Pour one out for the dearly departed Asus ROG Ally, as new stock of my best gaming handheld pick is no longer a thing at Best Buy. I'm not surprised, given that the portable PC was MIA for the entire sale season following the ROG Xbox Ally's arrival, but I do at least have some comfort to offer those of you willing to pick up refurbished tech.
Again, you won't find new ROG Ally Z1E stock, but open-box models are going for $469.99 at Best Buy. That's for a refurbished handheld in "excellent" condition, which happens to be the tier I'd opt for, but you can grab a "good" graded portable for $450.99 if you're not fussed about potential screen scratches and other shenanigans
Best Buy's open-box Asus ROG Ally Z1E models will no doubt serve as a last hurrah for the handheld. Keep in mind it was released in 2023, so it's starting to get on a bit, but I'd actually still choose the portable over its $599 successor, the ROG Xbox Ally. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that the older version has been banished simply because it makes the newcomer look a bit bad in terms of performance.
Before you start shaking your fists at clouds in outrage, let it be known I'm not talking about the ROG Xbox Ally X. That handheld is in a completely different league to Asus' original portable and the non-X of Microsoft's collaborative device, as it's rocking a new-gen AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU.
The vanilla white ROG Xbox Ally is technically using a new chipset in the Ryzen Z2 A, but doesn't actually have an edge over its Z1 Extreme predecessor. It's designed to combat rivals like the Steam Deck OLED and Lenovo Legion Go S, rather than all the bruising portable powerhouses that come in at around a grand.
Simply put, you'll boost fps higher natively using the ROG Ally compared to the Xbox Ally, as the latter's Z1E chip packs more of a punch. That said, it is missing the AI elements included with the new Z2 range, so Microsoft and Asus' portable should gain some tricks once Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR) actually makes its way to Windows handhelds.
I've had this same rant a few times before and after the Xbox Ally duo's arrival, but highlighting the OG ROG Ally is important. It's easy to miss the fact that it's almost the same device as the new $599 version, as it has access to the new Xbox Full Screen Experience console-inspired UI, is armed with the same 1080p 120Hz screen, and hits the same 512GB storage and 16GB RAM notes.
Chipset differences aside, the only real feature setting these two handhelds apart is the ergonomic approach. The original Ally follows the same approach as the Steam Deck with subtle grips, whereas the Xbox Ally feels like a controller. Is that perk worth $600 rather than $470? That's down to your personal preferences, I reckon you should save your eyeballs from lower frame rates first and foremost.
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Already got Valve's portable? Swing by the best Steam Deck accessories and best Steam Deck docks to build a hybrid setup. If you'd rather play the classics, check out the best retro handheld options for Game Boy clones and emulators.
