Can you run SteamOS on an ASUS ROG Ally? The answer is a solid yes.
C’mon, it was bound to happen. Since the announcement of the ASUS ROG Ally, tinkerers have been salivating at the potential possibilities of the more powerful handheld.
Handheld tech YouTuber ETA Prime is the man behind this feat. As seen in the video above, ETA went with ChimeraOS, which is easier to think of as an all-in-one solution to run SteamOS on Linux devices. What’s more impressive, though, is that despite this being bleeding edge tech that isn’t designed for the Ally, games still ran really well.
Cyberpunk 2077 was able to run at 60 frames per second or over on the Steam Deck preset, and it’s possible to bump the resolution up to 1080p, crank the settings down to low, and still maintain that smooth 60 frames gameplay. Not bad, eh? That’s a far cry from when I reviewed Cybperpunk 2077 on Steam Deck.
Skyrim, meanwhile, can be played on high settings at 120 frames per second. Ooft. That’s a similar kind of deal as on the Steam Deck, but the 120 frames per second takes the game into God mode.
The whole video is worth taking a look at if you want to see the games in action, though it’s worth noting the video itself is 60 frames per second, so you’ll have to take ETA’s word for how smooth they look. I’m sure they look blinding, though.
The ASUS ROG Ally is due to launch on June 13, 2023, and will retail for $699.99/£699.99. Pricey? Absolutely, but the sheer power this console offers has a lot of us in the handheld gaming scene excited. It’s more powerful than the Steam Deck and with it being a Windows-based system, that means it’ll play almost everything.
From the reviews I’ve read, it’s not a perfect console, but then neither was the Steam Deck when it launched and everyone still loves it, blemishes and all.
