Anika Begay
Now that the new and improved Asus ROG Ally X has arrived, we’re starting to see some great deals on its predecessor, the Asus ROG Ally. For example, through August 19, the Windows-based gaming laptop is available at Best Buy with a Z1 Extreme chip for the lowest price ever of $499.99 ($150 off). That’s nearly half the price of its successor, which costs $799.99, making it a good option if you’re on a tighter budget. The entry-level model with the Z1 chip is also on sale for $379.99 ($120), though given the performance downgrades, we recommend sticking with the Extreme configuration.
At this price, the standard Asus ROG Ally offers good value, though it didn’t impress us as much as the ROG Ally X in terms of comfort, performance, or battery life. It’s still more powerful than Valve’s Steam Deck, though, thanks to its Z1 Extreme chip and improved performance when the handheld is docked and turned on in “Turbo” mode. It also features a quieter fan and a larger 1080p display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, which is surprisingly smooth for its size.
Unfortunately, its battery only lasts a mediocre four hours at most, which is disappointing given that it’s designed to be a portable gaming PC. It’s also held back by Windows 11, which isn’t well-designed for small handheld devices. That said, Valve is working on adding SteamOS support to rival handhelds like Asus’s ROG Ally, so perhaps we could see it running an alternative operating system in the future.
