We’ve been eagerly awaiting this one: the ROG Ally, the handheld gaming PC from Asus, is officially coming to Australia. It’s a big deal, especially considering we don’t have local availability for the competing Steam Deck device.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen the overseas pricing announced to be between US$599 and $699 depending on the model. For us in Australia, JB Hi-Fi currently has ROG Ally pre-orders live for $1,299 ahead of a 13 June release date. Although it’s not quite a 1:1 ratio with the exchange rate, it’s a reasonable price given the costs and taxes associated with bringing products here.
As mentioned in our hands-off preview of the device, there’s a lot to like about the latest handheld gaming PC. It has a 1080p 120Hz display powered by the latest generation AMD Ryzen Z1 Series APU. At launch, the only ROG Ally model coming to Australia will be the more powerful Z1 Extreme version. Reportedly, the base Z1 model will arrive at a later date.
Asus ROG Ally launch details for Australia
At this stage, a 512GB version of the handheld device is coming to Australia. Fortunately, you can boost its storage with Micro SD cards, which you’ll likely need considering the size of modern game installs. One of the other benefits is that you’re not limited to playing PC games from one storefront. Asus’ handheld runs on Windows 11 and supports games bought on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Game Pass, and more. You can read more of the technical information in our initial preview.
JB Hi-Fi lists the ROG Ally as a “JB exclusive”, meaning it’s unlikely we’ll see the device available elsewhere, for launch at least. Although the official product website doesn’t include any other purchase location, you can also pre-order from the Asus online store. As a bonus when buying the Ally, you get three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a subscription service that lets you play games from a rotating library of titles. If you’re keen to get your hands on one at launch, here are the links:
We’ll share our impressions on the gaming handheld soon. In the meantime, we’re excited to see the ROG Ally launch in Australia for a decent price, filling the Steam Deck-shaped hole in our hearts.
