Here comes a new challenger
Asus' Steam Deck Killer breaks cover
Asus may not have picked the best day to announce its upcoming ROG Ally. But the specs on this handheld game console is anything but a joke. Boasting a custom AMD Zen 4 APU, the ROG Ally has a 7-inch, 1080p screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. You can even hook it up to Asus’ XG Mobile external graphics dock (supports up to a laptop-tier RTX 4090) for even more graphics horsepower. From my understanding, the ROG Ally will be coming to Singapore — more details to come next month.
YouTuber Dave2D, who tried an early prototype, said the ROG Ally runs quieter and cooler than expected. Unsurprisingly, it has been dubbed a Steam Deck killer. The fact that it runs Windows, not SteamOS, is a plus, since many of us probably have games from Epic or Ubisoft game stores. But with key details like pricing, and battery life yet to be confirmed, it’s too early to say. However, the ROG Ally will probably have better luck taking on the Steam Deck than other manufacturers like Ayaneo that have tried.
If you’re more interested in conventional gaming notebooks, now is the time to pay attention. Because it’s the season, with many new models — sporting the latest 13th Gen Intel CPUs and RTX 40 Series graphics — launching recently. We already tested the MSI Cyborg 15, but several other gaming notebooks from Aftershock, Acer, Asus, and Lenovo are in the review pipeline. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, our latest reviews include Apple’s latest smart speaker, a Canon camera designed for vloggers, and a 32-inch 4K gaming monitor from Acer.
Available at last in Singapore, Apple’s HomePod (2nd Gen) is a great-sounding smart speaker for those already knee-deep in Apple’s ecosystem. You’ll need an iPhone or iPad to set it up. It’s versatile enough for music, and for movies (as a pair with an Apple TV), and is one of the few standalone speakers now to support spatial audio.
Designed with vloggers in mind, the Canon EOS R50 is a handy, lightweight camera that makes it easy for beginners to get into photography and videography. Video auto-focus is great, and it’s affordably priced for students and beginners.
This 32-inch 4K Acer gaming monitor uses mini-LEDs for darker blacks than typical gaming displays. While it’s not entirely free of blooming and halo effects, it’s bright enough for HDR movies and games. It also has more input ports than most monitors — there’s even a built-in KVM switch.