If you’re like me and have been holding out hopes for an Australian release of Valve’s Steam Deck, the news that ASUS would be not only releasing their ASUS ROG Ally handheld gaming console in Australia soon, and with decent pricing is going to make your week. 

The brief: the ASUS ROG Ally will release on June 13 in Australia and New Zealand, costing $1,299 AUD or $1,499 NZD, respectively. 

The release date and pricing for the ASUS ROG Ally was revealed as some media were invited to get hands-on with the unit in Sydney a couple of days ago. Reports were positive, with the Steam Deck competitor being put through solid tests by those in attendance. A common worry, however, is the battery life. But we’ll know just how long the unit will last, with the release date only just around the corner. 

Here are the full specs of the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme (the one made available in AUS)

  • Processor: AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Extreme Processor

  • CPU: Zen 4 architecture, 8-core /16-threads, 24MB total cache, up to 5.10Ghz boost

  • GPU: 12 RDNA3 CUs, up to 2.7GHz, 8.6 TFLOP, default 4GB RAM capacity

  • APU Power: 9-30W

  • Display: 7-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 IPS-level touchscreen, 500nits, 100% of sRGB

  • Display Refresh Rate: 120Hz

  • Display Response Time: 7ms

  • Memory: 16GB LPDDR5 on board (6400MT/s dual channel)

  • Storage: 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (2230)

  • I/O Ports: 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack

  • Row 12 – Cell 0: 1 x ROG XG Mobile Interface and USB Type-C combo port (with USB 3.2 Gen2, supports DisplayPort 1.4)

  • Row 13 – Cell 0: 1 x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC)

  • Control and Input: A B X Y buttons, D-pad, L & R Hall Effect analog triggers, L & R bumpers, View button, Menu button, Command Center button, Armoury Crate button, 2 x assignable grip buttons, 2 x full-size analog sticks with capacitive touch

  • Haptics: HD haptics, Gyro: 6-Axis IMU

  • Dimensions: 28.0 x 11.1 x 2.12 ~3.24cm (11.02 x 4.37 x 0.83 ~1.27 inches)

  • Weight: ~608g (1.34 lbs)

  • Battery: 40hrs

There is still no release date for those hanging on for the Steam Deck to release. Will the ASUS ROG Ally corner the handheld PC gaming market in Australia? We’ll find out soon. 

Pre-order the ASUS ROG Ally from JB Hi-Fi or ASUS directly.

Are you planning on pre-ordering the ASUS ROG Ally or holding out for the Steam Deck? Let me know in the comments section below.