Deciding between the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally could become a frequent challenge for gaming enthusiasts in search of a new portable gaming device. The ROG Ally, featuring the Ryzen Z1 non-Extreme APU, debuted at $599 but saw rapid price adjustments by ASUS due to concerns over its perceived value.
When comparing it to the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, the Ryzen Z1 has two fewer cores (6 cores compared to 8 cores), utilizing a configuration built on Zen4 and Zen4c architectures, but it also features notably lower GPU specifications. While the Z1 Extreme showcases 12 RDNA3 Compute Units, the Z1 non-Extreme model offers only 4 Compute Units, operating at a frequency 200 MHz lower. With such a significant decrease in GPU specifications, the $100 price difference between the two Ally models was widely seen as unfavorable.
ASUS, along with its official retail launch partner, BestBuy, has implemented a significant price adjustment for the ROG Ally with Ryzen Z1, now priced at $299. This marks a substantial $300 reduction from its initial launch price in September of last year.
Based on reviews, the AMD APU featured in the ROG Ally poses a significant competition to the MSI Claw, irrespective of the APU it utilizes. With a $400 price gap favoring the Ally, the relevance of the MSI Claw might be called into question.
Meanwhile, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme variant, often found at a reduced price, is currently being retailed at its manufacturer’s suggested price (MSRP) of $699. However, it frequently surfaces in the market at $599, whereas the Lenovo Legion Go is priced at $649.
The budget-friendly ROG Ally also competes favorably with the original Steam Deck, providing faster memory and a higher-resolution screen. While the Steam Deck features twice as many GPU cores, they are exclusively based on RDNA2 architecture.
Source: BestBuy