Now that the new and improved Asus ROG Ally X has arrived, we’re starting to see some solid deals on its predecessor, the Asus ROG Ally. Now until August 19th, for instance, the Windows-based gaming handheld is available at Best Buy with a Z1 Extreme chip for an all-time low of $499.99 ($150 off). That’s almost half the price of its successor, which costs $799.99, rendering it a good alternative if you’re on a tighter budget. The lower-end model with the Z1 chip is also on sale for $379.99 ($120), though, given the performance downgrades, we’d recommend sticking with the Extreme configuration.
At this price, the standard Asus ROG Ally offers good value, even if it didn’t impress us as much as ROG Ally X when it comes to comfort, performance, or battery life. It’s still more powerful than Valve’s Steam Deck, though, thanks to its Z1 Extreme chip and enhanced performance when the handheld is plugged in and engaged in “Turbo” mode. It also features a quieter fan and a larger 1080p display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, the latter of which is surprisingly smooth for its size.
Unfortunately, its battery only lasts a mediocre four hours at best, which is disappointing given it’s designed to be a portable gaming PC. It’s also held back the Windows 11, which isn’t well-designed for small, handheld-like devices. That said, Valve is working on adding support for SteamOS on rival handhelds like Asus’ ROG Ally, so perhaps we could see it running an alternative operating system down the line.