The Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme is on sale for the very best worth we have seen at Finest Purchase. Usually $650, the 7-inch handheld gaming PC is up for grabs for under $450. On prime of the $200 low cost, Finest Purchase is throwing within the official ROG Ally Travel Case, which retails for $40 by itself. For those who’re available in the market for a transportable gaming PC and need a Home windows mannequin, you are getting spectacular energy and efficiency for the value right here. If Finest Purchase sells out, you may snag one for $457 at Walmart. This deal is offered by a third-party vendor however is fulfilled by Walmart.
$450 (was $650)
The ROG Ally Z1 Extreme comes with a sharp 1080p screen, AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, 16GB LPDDR5 6400 RAM, and an internal 512GB NVMe SSD. Compared to the $500 base model ROG Ally, the Z1 Extreme has two additional CPU cores and a better GPU, which can make a meaningful difference with newer, more graphically demanding games.
The ROG Ally offers impressive performance for the price. It’s not going to play graphically demanding games at the highest settings, but you still can play many AAA titles in 1080p resolution with at least 30fps. Even at its full $650 price, the ROG Ally’s performance is admirable; at $450, the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme offers incredible value.
Admittedly, you can fill a 512GB SSD fairly quickly these days, but the ROG Ally has a microSD card slot that allows you to expand your storage for cheap. For instance, you can grab a SanDisk Ultra 1TB microSD card for only $70 at Amazon proper now. Alternatively, you may improve the inner SSD with an M.2 2230 NVMe SSD. One possibility right here is Corsair’s 1TB MP600 Mini SSD for $80 (was $110).
It is price noting that Home windows could be cumbersome on gaming handhelds, except you pair it with a conventional mouse and keyboard setup. Asus does have a proprietary app known as Armoury Crate that provides you a extra conventional console-like interface for gaming, however you may nonetheless must spend a while navigating Home windows 11.
For a smoother general expertise and to show your handheld right into a hybrid desktop PC, we would advocate pairing your ROG Ally with a docking station. There are many budget-friendly docks, together with this popular JSAUX dock for $40. It is on the pricier aspect, however Razer is releasing a Chroma RGB-enabled docking station this week. You’ll be able to order the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma for $80 at Amazon.
Asus additionally makes a 65W Charger Dock, which has ports for USB-C, USB 2.0, and HDMI 2.0.
The Steam Deck stays the most well-liked handheld gaming PC by a large margin, however the Asus ROG Ally has been the most well-liked various for Home windows customers since its June 2023 launch. Following the success of the ROG Ally Z1 Excessive and Z1 fashions, Asus launched the ROG Ally X final yr. Whereas it retained the Z1 Excessive chip, the ROG Ally X is fitted with 24GB RAM and different welcome enhancements comparable to higher battery life, upgraded analog sticks, and elevated storage capability. The ROG Ally X is considerably costlier, particularly proper now, at $800 for a 1TB mannequin and $900 for a 2TB mannequin.
This is the complete ROG Ally lineup, however the Z1 Excessive is the one mannequin that is on sale.
2025 can be one other thrilling yr for handheld PCs, beginning with the release of the Lenovo Legion Go S. The Home windows mannequin of Lenovo’s upgraded handheld incorporates a new Ryzen Z2 Go Chip, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The Legion Go S is available to preorder now for $730 at Finest Purchase forward of its February 14 launch.
In Could, Lenovo will launch a $500 mannequin of the Legion Go S with SteamOS, the identical working system utilized by Valve’s Steam Deck. This mannequin options the Z2 Go Chip, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It will likely be the primary third-party handheld to run on SteamOS.
