The recent drop in price of the ASUS ROG Ally console at Best Buy poses a significant challenge to the newly released MSI Claw, especially given ASUS’s occasional history of discounting its handhelds. This timing couldn’t be worse for MSI, considering the Claw’s recent launch just last week.
Among the top contenders in the high-end handheld market are Valve Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw. While the Claw gained attention at CES 2024, it has since been eclipsed by ASUS’s competitive pricing tactics and the absence of significant marketing efforts from MSI.
The ROG Ally offers two CPU options: the high-end Ryzen Z1 Extreme model and a non-Extreme version featuring a scaled-down Zen4/RDNA3 APU. The Extreme variant caters to users seeking to play modern games, whereas the non-Extreme version is suitable for older games and emulation. However, the recent introduction of the Steam Deck OLED has intensified competition for both versions of the ROG Ally, presenting additional challenges for MSI in the market.
Given the circumstances, ASUS has reduced the price of the Extreme version from $699 to $599, and the non-Extreme Ally is now priced at $399, representing a discount of over $200.
Opting for the more affordable Steam Deck with an LCD display might still outshine the ROG Ally Z1-non-E, given its double GPU core count, albeit of an older version. Yet, for many, the SteamOS ecosystem might offer a smoother experience compared to a native Windows setup.
The MSI Claw has already undergone testing, revealing it to be slower than the Ally. To ensure the product’s success, the company must swiftly implement a price reduction.
Source: BestBuy