ryzen Z1 starts at $600, while the Z1 Extreme starts at $699. In Turkey, the Z1 Extreme version is priced at 28,499 TL.
The pricing tiers for the Steam Deck vary based on storage. The 64 GB eMMC version is priced at $399, the 256 GB NVMe SSD version at $529, and the 512 GB NVMe SSD version at $649.
ASUS ROG Ally | Steam Deck | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | AMD Zen 4 & RDNA 3 | AMD Zen 2 & RDNA 2 |
| CPU | AMD Z1 Extreme | AMD Van Gogh |
| GPU | AMD RDNA 3 | AMD RDNA 2 @ 1.6GHz |
| RAM | 16GB | 16 GB LPDDR5-5500 |
| Storage | 512GB (expandable) | 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen2x1) 256 GB/512 GB NVMe (PCIe Gen3x4) |
| Display | 7-inch 1920×1080 120Hz | 7-inch 1280×800 60Hz |
| Connectivity | USB-C | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5 |
| Battery | Unknown | 40 Whr |
| Weight | 608 grams | 669 g |
| Dimensions | 28.0 x 11.3 x 3.9 mm | 29.8 x 11.7 x 4.9 cm |
| Operating System | Windows 11 | Steam OS 3.0 (Arch)/Windows 11 |
| Price | $699 (top-end version) | $399 (16GB+64GB) $529 (16GB+256GB) $649 (16GB+512GB) |
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