The internet and YouTube influencers sure seemed to have a grudge against the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 (non-extreme.) Every review I read or video I watched showed highly negative reactions to the weaker option in the ASUS ROG Ally lineup. It reminded me of some journalists and reviewers' opinions on the Xbox Series S. The main issue facing the ROG Ally Z1 was not the power difference between itself and its more powerful brother, the ROG Ally Z1 extreme, but instead that there wasn't much of a price disparity, meaning it was a no-brainer decision to pay the extra $100 to get the more powerful option.
At this point, BestBuy has remediated that issue with an abnormally long and deep discount on the ASUS ROG Ally Z1. You can still get it new from BestBuy for just $399, making it a direct competitor to Valve's base model Steam Deck. Currently, the base model of the Steam Deck is $349 because Valve is phasing it out, but even still, the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 is a better pickup for $50 more, and I'll explain why.
