While we love our traditional consoles, a handheld gives you so much more freedom to game how you want, where you want. The new Asus ROG Ally Handheld Console has been described by PC Gamer as the “best budget gaming PC”. This impressive piece of gaming tech is set to transform the gaming world, but what makes it so special?
Asus ROG Ally Performance & Specs
The Asus ROG Ally has a 1080p screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate. The screen itself is a 7” IPS touchscreen with 500 NITS, making it brighter or as bright as a traditional gaming PC. It weighs only 608g, making it lightweight and comfortable enough for long gaming sessions.
Its AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Zen 4 APU give it serious processing power, easily outperforming a Core i7 processor. This enables it to deliver true 1080p Full HD+ gaming performance every time. You can easily switch between ‘Performance’ mode at 720p or up the ante at ‘Turbo’ mode to experience the full 1080p. The operating system is Windows 11 so it will seamlessly play any PC game in addition to the wealth of games available on the Xbox Game Pass. With 512 GB of SSD storage, it should take a while before you run low, but thanks to the MicroSD slot, you can expand your memory as you need it.
It has dual Doly Atmos speakers with virtual surround sound to immerse you in your game or hook up your gaming headset or headphones via the headphone jack or Bluetooth. While its battery life can reach up to 8 hours, it greatly depends on the game you’re playing and the mode being used, but its USB-C port allows you to easily charge on-the-go.
To customise it to your style, you can change the RBG lighting on the joysticks for a real PC gaming feel. Through the Armoury Crate UI you can further customise for gameplay and adjust the power settings, resolution, and set a framerate cap. No one can mess with your games, settings or data as it has a fingerprint scanner to unlock it.
Whether you’re a console or PC gamer, this is an amazing piece of gaming tech to allow you to game while commuting, travelling or sitting outside enjoying the sun. Games pop on the screen and the amount of power is unparalleled for a handheld console.
Top games to play on Asus ROG Ally Handheld
While the ROG Ally comes with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass, there are so many games to choose from. We’ve asked our experts and picked six games that will give you the best handheld gameplay.
Hollow Knight
First up is a 2D game, Hollow Knight. You will control the Knight as he explores Hallownest, a fallen underground kingdom plagued by a supernatural disease called ‘the infection’. You will come across hostile bugs and creatures, learn spells, collect ‘Mask Shards’, learn about the game lore and, of course, battle with bosses. It’s a beautifully created game with hand-drawn animation and many interconnected worlds to explore.
Among Us
Crewmate or Imposter? Among Us is a fun, sociable game made for playing with friends. You (or one of your friends) is an Imposter on a spaceship and your one goal is to kill all the crew. Crewmates complete tasks and try to figure out who the Imposter is before it’s too late.
Starfield
Announced during the Xbox Games Showcase in June, Starfield is one of the most-anticipated video game releases from it. Starfield is a sprawling RPG set in the Milky Way where you can explore thousands of planets and hundreds of star systems. While little has been revealed about the story, it’s set in 2230 and you’ll play as a member of Constellation, an organisation of space explorers navigation the aftermath of a Colony War among The Settlement Systems. It will be available on Game Pass from the 6th of September.
Read more about the Asus ROG Ally here.
