That's right, the Asus ROG Ally just got another price cut, and while I fully didn't expect this Cyber Monday deal, I'm pleased nonetheless. The new offer isn't as big a drop as the initial Black Friday discount, but it does knock it to a new record low and close the gap between the handheld gaming PC and Valve's Steam Deck.
Over at Best Buy, you'll now find the Asus ROG Ally for just $599, thanks to Cyber Monday deals increasing its discount to $100 off. That means it's now only $50 more than the Steam Deck OLED, and it's actually $100 cheaper than the top-end 1TB model. Keep in mind that the ROG Ally is armed with a more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, and while its screen isn't an OLED, it will furnish your eyes with glorious 120Hz visuals.
In addition to that, the Asus ROG Ally also runs Windows 11, meaning you can theoretically run anything an ordinary PC can. I've personally put the portable through its paces using demanding games, and I can confirm that it will run most things you can chuck at it, albeit with lowered settings. That's why we consider it to be one of the best gaming handhelds out there, and it's worth picking up over a Steam Deck if you're fussy about frame rates. If you're into flashy gaming gear, it's also clad with RGB backlit thumb sticks and a shell that looks more in line with rig aesthetics.
Should you buy the Asus ROG Ally?
The Asus ROG Ally won't be for everyone, especially since it's more like a PC than a traditional console. That said, if you're looking for peak portable performance in even the latest games, and glutenous ones like Cyberpunk 2077, you'll fare better with an Ally than the Steam Deck. That's especially true if you match Valve's 720p resolution, as Asus' powerful can can boost fps surprisingly well for a machine its size.
Don't get me wrong, I adore my Steam Deck, and there are perks to sticking with Valve's tailored SteamOS operating system and its Verified compatibility system, especially since it simplifies the process behind deciding whether to play a game on the go. However, the AMD Ryzen Z1 extreme chip in the Ally is ultimately going to provide a smoother experience and enable you to play more games at 1080p, not to mention it'll provide some headroom for using a docking station at a desk.
At its current price, you'll probably have to wait a while before seeing the Asus ROG Ally for under $600 again. It hasn't been around long in the grand scheme of things, but since it took till Black Friday to even think about dropping, it might become something that happens during dedicated sales periods, rather than sporadically. That said, the handheld scene is growing faster than ever, and with alternatives popping up left, right, and center, we could end up with another champion entering the battlefield in 2024.
Today's best Cyber Monday deals
- Board games: save up to $25 on Disney Villainous and more at Amazon
- Chairs: GTPlayer, Lacoo, and The Crew from $45 at Walmart
- Controllers: Xbox Elite Series 2 now just $99.99 (was $129.99) at Amazon
- Desks: up to $150 off Arozzi Arena, Eureka Ergonomic and more at Amazon
- Gaming laptops: Razer Blade laptops up to $1,000 off and more at Best Buy
- Headsets: SteelSeries, Turtle Beach, and Razer from $34.95 at Amazon
- Keyboards: HyperX, Corsair, and Logitech decks from $35.99 at Best Buy
- PCs: RTX 40-Series Alienware rigs from $1,299.99 at Dell
- Projectors: save up to $650 on BenQ projectors at Amazon
- PS5: up to $30 off Sackboy, Spider-Man, Call of Duty and more at Amazon
- Streaming: save up to $30 on Blue Yeti mics at Amazon
- Storage: 1TB WDBlack SN850X now $79.99 (was $179.99) at Amazon
- TVs: 4K TVs starting from just $196 at Walmart
- Meta Quest: Asgard's Wrath Quest 3 bundles available at Best Buy
- Mice: Razer, Logitech and more now starting at $24 at Amazon
- Monitors: high refresh rate monitors for under $100 at Walmart
- Nintendo Switch: Mario Kart bundles now available at Amazon
- Xbox Series X: bundles now live at Amazon
Looking for more portable gaming offers? Swing by our Cyber Monday Nintendo Switch deals hub for console discounts. Alternatively, check out Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals for more on the go rigs.
