Save $150 on the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme – Ideal for Dorm-Room Gaming!

I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something oddly competitive about the handheld gaming world right now. Like, seriously competitive. The Nintendo Switch 2 showed up and kinda said, “Hey, I’m setting the bar.” And then you’ve got Asus with their ROG Ally, priced at $499 at Best Buy—specifically the one with the Z1 Extreme processor. There’s a lot of tech talk here, I know. But this one sits snugly between the ROG Ally Z1 and the flashier ROG Ally X.

So, like, the ROG Ally is tossing its hat in the ring with Valve’s Steam Deck, that MSI Claw thing, and Lenovo’s Legion Go. Rumor has it Asus might drop an Xbox version soon. It’s like they’re getting all strategic about it. Maybe there’ll be some juicy discounts when more gadgets roll out. Right now though, this thing is the real deal if you’re hunting for a Windows 11 machine.

Okay, techy moment: the Z1 processor is apparently the Robin to Asus ROG Ally’s Batman. Saves power like a pro, which means the battery doesn’t die on you five minutes into a game. But here’s the catch—when you plug it in, it goes beast mode. Like, way smoother than the Steam Deck, which is kinda wild if you’re chasing those high framerates.

We got our hands on this bad boy, and let me tell you, it’s lighter than the Steam Deck. I mean, the display is like fireworks—so bright and colorful. Plus, it runs on some version of Windows 11, making it sort of a mini-PC. Runs a ton of games, which is always a win.

But hey, if the budget’s tight (isn’t it always?), you might want to snoop around our Best PC Hardware deals. We’ve got SSD and Storage Deals, Graphics Card Deals, and more. Dive in if you’re curious. Or not. No pressure.