So I heard you’ve been waiting for a price drop on the best gaming handheld this side of the Sega Game Gear? Well friends, look no further, because Best Buy has decided to very generously hook you up for this happy not-Prime Day period.
The ASUS ROG Ally is now $100 off at Best Buy, dropping the MSRP from $649.99 down to a tidy $549.99, and even further to $499.99 if you’re a My Best Buy Plus member for an extra $50 saving (the cost of a Plus subscription.) This 512 GB pint-sized powerhouse is the ideal companion for PC Game Pass, Steam, and various other PC storefronts, owing to the full power of Windows 11.
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More Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals
We at Windows Central are scouring the internet for the best Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals, but there are plenty more discounts going on now. Here’s where to find more savings:
Why the ASUS ROG Ally is the best gaming handheld on the market right now
The ASUS ROG Ally is a legendary gaming handheld, kick-starting the race to build a better PC handheld gaming experience. Competing with the Linux-based Steam Deck, ASUS went with the power of full-bore Windows to build its first PC gaming handheld. And that comes with both pros and cons.
The Z1 Extreme chip in the ASUS ROG Ally makes it orders of magnitude more powerful than the Steam Deck, although the biggest downside is that Windows 11 is incredibly fiddly to use on a device like this. Without a mouse attached (and you can attach one with Bluetooth or USB), navigating Windows 11 with the ROG Ally’s touch screen can be a pain. However, if you’re willing to put up with the downsides and drawbacks, this thing runs games like a dream. Even high-end titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Diablo 4 can run reliably on the ASUS ROG Ally, offering better resolution and a more consistent frame rate than other competing options. It also has a VRR-enabled display for smoother frames.
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For $100 off, the ASUS ROG Ally becomes the perfect companion console for any PC or Xbox gamer. Using PC Game Pass, you can easily roam with any Game Pass title between your Xbox and your ASUS ROG Ally, with cloud saves synchronizing easily across the internet. Many games also sport cross-buy functionality too, like the recently released Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection, as well as Metaphor: ReFantazio. More games are expected to follow, too.
If you’re not a PC Game Pass user, there’s also Steam. Using Steam’s Big Picture Mode, you can essentially run the ASUS ROG Ally as if it was simply a more powerful Steam Deck, fully navigable with your ROG Ally’s controller.
I say this is the best of the PC gaming handhelds owing to its power, but also its design. It feels a lot nicer in the hand than similar Z1 Extreme options, such as the Lenovo Legion Go. Also, it has a Windows Hello-enabled fingerprint reader for security, which is an incredibly nice touch I find myself missing when I don’t have it. These devices don’t have the best battery life, however. Playing 2D games can net you around 3-4 hours, but intensive games will be best experienced plugged into a power outlet or a battery hub. They are essentially just handheld-shaped PC laptops, too, so you can expect any USB-C or Bluetooth peripherals to work as they would on any other Windows PC.
What’s the ASUS ROG Ally battery life like?
The ASUS ROG Ally battery life is decent for a device of this type. Using a 2D game using low power modes (set via a dedicated button on the device) you can get around 3-4 hours. More intensive games in high-power modes will drain the battery very rapidly, and are best experienced while the device is connected to a 65w power source.
Is the ASUS ROG Ally better than the Steam Deck?
Personally, I think the answer is yes. The Steam Deck is very optimized for the handheld experience and gets tons of updates, and doesn’t need to deal with the weird issues Windows sometimes throws at PC gaming. However, it also doesn’t benefit from having full-blown Windows natively. This means you can’t take advantage of PC Game Pass or third-party launcher games very easily, such as games via Battle.net or the HoyoVerse app. If you do enjoy playing lots of 2D indie-style games, the Steam Deck might be better for you overall, but the ASUS ROG Ally is better if you want to push into 3D games and use a variety of PC gaming stores.
