The Asus ROG Ally with the AMD Ryzen Z1 chip is available for $400 at Walmart. This $100 discount might possibly be one of the last deals we see on the base model ROG Ally. Best Buy, the exclusive retail partner for the ROG Ally, has changed its listing to note the Z1 model is no longer available in new condition.
So, why does Walmart have the ROG Ally if it’s exclusive to Best Buy? Well, Walmart doesn’t really have the handheld. This deal is hosted on Walmart’s site, but your order will be shipped and sold by Antonline. Nevertheless, it’s eligible for Walmart’s extended holiday returns; if you have any issues or are buying it as a gift, the ROG Ally can be returned to your local Walmart through January 31.
$400 (was $500)
The base model ROG Ally comes with a sharp 1080p screen, AMD’s Ryzen Z1 processor, 16GB LPDDR5 6400 RAM, and an internal 512GB NVMe SSD.
If that’s not enough space, you can always make use of a microSD card for a quick and cheap storage upgrade. Alternatively, you can upgrade the internal SSD with the WD Black SN770M 1TB or 2TB drive, which is on sale at Best Buy, too. If you want to upgrade your SSD without spending over $100, the Corsair MP600 Core Mini 1TB SSD for only $70 at Amazon.
The ROG Ally offers impressive performance for the price. It’s not going to play graphically demanding games at high settings, but you still can play many AAA titles in 1080p resolution with at least 30fps. It’s an especially great little machine for older AAA titles and indie games that feel right at home on handhelds.
It’s worth noting that Windows can be cumbersome on gaming handhelds, unless you pair it with a traditional mouse and keyboard setup. We’d recommend grabbing a budget-friendly docking station, so you can use the device like a regular desktop PC when needing to do anything complex within Windows. Asus also makes a 65W Charger Dock, which has ports for USB-C, USB 2.0, and HDMI 2.0.
Asus has a proprietary app called Armoury Crate that gives you a more traditional console-like interface for gaming, which is quite helpful after you have things squared away on the Windows side.
Best Buy is still carrying the ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme chip for those who want more power. It has two additional CPU cores and a better GPU, but the difference in price at the moment–$400 for the base model or $650 for the Z1 Extreme–is too much to make those performance gains worth it.
If you want the Z1 Extreme chip, the better deal right now is the Lenovo Legion Go for $549 at Amazon. You’ll get the same internal specs with a larger 8.8-inch display boasting 1600p resolution. The Legion Go also has detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch, which is a pretty neat feature.
The Z1 Extreme chip is also used in the newest addition to the Asus handheld PC family: the ROG Ally X. But the ROG Ally X offers meaningful performance boosts with the jump to 24GB RAM and has other welcome improvements, including a 1TB SSD, better battery life, and upgraded joysticks. The ROG Ally X is pricey, though. All of these premium features will cost you $800.
If you’re interested in the ROG Ally X, it’s worth noting Asus is releasing a $900 edition with a 2TB SSD on December 9.