Asus South Africa held a media event for the launch of its highly anticipated Republic of Gamers (ROG) branded handheld gaming device in Johannesburg on 7 June. The ROG Ally is open for pre-orders online and will be available on 15 June in South Africa.

The Asus ROG Ally is lightweight at 608g.

Quick Look

  • A 7-inch 1080p full HD display, 120Hz refresh rate, 7ms
  • Powered by AMD Ryzen Z1 Series chip, MD Radeon Navi3 graphics
  • Up to 16GB of RAM; 512GB of expandable storage
  • Front facing dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, micro SD slot
  • Lightweight ergonomic design; 608g
  • Runs on Windows 11; works with Xbox Games Pass, Steam, Epic Games, EA App
Asus ROG Ally

The ROG Ally, priced at R15 999, is a direct competitor to the Steam Deck, which is not available officially in SA. It can be purchased as an import for R16 999. Asus says it promises to deliver “never-before-seen levels of handheld gaming performance”. It is aimed at those who want to play both lighter indie titles or graphic intensive AAA games.

It has ROG’s Zero Gravity built-in thermal cooling with dual fans, and ulta-thin heatsink fins and high-friction heat pipes to keep it cool during intensive gameplay, no matter the orientation.

The 7″ touchscreen display supports 500 nits of peak brightness and with its 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium support, it supports motion clarity for fast paced games.

Windows 11 and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

With the ROG Ally running Windows 11, gamers can access content from various publishers and streaming services they have access to, on a single device. These services include Xbox Games Pass, Steam, Epic Games and the EA App, Navigation on Windows is supported through the console’s joysticks and buttons or through its touchscreen display.

A special edition of Armoury Crate debuts on the ROG Ally, as seen on the ROG Phone 6 as a standalone dedicated gaming zone. It features quick performance mode toggles, a game launcher, in-game monitoring software, Aura Sync support, and more.

Customers will get a 90-day trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate bundled with the device, providing instant access to games from Xbox Game Studios, indie studios, and blockbusters when they boot up their Ally.

Pricing and availability 

The ROG Ally is currently open for pre-order at R15 999 for the Z1 Extreme variant. Orders will ship to customers on 15 June. In-store purchases begin on the same day at Makro stores nationwide.