The ASUS ROG Ally is capable of delivering 60 FPS in God of War III at 1080p, while the competitor that inspired it, Valve’s Steam Deck, only manages up to 25 FPS at 720p, according to early testing from YouTubers that suggest ASUS’ new Windows 11-powered handheld is very good at emulating older games from the PlayStation 3 generation and more. This level of performance is largely thanks to the ROG Ally’s new Ryzen Z1 processors from AMD, which include support for AVX-512, an instruction set that is apparently quite useful for RPCS3 and other popular emulators. Pre-orders for the ROG Ally with AMD Ryzen Z1 ($599) and Ryzen Z1 Extreme ($699) are now available ahead of the system’s June release at Best Buy.
From an AMD Community post:
[…] we’re excited to announce the Asus ROG Ally as the first handheld PC gaming console to feature the Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme processors. The new portable system relies on high-bandwidth LPDDR5 to deliver the performance PC gamers expect without compromising battery life. Built-in technologies like AMD FreeSync technology will help keep frame rates smooth and the device supports a range of TDPs from 9W-30W.
[…] Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme-powered handheld PC gaming consoles will offer a full range of features and capabilities via the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition application, giving gamers the tools they need to play fast, save power, stream games, and help reduce input latency. These new chips put handheld gaming first and foremost without compromising on compatibility or flexibility that PCs are historically known for when compared to traditional gaming consoles.
The “PC” in “handheld PC Gaming Console” isn’t just there for show. Devices like the Asus ROG Ally run full operating systems. They support a wide array of cloud gaming services and game stores. They have access to the same backwards compatibility and breadth of software as any other x86 processor. Attach a keyboard, mouse, and external display, and you might not even realize you were using a handheld gaming PC at all.