Asus ROG Ally vs. Steam Deck: here’s how they compare

digitaltrends.com:

It’s been nearly six months since I originally wrote my Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme review, and the device has changed drastically in that time. It’s still a compelling device that easily beats the Steam Deck in raw performance, but a slew of strange updates has left the ROG Ally in a strange spot compared to the Steam Deck.

For those who don’t have a handheld gaming PC, the ROG Ally still wins over the Steam Deck. However, as you can read in our Steam Deck review, Valve’s handheld still continues to be a force in the evolving world of gaming handhelds despite its aging hardware.

It’s all a matter of price

Price was the main point in question for the ROG Ally, especially against the aggressively-priced Steam Deck. But it’s clear Asus was ready to fire back at Valve’s handheld with equally aggressive pricing.

The ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme costs $700. It’s currently available from Best Buy exclusively, and although I was worried it would sell out immediately, it’s still in stock. A cheaper model sporting the Ryzen Z1 is available now, too, priced at $600.

The Steam Deck is as cheap as $349, but that’s only with 64GB of slow storage. To get 512GB, which is what the ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme has, you’ll need to spend $449. A point in the Steam Deck’s favor, however, is that Valve is now offering refurbished Steam Decks that cut the price as low as $279.

Valve is phasing out the 64GB and 512GB models of the Steam Deck now that the Steam Deck OLED is arriving. Instead, you’ll just have the 256GB model, now at $399. The Steam Deck OLED comes in at these price points: with 512GB of storage for $549 and 1TB of storage for $649. The ROG Ally is faster than the Steam Deck, but now, it’s also significantly more expensive.

Some curious specs

The ROG Ally looks pretty, that’s for sure, but it’s really the underlying hardware that makes Asus’ handheld exciting. The ROG Ally is powered by