The Asus ROG Xbox Ally falls to a record-low price, but is it worth picking up while the Steam Deck suffers stock shortages?

Handheld gaming PCs have been all the rage lately, but many devices have also faced the same stock shortages and price hikes due to the ongoing supply issues with key components. One example bucking that trend, though, is the Asus ROG Xbox Ally, which just got a £100 discount on Amazon. So, is now the time to buy? Even at this record-low price, I’m not sure the answer is quite so clear-cut.

Let’s start with the Asus ROG Xbox Ally itself. The reception to the handheld has been broadly positive, although this offer is for the less powerful version compared to the similarly-named Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, which we scored four stars in our review.

The base Asus ROG Xbox Ally sports an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 7-inch 120Hz touchscreen display, which makes for a capable but far from barnstorming handheld. If your main games of choice are slightly older titles and indies, then you should get solid performance, though compromises will have to be made for the latest AAA releases.

It’s also powered by Windows 11, which still isn’t perfectly suited to the smaller form factor of a handheld gaming PC — even with the Xbox app and software designed to make the experience much smoother.

Those are niggles that you might be able to look past, though, if you’re desperate to get on the handheld hype while other devices are experiencing stock issues and don’t want to spend considerably more for the likes of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X or the Lenovo Legion Go.

I would suggest picking up one of them if you could. The issue there? Well, the Steam Deck is completely out of stock right now here in the UK. Valve has confirmed that it expects the OLED version of its handheld to be unavailable intermittently due to memory and storage shortages. Meanwhile, the cheaper LCD model is no longer in production.

You might get lucky with a refurbished model (as I did), but these pop up infrequently and sell out super-fast. I suggest checking the Steam Deck Refurbished sales page regularly for stock updates.

As for other options, you won’t find much else in this price range, with the Lenovo Legion Go S only coming close — but that’s only when it’s significantly discounted.

Of course, there’s the Nintendo Switch 2 and (to some extent) the PlayStation Portal for PS5 owners. However, those are very different machines that will only appeal if it’s just any handheld gaming device on your most-wanted list.