Asus ROG Ally To Get Steam Deck OS Support

See at Best Buy (Z1) See at Best Buy (Z1 Extreme)

Valve has confirmed that SteamOS--its Linux-based operating system for the Steam Deck handheld gaming PC--will be coming to the Asus ROG Ally. The company also plans to roll out SteamOS to other rival Windows handhelds, although it has noted that third-party support "isn’t ready to run out of the box yet". The confirmation comes after the recent release notes for a recent SteamOS beta update mentioned adding support for "extra ROG Ally keys" in the future.

"The note about ROG Ally keys is related to third-party device support for SteamOS", Valve engineer Lawrence Yang said to The Verge. "The team is continuing to work on adding support for additional handhelds on SteamOS."

While Asus has yet to comment on its ROG Ally being potentially turned into a Steam machine, an update like this would address a major criticism of the handheld. Asus ROG Ally devices use a Windows 11 operating system, and while that does allow for various game clients to be installed, using the OS can be cumbersome as it's optimized for desktops, not thumbs and smaller screens. In comparison, SteamOS is a more fluid and user-friendly experience.

Asus ROG Ally X and Ally Deals

Asus ROG Ally X -- $800
Asus ROG Ally (AMD Ryzen Z1) with Travel Case & Game Pass -- $380 ($~~500~~) Ends August 18
Asus ROG Ally (AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme) with Travel Case & Game Pass -- $500 ($~~650~~) | Ends August 18

Asus ROG Ally Accessories

ROG Ally charger -- $30 ($65)
Asus Raikiri Pro controller -- $110 ($~~150~~)
Asus Raikiri standard controller -- $75 ($~~100~~)
Asus ROG Cetra earbuds (white) -- $65 ($~~100~~)
Asus ROG Cetra earbuds (black) -- $80 ($~~100~~)

This news comes hot on the heels of the launch of the Asus ROG Ally X, an updated version of last year's ROG Ally. The new model features several quality-of-life upgrades, including faster RAM, an improved battery life, and an increased SSD storage capacity from 512GB to 1TB. If you're looking to grab one and several accessories, you can pick one up for $800 at Best Buy. Alternatively, if you don't mind the shorter battery life and smaller SSD, last year's Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme model is still a powerful handheld and is more affordable at $500 (was $650). The base model ROG Ally is discounted to $380 (was $500).

Using the right accessories, you can even turn an ROG Ally into a compact PC. The charger allows you to hook the handheld up to a TV or monitor, and the Raikiri controller is a pretty stylish piece of equipment. This is available in both standard and pro version, with the more high-end option featuring a small OLED display. Finally, you can grab a pair of Cetra earbuds to stream some audio into your ears. The nice thing about these is that you can use them with a Steam Deck, PC, and more, making these a flexible piece of hardware for your gaming needs.