Report: ASUS ROG Ally Closing in on 500K Units Sold

[John Elden Ring]

A new report from DigiTimes Asia claims the ASUS ROG Ally has made roughly $318.6 million in total sales so far.

“The recently released ROG Ally handheld gaming console from ASUSTEK Computer has garnered popularity and generated estimated quarterly sales of up to NT$10 billion (US$318.6 million),” reports DigiTimes.

Some rough napkin math: If we round the ASUS ROG Ally price down to around $700 per device, that roughly works out to around 455,000 units sold.

 

[ethomaz]

Way faster than Steam Deck... at this hate will surpass it very soon.

Of course it is a devices with a better appeal due having Windows instead Linux... after by Steam research most Steam Deck users use Windows instead the SteamOS.

 

[ksdixon]

And this is why Sony need to jump on a new PS Portable (arguably a PS4 Portable / PS Deck equivalent).

 

[ethomaz]

And this is why Sony need to jump on a new PS Portable (arguably a PS4 Portable / PS Deck equivalent).

These sales will barely cover R&D for Sony.
For the consumer market 20 million is still a failure because it is subzidied... Sony won't sell a portable to consumers at $700... it will be at max $400.

 

[flaccidsnake]

Handheld PCs are here to stay. It's surprising that the Ally is selling despite significant hardware defects and terrible user experience via Windows 11 + Armory Crate. Good for them! We also got news this week than Lenovo is jumping into the handheld market.

Other than time-wasters for children, I can't see a reason for a new bespoke handheld platform by any console manufacturer. There's something magical about playing the exact same game on a handheld and a high end PC with cloud saving.

Amazing time to be a PC gamer yall.

 

[ksdixon]

These sales will barely cover R&D for Sony.
For the consumer market 20 million is still a failure because it is subzidied... Sony won't sell a portable to consumers at $700... it will be at max $400.

The thing at at-least PS4 level will sell itself. What RnD?

 

[ethomaz]

The thing at at-least PS4 level will sell itself. What RnD?

Research and Development.

The issue here is that a PS5 level device probably costs $600-700 but Sony needs to sell it at the max $400 price point.
So they won't have any profit if they sell these failure level of sales like 1-2 million devices because software won't cover it.

Vita was a failure with over 20 million sold.

A portable device to be sucessful needs to be cheaper (less than $400 but preferable $300) and have a lot of 1st-party and 3rd-party game support.

Sony can't waste R&D for a device that will cost $700-800 and won't sell numbers that give them a profiable business.
Let PC manufactures covers that market like ASUS.

 

[ksdixon]

Handheld PCs are here to stay. It's surprising that the Ally is selling despite significant hardware defects and terrible user experience via Windows 11 + Armory Crate. Good for them! We also got news this week than Lenovo is jumping into the handheld market.

Other than time-wasters for children, I can't see a reason for a new bespoke handheld platform by any console manufacturer. There's something magical about playing the exact same game on a handheld and a high end PC with cloud saving.

Amazing time to be a PC gamer yall.

Well yes, and imagine it was your PS gamesaves, friend party chat, blah blah in portable form. If they had have just released a Vita revision with L2,R2,LS,RS that would have at least faired better to play/stream or Remote play digital/downloaded console titles which needed all the buttons, or to remote play ps4 at the time.

Instead they've fucked around for 10 years.

 

[ethomaz]

To put in simple terms.

I will be very surprise if Sony enters again in handheld market after Vita huge failure.

 

[ksdixon]

Research and Development.

The issue here is that a PS5 level device probably costs $600-700 but Sony needs to sell it at the max $400 price point.
So they won't have any profit if they sell these failure level of sales like 1-2 million devices because software won't cover it.

Vita was a failure with over 20 million sold.

A portable device to be sucessful needs to be cheaper (less than $400 but preferable $300) and have a lot of 1st-party and 3rd-party game support.

Sony can't waste R&D for a device that will cost $700-800 and won't sell numbers that give them a profiable business.

You're consigning a PS4 Portable to the handheld pricing tradition. I know it's not a gimped software-having handheld ecosystem, it's a somewhat luxury companion device. I might start referring to it as a PS4 Nomad. I'm paying a premium for the portability of my existing library, wanting to stay legal or whatever.

I think a mid-gen refresh of Pro/Slim/Handheld to previous gen's standard (if possible), makes more sense than VR, or Series S strategies. It would be like triple dipping on your already existing userbase. Some people are ready for a pro upgrade, some want a smaller console, others value the portability.

 

[flaccidsnake]

Well yes, and imagine it was your PS gamesaves, friend party chat, blah blah in portable form. If they had have just released a Vita revision with L2,R2,LS,RS that would have at least faired better to play/stream or Remote play digital/downloaded console titles which needed all the buttons, or to remote play ps4 at the time.

Instead they've fucked around for 10 years.

It's not a thing, it's not super possible actually, and it wouldn't be good if they did it. There's no need for bespoke hardware.

 

[ksdixon]

It's not a thing, it's not super possible actually, and it wouldn't be good if they did it. There's no need for bespoke hardware.

Oh yes there is. Remote play on Android is absolutely dire. And I need it to work more than half way down my garden, but and in the same smoking spot as yesterday but today it's throwing a wobbly.

Honestly I don't need the Remote Play, if the thing is a PS4 sku with downloadability of games, I could play it on a mounta side and let it re-sync with PS cloud my saves and trophies whenever I return home.

 

[ethomaz]

You're consigning a PS4 Portable to the handheld pricing tradition. I know it's not a gimped software-having handheld ecosystem, it's a somewhat luxury companion device. I might start referring to it as a PS4 Nomad. I'm paying a premium for the portability of my existing library, wanting to stay legal or whatever.

I think a mid-gen refresh of Pro/Slim/Handheld to previous gen's standard (if possible), makes more sense than VR, or Series S strategies. It would be like triple dipping on your already existing userbase. Some people are ready for a pro upgrade, some want a smaller console, others value the portability.

I mean a Pro refresh at $800 won't sell too... we are looking at max $600 for a Pro console and that will be too expensive for gaming market.

Valve and Asus is not aiming the gaming market as total but just a niche part of it called "enthusiastic PC"... these guys that pays $2000 for a GPU will obvious buy a handheld device at $700... but the thing is that niche market is really niche and it will end selling like 1-2 million max units and that being very very optimistic (most won't crosss 1 million).

Sony can't affoird to use R&D to made a premium device to sell 1 million units being sold near $800.
They will subsidie it at max $400 to enter in the actual gaming market aiming to reach 50m, 80m, 100m (why not?).
But they last atempt was a huge failure.

So I don't think they will try again unless they have certain they will reach these targets.

 

[Muddasar]

And this is why Sony need to jump on a new PS Portable (arguably a PS4 Portable / PS Deck equivalent).

Problem Sony’s handheld will be compared to the Switch and its sales.

The PS Vita sold 15 million and is considered a failure.

 

[Muddasar]

Research and Development.

The issue here is that a PS5 level device probably costs $600-700 but Sony needs to sell it at the max $400 price point.
So they won't have any profit if they sell these failure level of sales like 1-2 million devices because software won't cover it.

Vita was a failure with over 20 million sold.

A portable device to be sucessful needs to be cheaper (less than $400 but preferable $300) and have a lot of 1st-party and 3rd-party game support.

Sony can't waste R&D for a device that will cost $700-800 and won't sell numbers that give them a profiable business.
Let PC manufactures covers that market like ASUS.

What R and D did Asus and Valve do for their device that even selling 500K is considered OK.

There’s nothing stopping Sony doing the same.

The biggest issues for Sony are the Switch 2, developer resources and porting.

 

[ethomaz]

What R and D did Asus and Valve do for their device that even selling 500K is considered OK.

There’s nothing stopping Sony doing the same.

The biggest issues for Sony are the Switch 2, developer resources and porting.

Both are basically PC parts put together so for ASUS I don't think the R&D was that high... I don't know about Valve.
But that is not the point.
ASUS and Valve sells the device with profit over the cost of it because that niche market can buy it.

Sony can't do that because it gaming market won't buy that device... Sony will subzidie it and that needs to return back.

 

[flaccidsnake]

Oh yes there is. Remote play on Android is absolutely dire. And I need it to work more than half way down my garden, but and in the same smoking spot as yesterday but today it's throwing a wobbly.

Honestly I don't need the Remote Play, if the thing is a PS4 sku with downloadability of games, I could play it on a mounta side and let it re-sync with PS cloud my saves and trophies whenever I return home.

ps4 isn't a portable system. wait 5 more years and a handheld pc will emulate it.

 

[ksdixon]

I thought PSP/Vita even in their less button having states, sold more than VR? Didn't I read/listen to that somewhere? And again, we're talking the switch 2/Deck era now. If XB get a respectable GP entry point XBoy or SurfaceXbox rolling, Sony's fucked.

 

[ethomaz]

I thought PSP/Vita even in their less button having states, sold more than VR? Didn't I read/listen to that somewhere? And again, we're talking the switch 2/Deck era now. If XB get a respectable GP entry point XBoy or SurfaceXbox rolling, Sony's fucked.

PSP sold more than 80 million units... it was very sucessful to Sony.
Vita sold well ~17 million units... it was a huge failure.

VR market while being bigger than "Enthusiastic PC" market it is still too niche compared with handhelp gaming market.

There is no Deck era... it is a very niche device for enthusiastic.
Switch is the only option for the portable gaming market.
People that compares Switch to Deck has not ideia of what is talking... even the Mobile (cellphone market) is more close to Handheld market than Steam Deck.

 

[ksdixon]

PSP sold more than 80 million units... it was very sucessful to Sony.
Vita sold well ~17 million units... it was a huge failure.

VR market while being bigger than "Enthusiastic PC" market it is still too niche compared with handhelp gaming market.

So there we go then.

A modern handheld needs all the nessesarey buttons to play console games. Arguably this was vita's biggest stumbling block. Another revision with buttons and digital games on PSTORE would have done better than later revisions like set-top box VitaTV, and stupid shit like that phone steam-fan.

If you want to take it a step further modern again, we want it to have WiFi etc for streaming so it's a more full featured product. Like Q is almost half a product in that aspect, you know? We want it to be PS4 sku so it captures as many BC as it can and not split game library (if anything, some devs the could station at that level and reestablish Aa level games a bit).

Not losing ground to Valve/PC/Switch, as XB plunder the content available on console front, and could quite easily and strategically leverage XB and/or Surface and GP to quickly enter the portable scene. Sony been sleeping.