ASUS ROG Ally price leaks: Can it beat Steam Deck on performance value?

What you need to know

• Apparent prices have leaked for both models of the ASUS ROG Ally, as reported by The Verge.
• The 256GB model features an AMD Z1 CPU and is implied to cost $599.99 at launch, according to reliable leakers Roland Quandt and SnoopyTech.
• A more powerful 512GB variant includes an AMD Z1 Extreme CPU, apparently launching at $699.99, with ASUS' official ROG Ally announcement set for May 11.

The ROG Ally is an upcoming PC gaming handheld going head-to-head with Valve for the portable gaming crown currently (and arguably) adorned by the Steam Deck. Officially, we're still waiting for confirmation on the ROG Ally's price, but that hasn't prevented a flood of ROG Ally price leaks from spreading around the Internet, and they look as legitimate as it gets. Naturally, any leak should be taken with a sizable pinch of salt. Still, third-party retailer listings with matching specs hint at accurate prices, and they're dangerously close to the competition.

Lining up with everything we know about the ASUS ROG Ally, a collection of reliable sources recently leaked prices for both planned console models. Like the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally comes in two flavors: one with 256GB of solid-state storage and the other doubling it to 512GB. The real difference is that the larger variant also boosts its CPU power by including the beefier AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme mobile chip rather than the Ryzen Z1, both based on the Zen 4 architecture with RDNA3 GPU cores.

Sharing info from leakers Roland Quandt and SnoopyTech, an implied price was backed up by leaked screenshots of accidental listings on Best Buy for the 512GB Z1 Extreme model at $699.99, reported by The Verge.

Barely a couple of days later, another slippery leak from the same sources hit the Verge with an apparent price confirmation of $599.99 for the 256GB Z1 model. That's two comparable options against the three Steam Deck variants, apparently skipping only an entry-level 64GB eMMC model, which is an understandable move given the gigantic installation sizes of modern games.

Comparing the prices against Valve's Steam Deck shows a much closer race than I anticipated, given the expected performance boost from ASUS' selected components lurking inside the ROG Ally. More details are expected on May 11 as part of the big reveal, and if ASUS can offer the ROG Ally in more regions than the Steam Deck, it could be a formidable rival to the current portable PC gaming champion.

Windows Central take

I use my Steam Deck daily and recommend it to whoever will listen. However, ASUS' choice to use Windows could give the ROG Ally an edge over the Steam Deck when connecting to a docking station for a more approachable desktop environment for those already comfortable with the world-leading operating system. This, plus the raw performance gains from building a handheld with more modern hardware, means there's real competition for Valve.

Again, price leaks are anything but concrete, but these, in particular, seem to hold a lot of water when considering ASUS' place in the market. It won't be long before ASUS officially unveils the ROG Ally, hopefully including plans for worldwide distribution and more in-depth details regarding battery life, which can make or break a handheld gaming experience.

I'll keep you posted if any other exciting information slips through the cracks, potentially making the ROG Ally announcement a repeat of what we already know.