I'm hopelessly addicted to the Asus ROG Ally and now you can be too with up to $150 off
The Asus ROG Ally is my favorite console in a long time
Black Friday 2023 has come and gone, but many of the best deals still remain. But forget about that deal talk for a second and let's get real: The Asus ROG Ally is a whole new breed of console. It seamlessly incorporates a Windows PC into a handheld form with gaming hardware to back it up. I reviewed the Asus ROG Ally and I have not been shy about my adoration for it since.
I wrote about how the Asus ROG Ally is my new favorite gaming "laptop," and if you know me at all, you'd understand that I never shut up about this thing. I have used it nearly every day since I got it (except when I was on vacation, but that doesn't count), and I have beaten 14 games on this in the last two months. I am helplessly addicted and I cannot keep away when I get an inkling of free time. The ability to play over a thousand Steam games I own, go through the coolest Xbox Game Pass titles, and emulate some of my favorite childhood games is wondrous.
I'm not exaggerating when I say it's my favorite console in forever, and frankly, it's probably the most I've been excited about any new piece of technology since the PS5 launched. And this Best Buy Black Friday sale offers the standard Asus ROG Ally on sale for $449, while the Extreme Asus ROG Ally is currently on sale for $619.
And if that genuinely sounds nice to you, I sincerely recommend it. I won't shy away from saying that using Windows on a handheld can be rather cumbersome, and I even wrote 5 Asus ROG Ally tips and tricks to turn Windows 11 into less of a nightmare. The base model is also not great for running more demanding titles, but it is perfect for indie games and emulation. Otherwise, if the prospect of a Windows handheld gaming device makes your mouth water, you cannot miss it.
Best Black Friday Asus ROG Ally deal
Asus ROG Ally: $599 $449 @ Best Buy
Overview: The Asus ROG Ally is arguably the best gaming 'laptop' for its price.
Features: 7-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, 7ms response time, 100% sRGB color gamut, 500-nit peak brightness, Gorilla Glass DXC/Victus protected, IPS touch screen display. Smart Amp, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers. ROG intelligent cooling. Windows 11 Home. AMD Ryzen Z1 APU with RDNA3 graphics. 16GB LPDDR5 RAM. 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Up to 2 hours gaming life, 6.8 hours video playback.
Release date: June. 2023
Price check: Asus $599
Upgrade option: Asus ROG Ally Extreme $699 $619 @ Best Buy
More expensive alternative: Lenovo Legion Go $699 @ Best Buy
Price history: This deal matches the lowest price to date for the ROG Ally at Best Buy.
Reviews: Across our most popular brands we agree that while the ROG Ally wasn't quite the Steam Deck killer we had hoped for, it remains a top-tier option for gaming on the go.
Laptop Mag: ★★★★ | Tom's Guide: ★★★½ | T3: ★★★★
Buy it if: You want on-the-go access to all of your gaming libraries across Steam, Epic Games, Xbox, etc. right out of the box on a bright, colorful display.
Don't buy it if: You already own a Steam Deck, it's not the Valve-crushing competitor we hoped for. If you're not one for on-the-go gaming, this is a lot of money to spend on a device you might not make full use of.
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Self-described art critic and unabashedly pretentious, Claire finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and five years of experience in entertainment journalism. Claire is a stalwart defender of the importance found in subjectivity and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for the past, present and future of gaming. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and watching anime.