The Asus ROG Ally with the AMD Ryzen Z1 chip is available for $400 at Walmart. This $100 discount might be one of the last deals we see on the base ROG Ally model. Best Buy, the exclusive retail partner of the ROG Ally, has amended its listing to note that the Z1 model is no longer available in new condition.
So why does Walmart have the ROG Ally if it's exclusive to Best Buy? Well, Walmart doesn't do that Really have the pocket computer. This offer is hosted on the Walmart site, but your order will be shipped and sold by Antonline. Nonetheless, it is eligible for Walmart's extended holiday returns; If you experience any issues or are purchasing it as a gift, the ROG Ally can be returned to your local Walmart until January 31st.
$400 (instead of $500)
The base ROG Ally model comes with a crisp 1080p display, AMD's Ryzen Z1 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5 6400 RAM, and a 512GB internal NVMe SSD.
If that's not enough, you can always use a microSD card for a quick and cheap storage upgrade. You can also upgrade the internal SSD with the WD Black SN770M 1TB or 2TB drive, also on sale at Best Buy. If you want to upgrade your SSD without spending more than $100, the Corsair MP600 Core Mini 1TB SSD for just $70 at Amazon.
The ROG Ally offers impressive performance for the price. It won't allow playing graphically demanding games at high settings, but you will still be able to play many AAA titles at 1080p resolution with at least 30fps. It's a particularly great little machine for older AAA titles and indie games that feel right at home on handhelds.
It's worth noting that Windows can be cumbersome on gaming handhelds unless you pair it with a traditional mouse and keyboard setup. We recommend getting a budget-friendly docking station, so you can use the device like a regular desktop computer when you need to do something complex in Windows. Asus also makes a 65W charging dock, which has USB-C, USB 2.0, and HDMI 2.0 ports.
Asus offers a proprietary app called Armory Crate that gives you a more traditional, console-like gaming interface, which is very useful once you sort things out on the Windows side.
Best Buy still offers the ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme chip for those who want more power. It has two more CPU cores and a better GPU, but the current price difference ($400 for the base model or $650 for the Z1 Extreme) is too great for these performance gains to be worth it .
If you want the Z1 Extreme chip, the best deal right now is the Lenovo Legion Go for $549 at Amazon. You'll get the same internal specs with a larger 8.8-inch screen offering 1600p resolution. The Legion Go also has detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch, which is a pretty cool feature.
The Z1 Extreme chip is also used in the latest addition to the Asus laptop family: the ROG Ally X. But the ROG Ally welcome features including a 1TB SSD, better battery life and improved joysticks. The ROG Ally X is expensive, however. All these premium features will cost you $800.
If you're interested in the ROG Ally X, it's worth noting that Asus is launching a $900 edition with a 2TB SSD on December 9.