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

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.

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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.