Score! Asus ROG Ally drops to lowest price ever in killer Best Buy deal

(Image credit: Future)

With the new and improved Asus ROG Ally X finally out and marking a major improvement, don't be too quick to count out its predecessor, the Asus ROG Ally. Especially now that we're seeing record-low prices for one of the best handheld gaming consoles on the market during Best Buy's weekend sale.

For a limited time, you can get the Asus ROG Ally with an upgraded Z1 Extreme processor for $499 at Best Buy. That's a whopping $150 savings off its full retail price, and Best Buy's throwing in $60 worth of free bonuses for good measure, including the official ROG Ally travel case and a one-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

That gets you access to a huge range of Xbox games old and new, including the best Xbox Series X games and best Xbox One games, so you'll have plenty of titles to choose from to christen your new Asus ROG Ally. While not as powerful, you can also save $120 on the lower-end Asus ROG Ally Z1 at Best Buy right now.

Asus ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1 Extreme): was $649 now $499 @ Best Buy
Perfect for indie titles and some AAA titles with low graphics settings, the Asus ROG Ally is a Windows 11-based gaming handheld, so you can play games from Steam, Ubisoft Connect, Xbox Game Pass, EA Origin, and more. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor has much more power potential than its entry-level cousin to play the latest and greatest games with incredible detail and smooth frame rates on that 7-inch 1080p panel with 120Hz refresh rate. Best Buy's also throwing in the official ROG Ally travel case ($40 value) and one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($19 value) as a bonus with your purchase.

The Asus ROG Ally is one of the best handheld gaming consoles we've tested, and while I stick with my handy Steam Deck myself, this little machine still holds its own with some solid specs and a comfortable ergonomic design that makes your favorite PC games look great on the go.

Both models offer the same gorgeous 7-inch 1080p display with 120Hz refresh rate, RDNA 3 graphics chip, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of built-in storage. But of the two, we'd recommend springing for the model with the Z1 Extreme chip if you're looking to play the latest and greatest games.

The Ally runs Windows 11, which can be both a blessing and a curse, as navigating around such a tiny screen can be a little frustrating. Thankfully, Asus has built an easy-to-use touchscreen version of its Armoury Crate app that doubles as a game launcher, which makes things a little easier. More importantly, this means you’re not limited to just one game service, like Steam for the Steam Deck. You can play games on the Xbox app, Epic Games Store, and more.

Elsewhere, the 16GB LPDDR5 RAM is great for complex games with dense levels of multitasking, and you can store plenty of titles on that 512GB SSD (expandable with the microSD card slot). If you like playing games on the fly or you’re looking to get into PC gaming, but don’t want to give up that console-esque experience, this ROG Ally deal is an easy recommendation.

Alyse Stanley is a news editor at Tom’s Guide overseeing weekend coverage and writing about the latest in tech, gaming and entertainment. Prior to joining Tom’s Guide, Alyse worked as an editor for the Washington Post’s sunsetted video game section, Launcher. She previously led Gizmodo’s weekend news desk, where she covered breaking tech news — everything from the latest spec rumors and gadget launches to social media policy and cybersecurity threats. She has also written game reviews and features as a freelance reporter for outlets like Polygon, Unwinnable, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. She’s a big fan of horror movies, cartoons, and miniature painting.