The Asus ROG Xbox Ally is a fantastic gaming handheld for Xbox and PC gamers alike. If you’ve had your eye on this system, you can currently buy one at a discounted price.
Right now, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally is on sale for $499 at Amazon. That $100 savings makes this handheld $150 cheaper than the Steam Deck 512GB model. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen the ROG Xbox Ally run for (it was $110 during the holidays), but it’s still a deal worth taking advantage of. Here’s why.
The main thing to keep in mind is that this is the entry-level Asus ROG Xbox Ally, and not the more powerful Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. Besides their respective chips (AMD Ryzen Z2 A vs. AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme), both handhelds share the same design. Chief among these are the controller grips that make the device comfortable to hold. The even weight distribution also helps in that regard.
One of the best ROG Xbox Ally features is the Xbox UI, which, unlike the standard Windows 11 interface, is specifically designed for handheld devices. The UI is about as intuitive and seamless to use as SteamOS, which is a high compliment given how the latter is the gold standard for handheld interfaces. Since the Windows desktop isn’t running in the background when the Xbox UI is open, you get better system performance and battery life.
As this unit has an AMD Z2 A processor, it isn’t as performant or energy efficient as the Xbox Ally X with the Z2 Extreme chip. That said, if you tweak the settings per game, you can get comparable performance to the Steam Deck. That might be disappointing, but keep in mind that you’re saving $100 via this deal, so the trade-off is easier to accept.
While the ROG Xbox Ally X is the more impressive system, the base ROG Xbox Ally is a solid alternative to the Steam Deck. It feels great to hold, and the Xbox UI makes using it a snap. This deal might not last long, so I suggest snatching this handheld up before it’s too late.
Act fast! The ROG Xbox Ally is currently $100 off at Amazon
