Now that the new and improved Asus ROG Ally X has arrived, weâre 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). Thatâs almost half the price of its successor, which costs $799.99, rendering it a good alternative if youâre 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, weâd recommend sticking with the Extreme configuration.
Technology
The Asus ROG Ally is on sale for its lowest price to date this weekend
Best Buy is selling the Asus ROG Ally with a Z1 Extreme chip for just $499.99. Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds and Roborock’s Q Revo robovac are also on sale.
At this price, the standard Asus ROG Ally offers good value, even if it didnât impress us as much as ROG Ally X when it comes to comfort, performance, or battery life. Itâs still more powerful than Valveâs Steam Deck, though, thanks to its Z1 Extreme chip and enhanced performance when the handheld is plugged in and engaged in âTurboâ 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 itâs designed to be a portable gaming PC. Itâs also held back the Windows 11, which isnât well-designed for small, handheld-like devices. That said, Valve is working on adding support for SteamOS on rival handhelds like Asusâ ROG Ally, so perhaps we could see it running an alternative operating system down the line.
Read our Asus ROG Alley review.
Asus ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme, 512GB)
The ROG Ally is Asusâ first crack at a Steam Deck rival. Itâs a Windows-based PC gaming handheld with a seven-inch 1080p, 120Hz touchscreen and integrated gamepad controls.
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