Save $150 on the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme Windows Handheld — Ideal for Dorm-Room Gaming

I’m staring at my screen, really trying to figure out this crazy handheld gaming stuff. There’s, like, this explosion of competition? And the Nintendo Switch 2 just waltzes in, pretty much owning the scene. So, I stumbled upon this Asus ROG Ally thing. It’s got this Z1 Extreme brain and, get this, it’s just chillin’ at $499 at Best Buy. Why notice that price? No clue.

Now, you’ve got all these gadgets—like Valve’s Steam Deck, which sounds like a metal band, right? The MSI Claw (really, a claw?), and then Lenovo Legion Go. Seriously, it’s like they’re forming some kind of superhero league. There’s talk about Asus releasing this Xbox-flavored ROG Ally soon. Might mean cheaper prices, though that’s just my inner bargain hunter dreaming.

Apparently, the Z1 processor inside the ROG Ally sips power like it’s afraid of running out. Gets along fab with the screen and plays your favorites for ages, unless you’re like me and play until you’re bleary-eyed. Plug this bad boy in, and boom—framerates that make your old PC jealous. Yeah, tested it myself. Kind of surprised by how light it is, almost like holding a feather if that makes sense. The screen looks like someone cranked up the saturation, screaming colors or something.

Anyway, it’s running Windows 11, which means it’s getting along with most PC games. Missed that bit earlier? Whoops, I’m all over the place today. Want more deals? Maybe peek at PC hardware or, I dunno, maybe you need some funky SSDs or gaming monitors. I ended up there once, and it was a rabbit hole.

And now I’m wondering why I started writing this—ah right, the gadgets! They sure know how to grab your attention, don’t they?