Prime Day Is a Good Time to Buy a Handheld Gaming PC (but Not That One)

The 2024 Steam Summer Sale is over, and with it, the sale on Steam Decks. But Amazon Prime Day has provided another opportunity for any gamers still in search of a handheld PC: The Asus ROG Ally, a Windows-based machine that’s a little smaller than the Steam Deck, has multiple models on sale for the occasion.

Right now, the base ROG Ally Z1 model is priced identically to the current 256GB Steam Deck LCD, while the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme is the same price as the entry-level Steam Deck OLED.

The ROG Ally offers a few advantages over the Steam Deck. The most obvious is its use of Windows over Linux, which means it has a familiar interface and is compatible with everything your home PC can run, all without needing assistance from software. The downside is that certain handheld-centric features can be a little harder to access than on the Steam Deck’s custom version of Linux. But if you play a lot of Xbox Game Pass or games that use anti-cheat software, you’re going to have a much easier time playing them here.

There’s also a slightly higher resolution screen, at 1920 x 1080 vs. the Steam Deck’s 1280 x 800. Both systems have roughly the same screen size, at around seven inches, and either resolution looks good on such a small display. You’re also going to need to lower the resolution below 1080p if you plan on playing any demanding titles anyway. But for lightweight games, you’ll be able to eek out a bit more detail on the ROG Ally.

Performance also sees a bit of a jump, but mostly only on the Z1 Extreme model. (Note that Asus is currently planning a new ROG Ally, the ROG Ally X, and while it will have the same processor, the Z1 Extreme will no longer be the top-of-the-line pick come next week.)

There are still benefits to a Steam Deck—there’s no OLED model for the ROG Ally yet, and the Steam Deck has simple out-of-the-box integration with your Steam library. But either way you play, you should definitely get a handheld PC. I used to feel obligated to buy as many games on Nintendo Switch as I could, since I liked the option to play portably, but that usually meant getting an inferior version for when I wanted to play on the TV. With a portable PC, I can just buy games for PC and play them either at my desktop or on-the-go, without compromising either experience.