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I've been watching for Asus ROG Ally X deals from the moment it landed on shelves, and Best Buy looks to be the first to discount the powerhouse handheld. Sadly, this isn't a discount everyone will be able to snag this Prime Day as, while the Big-Deal-Days-busting offer knocks $100 off, it's only available to Best Buy Plus customers.
Right now, the Asus ROG Ally X is down to $699.99 from $799.99 for Best Buy Plus subscribers. This is a record low price for the best gaming handheld contender, and one that places it in the same ballpark as many lower-spec rivals. However, you won't be able to pull a fast one and sign up for a trial like you would with Prime Day gaming deals, meaning you'll have to spend $49.99 on a membership.
Should you buy the Asus ROG Ally X
Membership grumbling aside, the Asus ROG Ally X is a serious bit of kit that raises the handheld performance bar. It's admittedly not doing anything different on the APU front since both it and the OG Asus ROG Ally use the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, but 24GB RAM, up to 2TB SSD storage, and a much a 80WHr battery could make all the difference to your on the go sessions.
In terms of formfactor, Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure the enhanced specs of the X don't weigh the handheld down. Weighing in at 1.49 pounds (678 grams), it's not much heavier than the 1.34 lbs (607g) original, and it's still super comfortable to hold. The back buttons are slightly harder to use though if you've got smaller hands, so keep that in mind if you're looking for the perfect portable for your palms.
My real beef with the ROG Ally X vs the vanilla system is the price gap, as even with discounts now applied, you'll be paying $150 more. Again, both handhelds use the same Ryzen Z1E APU, meaning outside of memory-related performance enhancements, both will hit the same frame rates. When you're playing with reduced settings to suit its 1080p 120Hz display, that RAM bump isn't going to matter as much, and in games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, you're looking at a jump from 39fps to 43fps on average.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Asus ROG Ally X | Asus ROG Ally |
|---|---|---|
| TimeSpy | 3,514 | 3,292 |
| Fire Strike | 8,031 | 7,389 |
| Assassin's Creed: Valhalla | 37fps | 32fps |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 43fps | 39fps |
If you're going to fork out for the ROG Ally X, I'd do so based on potential battery life. Not many handhelds are rocking an 80Wh battery, and despite your runtime still being constricted in newer releases, it's still going to outlast the Steam Deck OLED and even Windows 11 rivals like the Lenovo legion Go and Zotac Zone. Is it going to provide you with a practical, travel-worth runtime? Probably not, but it's nice to see some progress being made within the scene.
For most players, I'd probably still recommend the first ROG Ally, especially if you can get it for $499. That said, I know a few friends who'd likely want to use the portable as a fully fledged rig, and the X model is better suited for that due to its enhanced specs. Of course, placing battery aside, I'd also be extremely tempted to pick up something like the Ayaneo Flip DS if I had extra funds, and with Best Buy now stocking the boutique handhelds, it might eventually make its way to the retailer.
Looking for more Big Deals Day offers? Swing by Prime Day monitor deals and Prime Day TV deals. We've also got you covered with Prime Day tablet deals if you need a new portable device.
