Although initially thought to be an elaborate April Fools' Day joke, Asus wasn’t lying when it announced theAsusROG Allyportable gaming handheld late last week. The full spec ofAsus’ competitor to the Steam Deckis still undisclosed, but based on what’s been said so far, this handheld might be giving Valve a run for its money. The Nintendo Switch may want to take some notes too.
Based solely on its full HD 1080p screen with a lightning-fast 120Hz refresh rate, the Asus ROG Ally is already a stand-out option in handheld gaming.Asushas stated that the handheld will also feature a more powerful custom AMD APU than the Steam Deck and will be a significantly quieter machine than Valve’s handheld device. Evidently, the market for mobile gaming platforms is starting to explode, offering more power, better visuals, and more features all the time – leaving its pioneers in a tough spot where their main selling points are becoming less attractive by the day. As more products like the ROG Ally come to market, the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch have their work cut out for them.
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The Switch is a First Party Powerhouse Showing its Age
When Nintendo revealed the Nintendo Switch in 2017, it was like a dream come true for handheld gaming fans: an authentic console experience in a portable form. Blockbuster games likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandMario Odysseyran admirably and looked great on the Switch’s 7-inch screen. For a while, the Switch was in a good spot as third-party developers saw the potential of the hybrid console and began porting their AAA games to the Switch’s weaker but still manageable hardware. Miracle ports likeThe Witcher 3,Doom Eternal,andMetro Last Lightall run surprisingly well, given the Switch’s power limitations. However, the Switch’s third-party renaissance has plateaued as first-party games continue to thrive.
More and more, it seems like third-party developers are electing to publish their games on the Switch’s cloud infrastructure simply because Nintendo’s six-year-old machine can no longer keep up. IO’sHitman 3and Capcom’s recentResident Evilgames favor the cloud over native rendering. Nintendo’s first-party games likeFire Emblem EngageandKirby and the Forgotten Landare still making the most of the hybrid console, but it simply isn’t enough when competitors like theSteam Deckand the Asus ROG Ally continue raising the bar for what is possible in this space. The market Nintendo once led is starting to feel crowded and competitive; Nintendo has yet to respond with hardware that can match the competition’s pace. It won’t be long before first-party games start to buckle too.
The Steam Deck Has Power, But Lacks Battery
The Steam Deck iterated on the Switch’s concept and brought handheld gaming to the PC space. Although not the first handheld gaming PC on the market, the Steam Deck’s claim to fame is its power relative to its performance. For $400,Steam Deck owners can play games likeElden RingandHogwarts Legacyat excellent frame rates and graphics settings beyond what the Switch can accomplish. However, taking these games on the go comes at the price of battery life, lasting up to 90 minutes for intense games and compromising the Steam Deck’s selling point of portability.
While Asus hasn’t detailed the Asus ROG Ally’s relative power and battery size, it’s clear that theSteam Deck’s weak pointwill be something that Asus and other competitors can counter. Valve should try getting ahead of that sooner rather than later. Only a year after its launch, the Steam Deck already has competitors outperforming it in big-budget games. In gaming benchmarks, the AyaNeo Next 2 and OneXPlayer 2 beat Valve’s handheld with better frame rates and more power but fall short in price. If theAsus ROG Allycan deliver great power, visuals, and battery life at a good price, it’s clear that Nintendo and Valve have work to do.
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