Valve says it's "excited" by the launch of the first major Steam Deck competitor

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Compact competition

Asus ROG Ally portable handheld
(Image credit: Asus)

The first legitimate Steam Deck competitor has been announced; the Asus ROG Ally; and apparently Valve couldn't be happier.

The Asus ROG Ally just had its big launch event today where it revealed pricing information and a June release date, and Valve chimed in to congratulate its competition.

"Congratulations to Asus on the announcement of the ROG Ally!" reads a tweet from the official Steam Deck Twitter account. "We're excited to see PC handheld ecosystem continue to grow, and for players to have more ways to play their games on the go."

Although it's clearly positioned as a fairly direct competitor to the Steam Deck, the Asus ROG Ally is a slightly more premium product, packing more powerful internals and a heftier price tag at $700 for the one version on offer. For comparison, the cheapest Steam Deck is $399 and the most expensive version if $649, so a good $50 cheaper even at its most expensive price point.

If you want a much more comprehensive break down of the two portable consoles, check out our writeup on the Steam Deck vs the Asus ROG Ally. There you'll find the full details on each console's specs, design, and features so you can make an informed decision about whether to pull the trigger on a Steam Deck now or hold off until the Asus ROG Ally launches. That said, we'll have to wait until June to see how the two portables stack up when they're actually in our hands.

While we might not ever know how Valve, not to mention its investors, *truly* feel about Steam Deck's first big competitor, it's good to see this kind of sportsmanship from one of the biggest companies in the industry. 

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Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.