**Asus Ally: A Promising Handheld Gaming Console**

The Asus Ally is an upcoming handheld gaming console that has generated significant interest among gamers and tech enthusiasts. At its core, the Ally boasts a display that may not be as flashy as some of its competitors, particularly when compared to OLED panels. However, this expectation should not be overly disappointing. The display on the Ally is actually brighter than the one found in the Steam Deck at 500 nits, which is sufficient for outdoor gaming. Moreover, it features a full HD 1080p panel that offers more pixels than its rival, making it an attractive option for those seeking a superior visual experience.

**Display and Panel Quality**

The Ally's display also boasts impressive specifications, including a 120Hz refresh rate, a one thousand to one contrast ratio, SRGB 100 wide color gamma, and a seven millisecond response time. These features ensure that the display is not only visually stunning but also provides an immersive gaming experience. To further reinforce its durability, Asus has incorporated Gorilla Victus glass with an anti-reflective coating onto the screen. While it may be hard to resist the allure of such a premium display, having strong glass on your handheld device becomes even more important when considering the potential for accidental drops or other forms of damage.

**Performance and Hardware**

The Ally is designed to deliver top-notch performance, thanks in part to its partnership with AMD. The Ryzen Z1 or Z1 (depending on location) APU features Zenforce CPU architecture with 6 cores and 12 threads, paired with RDNA3 graphics capable of supporting AMD's RSX and FSR technologies. For gamers seeking more processing power, there is also the option for the Z1 Extreme variant, which boasts 8 cores and 16 threads. These processors are expected to provide sufficient performance to run AAA games on the 1080p screen at high frame rates, rendering the Ally an attractive choice for those craving a console-like experience in their handheld gaming device.

**Docking and Expansion**

One of the most significant selling points of the Asus Ally is its docking capabilities. With support for HDMI output, Bluetooth controllers can be connected to the device, effectively turning it into a legitimate living room console replacement. Furthermore, the Ally features the ability to connect an eGPU, allowing users to take advantage of high-performance graphics processing on their mobile device. This flexibility expands the Ally's potential applications beyond gaming and opens up new avenues for creative use.

**Thermals and Cooling**

Designing a cooling system that fits within the confines of such a small form factor can be challenging. Asus has addressed this issue with its innovative gravity-resistant thermal system, though details regarding its inner workings remain unclear due to the complexity involved. More visibly, the dual fan design contributes to the overall silence level of the device, as fans operate at 20 dB levels. This is an attractive feature for users seeking a quiet gaming experience without sacrificing any performance.

**Software and Compatibility**

Running Windows 11, the Ally provides gamers with full compatibility with popular platforms such as Steam, Xbox, Epic Games, and more. This means that games can often be played straight away from the box, eliminating the need to install or modify them for compatibility. Furthermore, Asus has partnered with Microsoft to ensure day-one compatibility for a broad range of titles. The device also includes three months' worth of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions as part of its launch package.

**Storage and Price**

The Ally comes equipped with an internal 512GB PCI 4 SSD, which boasts theoretical maximum speeds of four and a half gigabytes per second but is likely to be significantly slower in real-world usage. This storage space may raise concerns regarding the device's potential for expansion or storage upgrades via microSD cards. Regarding pricing, Asus has confirmed that the Ally will be available at a price below $1,000.

**Conclusion**

Overall, the Asus Ally represents an intriguing take on the handheld gaming market. While its display might not rival OLED panels in terms of brightness and color accuracy, it still offers impressive features such as higher contrast ratios and faster refresh rates. The partnership with AMD has led to the creation of custom processors tailored specifically for handheld gaming. With a focus on performance, expandability, and versatility, the Ally seems poised to deliver an immersive gaming experience that could potentially redefine what's possible in portable devices.

**Early Impressions and Future Review**

Initial impressions from the Press teaser event have been overwhelmingly positive, with Asus having showcased its capabilities and design philosophy effectively. The prospect of testing the Ally firsthand cannot be overstated, as it will undoubtedly reveal the full extent of the device's potential. In anticipation of an upcoming demo unit, readers are encouraged to follow along for a more in-depth review that delves into every aspect of the Asus Ally.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI've been raving about the valve steam deck since its launch because well what's not to Light PC gaming in your hand enough performance to run AAA titles on this excellent seven inch display and an affordable entry price but what if you want more more performance a higher resolution display with a higher refresh rate perhaps wider game support there are some offerings on the market from smaller Brands like GPD and iron Neo but now another major player has entered the PC handheld Arena Asus the new Rog Ally looks like a pretty fantastic step up from the steam deck so let's take a look at what's coming oh you could be forgiven for thinking that Asus has taken direct aim at the steam Deck with this new product but it would be wrong to conclude that they just copied valve's homework and stopped more performance into their handheld Asus apparently went through hundreds of different designs to get the most comfortable chassis that they could and then they went through it with a fine-tooth comb to shave weight wherever possible the end result is this rather stunning looking handheld that weighs just 608 grams there's only the white finish available at the moment which Asus hailed as being able to hide fingerprints better than a black finish and I can't imagine what product they were thinking of there the controls follow the Xbox controller layout including the asymmetric thumbstick positioning and I guess this will appeal to the majority of PC Gamers but of course there's no way to please everybody and if you're feeling upset by the control layout they've chosen hopefully the smattering of LED lighting will make up for it actually I really like the lighting around the thumb sticks and overall I'm liking this design of the Ally a lot let's talk about the display in the Ally an event where Asus were waxing lyrical about their OLED laptop screens the display for the Ally is perhaps surprising in that it's not OLED and inevitably that's going to disappoint some fans but I don't think it's actually that much of an issue the display is actually brighter than the one in the steam deck at 500 nits which Asus reckon is good enough for some outdoor gaming and better yet it's a full HD 1080p panel that's more than double the amount of pixels on offer with the deck and if that's not enough for you the Asus Rog Ally has a 120 hertz display in a 7-inch handheld form factor it's fantastic the display also has a one thousand to one contrast ratio srgb 100 wide color gamma and a seven millisecond response time so naturally you'll want to keep such a lovely screen safe and Asus have protected it with gorilla victus glass which also features an anti-reflective coating it is good to have strong glass on your handheld now it's no good having a great display like this if you don't have the graphics power to drive it to its full potential but the Ally has you covered here Asus partnered with AMD to create the ryzen Z1 or Z1 depending on where you are an APU specifically designed for handheld gaming it features zenforce CPU architecture with 6 cores and 12 threads and there's rdna3 graphics on board with support for amd's rsr and FSR Technologies Asus also mentioned a second chip at the Press reveal the Z1 extreme which has 8 cores and 16 threads so we can expect to see multiple configurations of the Ally apparently these chips will deliver enough performance to run AAA games on the 1080p screen at high frame rates and I'm looking forward to testing that out but there's also docking ability so you can run HDMI to a TV and connect Bluetooth controllers so if the performance is that good perhaps the Ally could double as a genuine living room console replacement being able to kill two birds with one ally-sized stone would certainly make the purchasing decision easier for many prospective buyers and Asus also showed how the Ally can be used in a pro configuration for 4K gaming by means of an egpu this appears to connect to the Ally via a proprietary Port rather than Thunderbolt so if you're thinking you can use the egpu you already have sadly that won't be the case with all that performance in such a small device thermals are going to be a really important consideration Asus has designed an interesting gravity resistant thermal system which I'm not going to attempt to explain here unless you fall asleep but the science seemed to check out for me but what really got my intention is the dual fan design that apparently runs at 20 DB and that's quiet really quiet of course Hardware is only ever half the equation let's talk about software the Ally is running Windows 11 and that means that you have full compatibility with steam Xbox epic EA and more if you can run it on Windows it should work on the Ally and this is a key advantage over the steam deck which runs Steam OS by default a Linux OS with a compatibility layer for Windows so I'm guessing that more games will work straight out of the box with the Ally of course you can install Windows on the steam deck but that requires some work and drivers are still being refined Asus is taking a different approach working with Microsoft to get day one compatibility with the maximum number of games and they're throwing in three months of Xbox game pass ultimate so you'll be able to buy the Ally and get started with a huge library of top titles without spending anything on games those games can be stored on the internal 512 gig PCI 4 SSD which has a theoretical maximum speed of four and a half gigabytes per second but probably much slower in real world use but it's nice to have and like on the deck you can expand the storage with the Ally using micro SD cards key to what makes the steam deck such a great system is its low entry price and the Ally is clearly going to cost more but In fairness we need to compare it with the top model of the steam deck because the alloy has the same storage size and it also has an anti-reflective display even so I very much doubt the Ally is going to be competing on price at time of recording Asus hasn't revealed the retail price though they did say and I quote less than one thousand dollars so we'll be in the queue for a demo unit from Asus and as soon as I get my Filthy Hands on it then I'll do a more detailed review early Impressions though from the Press teaser event are pretty good and I'm really excited to try the Ally thanks for spending some time with me today let me know what you think and I'll see you soon for some moreI've been raving about the valve steam deck since its launch because well what's not to Light PC gaming in your hand enough performance to run AAA titles on this excellent seven inch display and an affordable entry price but what if you want more more performance a higher resolution display with a higher refresh rate perhaps wider game support there are some offerings on the market from smaller Brands like GPD and iron Neo but now another major player has entered the PC handheld Arena Asus the new Rog Ally looks like a pretty fantastic step up from the steam deck so let's take a look at what's coming oh you could be forgiven for thinking that Asus has taken direct aim at the steam Deck with this new product but it would be wrong to conclude that they just copied valve's homework and stopped more performance into their handheld Asus apparently went through hundreds of different designs to get the most comfortable chassis that they could and then they went through it with a fine-tooth comb to shave weight wherever possible the end result is this rather stunning looking handheld that weighs just 608 grams there's only the white finish available at the moment which Asus hailed as being able to hide fingerprints better than a black finish and I can't imagine what product they were thinking of there the controls follow the Xbox controller layout including the asymmetric thumbstick positioning and I guess this will appeal to the majority of PC Gamers but of course there's no way to please everybody and if you're feeling upset by the control layout they've chosen hopefully the smattering of LED lighting will make up for it actually I really like the lighting around the thumb sticks and overall I'm liking this design of the Ally a lot let's talk about the display in the Ally an event where Asus were waxing lyrical about their OLED laptop screens the display for the Ally is perhaps surprising in that it's not OLED and inevitably that's going to disappoint some fans but I don't think it's actually that much of an issue the display is actually brighter than the one in the steam deck at 500 nits which Asus reckon is good enough for some outdoor gaming and better yet it's a full HD 1080p panel that's more than double the amount of pixels on offer with the deck and if that's not enough for you the Asus Rog Ally has a 120 hertz display in a 7-inch handheld form factor it's fantastic the display also has a one thousand to one contrast ratio srgb 100 wide color gamma and a seven millisecond response time so naturally you'll want to keep such a lovely screen safe and Asus have protected it with gorilla victus glass which also features an anti-reflective coating it is good to have strong glass on your handheld now it's no good having a great display like this if you don't have the graphics power to drive it to its full potential but the Ally has you covered here Asus partnered with AMD to create the ryzen Z1 or Z1 depending on where you are an APU specifically designed for handheld gaming it features zenforce CPU architecture with 6 cores and 12 threads and there's rdna3 graphics on board with support for amd's rsr and FSR Technologies Asus also mentioned a second chip at the Press reveal the Z1 extreme which has 8 cores and 16 threads so we can expect to see multiple configurations of the Ally apparently these chips will deliver enough performance to run AAA games on the 1080p screen at high frame rates and I'm looking forward to testing that out but there's also docking ability so you can run HDMI to a TV and connect Bluetooth controllers so if the performance is that good perhaps the Ally could double as a genuine living room console replacement being able to kill two birds with one ally-sized stone would certainly make the purchasing decision easier for many prospective buyers and Asus also showed how the Ally can be used in a pro configuration for 4K gaming by means of an egpu this appears to connect to the Ally via a proprietary Port rather than Thunderbolt so if you're thinking you can use the egpu you already have sadly that won't be the case with all that performance in such a small device thermals are going to be a really important consideration Asus has designed an interesting gravity resistant thermal system which I'm not going to attempt to explain here unless you fall asleep but the science seemed to check out for me but what really got my intention is the dual fan design that apparently runs at 20 DB and that's quiet really quiet of course Hardware is only ever half the equation let's talk about software the Ally is running Windows 11 and that means that you have full compatibility with steam Xbox epic EA and more if you can run it on Windows it should work on the Ally and this is a key advantage over the steam deck which runs Steam OS by default a Linux OS with a compatibility layer for Windows so I'm guessing that more games will work straight out of the box with the Ally of course you can install Windows on the steam deck but that requires some work and drivers are still being refined Asus is taking a different approach working with Microsoft to get day one compatibility with the maximum number of games and they're throwing in three months of Xbox game pass ultimate so you'll be able to buy the Ally and get started with a huge library of top titles without spending anything on games those games can be stored on the internal 512 gig PCI 4 SSD which has a theoretical maximum speed of four and a half gigabytes per second but probably much slower in real world use but it's nice to have and like on the deck you can expand the storage with the Ally using micro SD cards key to what makes the steam deck such a great system is its low entry price and the Ally is clearly going to cost more but In fairness we need to compare it with the top model of the steam deck because the alloy has the same storage size and it also has an anti-reflective display even so I very much doubt the Ally is going to be competing on price at time of recording Asus hasn't revealed the retail price though they did say and I quote less than one thousand dollars so we'll be in the queue for a demo unit from Asus and as soon as I get my Filthy Hands on it then I'll do a more detailed review early Impressions though from the Press teaser event are pretty good and I'm really excited to try the Ally thanks for spending some time with me today let me know what you think and I'll see you soon for some more\n"