Asus ROG Ally goes on sale this weekend for its cheapest price ever

Now that the new and improved Asus ROG Ally X is here, some great deals on its predecessor, the ROG Ally X, are starting to pop up. Asus ROG AllyFor example, currently through August 19th, Windows-based gaming handhelds are Best Buy The model with the Z1 Extreme chip is on sale for an all-time low of $499.99 (save $150), which is almost half the price of its successor at $799.99, making it a great alternative if you’re on a budget. The lower-tier model with the Z1 chip is also on sale. $379.99 ($120)However, given the performance degradation, we recommend that you stay with the Extreme configuration.

At this price point, the standard Asus ROG Ally offers good value, though we weren’t as impressed in terms of comfort, performance, or battery life as the ROG Ally X. Still, it’s more powerful than Valve’s Steam Deck, thanks to its Z1 Extreme chip and the performance boost it offers when you plug in the handheld and put it into “Turbo” mode. It also has quieter fans and a larger 1080p display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, the latter of which is surprisingly smooth for its size.

Unfortunately, battery life is only four hours at best, which is disappointing considering it’s designed to be a portable gaming PC, and it’s held back by the fact that Windows 11 wasn’t designed for small handheld devices. That said, Valve is working on adding SteamOS support to competing handheld devices like Asus’ ROG Ally, so it’s possible that a different operating system could be on the way in the future.