One of the key issues with Asus' big Steam Deck rival is just how much it's going to charge for the ROG Ally. Well, it seems we no longer have to wonder because, as expected, the launch price has seemingly been listed and the high-end Z1 Extreme version is going to cost $700.
Which, I will admit, is a bit of a surprise to me. When Asus told us that "200% it will be below $1,000" I was still concerned that it was only in reference to the lower spec AMD Z1 version and not the Z1 Extreme ROG Ally. There was still a part of me that expected Asus to miss the mark and price the top-end handheld at $1,200 citing some ultra-enthusiast BS to justify it.
But no, Asus is seemingly about to absolutely ace the handheld market with what is looking increasingly like a more than worthy successor to the Steam Deck.
At $700 that would put the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme handheld at just $50 more than the top 512GB Steam Deck. And if you look at the relative performance on offer with Asus' device the difference will be night and day.
With the Z1 Extreme sporting some 12 RDNA 3 compute units you're looking at raw GPU performance practically on par with a desktop RX 6600 graphics card. That's proper 1080p gaming performance in a handheld.
But how confident can we be that this leaked $700 figure is legit? I think pretty damned confident actually, because the device is launching in less than two weeks, is being sold exclusively via Best Buy in the US, and it's a Best Buy listing that gives us the most concrete evidence of price.
Best Buy product page leaked the price of the Asus ROG Ally. It will be priced at $699 dollars for the 16GB/512GB variant. pic.twitter.com/CbfERTkGT4April 27, 2023
The Verge has also noted that it had been shown data by one reliable leaker that confirms it, and a tweet by SnoopyTech has also noted the same price, too.
We've also seen evidence that other handheld devices, using different but very similar Zen 4/RDNA 3 APUs will cost a similar amount, so I'd say it looks kinda nailed on that this pricing is accurate for the ROG Ally.
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And that's super exciting. Especially as it means the lower spec Z1 version is going to be even cheaper still, but with GPU performance in advance of the Steam Deck, too.
The big question now is just how well the twin-fan cooling of the ROG Ally can cope with the power of that Z1 Extreme silicon running at full gaming chat, how well Windows 11 can really work with a handheld, and what sort of battery Asus has crammed into that chassis while keeping it under the weight of the Steam Deck.
If you're only getting 60 minutes of battery life at three times the performance of a Steam Deck is it really worth it? That's going to be my biggest question when I get my hands on the ROG Ally. And it shouldn't be long now with the launch on May 11.
