The handheld PC sector has experienced a massive surge since the debut of the Steam Deck, leading to an increasingly crowded marketplace. Industry giants like ASUS and Lenovo have jumped into the fray, with the ROG Ally emerging as a prominent contender featuring deep Xbox integration. However, while the Ally outpaces the Steam Deck in raw performance, its higher price point appears to have significantly impacted its market reach.
In a recent guest appearance on the Xbox Expansion Pass podcast, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella pointed out that sales for the ROG Ally “haven’t even come close” to matching the Steam Deck’s momentum. He suggested that while supply shortages for Valve’s handheld could occasionally tip the scales, the Steam Deck’s dominance is less about its availability and more about its superior value proposition.
Piscatella previously described the ROG Ally’s launch as “fantastic,” but noted a sharp decline in sales shortly thereafter—a common trajectory for premium-tier hardware. According to his analysis, no competitor has yet managed to strike the perfect equilibrium of performance, price, and functionality that continues to define the Steam Deck’s success.
The industry’s preference for Valve’s platform is further highlighted by a recent GDC survey. The data reveals that game developers are significantly more focused on optimizing for the Steam Deck than for any other portable gaming system currently on the market.
Source: iXBT.games