It’s been over a week since the ROG Ally was announced on April Fool’s day and they still haven’t backed out of it. Meaning we’re in for yet another handheld console!
With the Steam Deck floating around, but still only available to those “with contacts” I still feel as if the Switch is going to remain the global king, but it is exciting to see that more and more handheld consoles are in the works. As a Switch owner myself, having the ability to take your games on the road with you is extremely satisfying, and then the ability to plug it in and continue gaming on the big screen when you get home puts the cherry on the cake.
While we’ve not received more information than “The most powerful AMD APU yet”, a “Dual fan design”, and “powered by Windows 11” from the cheeky April Fools video, it does feel like Asus ROG are putting out what a lot of gamers out there want, a powerful on-the-go gaming device. Being powered by Windows 11 does mean that we will have access to almost every game imaginable, and I can’t help but imagine the possibilities of something like Game Pass, for only R79 a month being paired up with the ROG Ally. A library stuffed to the brim with games and the ability to play them at your Gamgam’s house.
This all looks exciting but I can’t help but be a little concerned, for a few reasons:
1. On-the-go hardware will definitely have a few downsides compared to your beefed-up desktop computer. While this isn’t a significant concern, it does make me feel like the Ally will still be a little limited in what it can actually play well.
2. With the success of the Steam Deck in South Africa, or more likely, the lack of it, it’s hard to see the Ally coming to our shores any time soon. Unless you have some connections for us all to use, I honestly don’t see the Ally becoming a household console like the Switch.
In any case, if you missed it, check out the cheesy 80’s “Launch” video below: