Best Buy is taking $100 off the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme gaming handheld, now only $599.99. That's $20 less than the best Black Friday deal and the lowest price we've seen for a brand new unit. If you're willing to get a used model, Best Buy is also offering Open Box (Excellent condition) units for only $503.99. Click on the link under the price that reads "Open Box: from $479.99" to see the options. This is an excellent gaming handheld for those of you who want to play games outside of Steam's ecosystem. For more details you can check out our ASUS ROG Ally IGN review.
ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme Gaming Handheld for $599.99
or Open Box (Excellent) for $503.99
The ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme is seen as a more powerful version of the Steam Deck. Hardware-wise, that's definitely the case. The ROG Ally Z1 Extreme edition features the same 7" screen size but with a higher 1080p resolution and faster 120Hz refresh rate. It's also powered by an AMD's Zen 4 based Z1 Extreme CPU, which is significantly more powerful than the Steam Deck's older AMD Zen 2 CPU.
The software couldn't be more different as well. Whereas the Deck runs off a Linux-based Steam OS, the ROG Ally uses the tried and true Windows 11. The benefit is that the ROG Ally is compatible with pretty much any Windows-based game launcher, including Steam, Battle.net, Xbox Games Pass, Epic Games Store, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, and more. Obviously that makes it more attractive to gamers who like to play games that aren't available on Steam, like Diablo 4, Fortnite, Genshin Impact, Call of Duty, and Forza Horizon 5.
This is a much better version than the cheaper ROG Ally Z1 variant, which is less powerful than even the Steam Deck. I would strongly recommend you spring for this Z1 Extreme model over the Z1 model, if you can afford it. The ROG Ally is essentially a mini Windows PC with a souped up APU. If you're a PC gamer who appreciates maximum horsepower and appreciates the versatility of having a general Windows OS, then the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme is currently the best Windows handheld gaming PC on the market. If you're a console gamer or someone who prioritizes an intuitive and easy-to-use experience and don't want to deal with the hassles of the Windows OS (of which there are many), the Steam Deck might be a better choice for you
