While Valve’s brilliant Steam Deck is still the market leader, there’s no shortage of rivals willing to push portable PCs to their limit in the hopes of taking the Deck’s throne. The Asus ROG Ally is arguably one of the biggest contenders, and right now, the Z1 Extreme version of the handheld gaming device has had a huge discount, making it even more enticing.
Many of the best Steam Deck games run well on the Asus ROG Ally, and considering Valve’s offering uses a custom Linux OS, the Windows nature of the Ally opens the doors for playing a broader range of titles. That includes many of the best gacha games, which notably don’t work on Steam Deck. Some anti-cheat software blocks Linux devices, meaning that the ROG Ally has an upper hand, which is why so many have touted it as one of the best Steam Deck alternatives.
The Asus ROG Ally launched before the unveiling of the ROG Ally X last year, which offers several upgrades over the older model. However, this doesn’t make the original Ally any less fantastic. In our Asus ROG Ally review, we called the handheld “powerful and gorgeous,” adding that the console is the company’s “first step into a bold and bright future.”
Admittedly, I’ve had some issues with the ROG Ally, mainly because the Windows OS is a bit difficult to use on a portable console. It’s worth saying, though, that this is an issue with any Windows handheld PC, not just Asus’ option. However, it’s a small problem with an otherwise incredible piece of tech. While I may have a soft spot for the Steam Deck, I know that the Ally does a fair amount better than Valve’s market-leading device.

Considering that the older model is still very popular, it’s surprising that the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme—the one with the better chipset—is at a huge discount, dropping from $689.99 to $517.97 on Amazon. It’s the lowest price the handheld has been recently on the marketplace, and it’s a great gift (to yourself; I won’t judge you for being a little selfish).
Over in the UK, you can also grab the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme for only £499.17 on Amazon, or you can opt for a cheaper option (admittedly, a second-hand one) for just £351.10. No matter which you pick, you’re in for a blast playing console games on a handheld – it’s still so exciting to see such impactful games work on fairly small devices.
So, if you’re looking to experience the best action games on PC, the Asus ROG Ally deal is nothing short of amazing. Playing some of the best single-player games on a portable gaming PC has offered some of my favorite experiences in recent years, so you can look forward to that.