While the prices of home consoles and components are on the rise again, the portable console ROG Xbox Ally (Z2 A) makes the opposite movement. The co-branded model Asus ROG et Microsoft Xbox sees its price drop sharply, to the point of once again becoming a real option in the face of Steam Deck OLED 512 Go.
Launched at €599 in France, the ROG Xbox Ally had never really convinced in terms of value for money. Between the promotions which are increasing at €499.99 and the occasional reductions at certain merchants, the question comes back to the table. Xbox Ally drops in price, but is it finally the right time to take advantage of it without hesitation?
Xbox Ally below €500: why does this price drop change everything?
Officially, the ROG Xbox Ally is displayed at €599 against €899 for the ROG Xbox Ally X. Opposite, the Steam Deck OLED 512 Go is offered at €569, which placed the Ally in a complicated area. In the United States, Amazon has already increased its price from $600 (around €550) to $499.99 (around €460), a sign of a global repositioning.
In France, theAsus eStore a frappé fort avec une ROG Xbox Ally Z2 A passée de 599,99 € à 499,99 €. Cdiscount has already offered it at €499 around Christmas, and at €529.39 during sales with a promo code, when other brands like Fnac or Boulanger often stay between €549 and €599. We are no longer talking about a small discount, but a real correction of course below the symbolic bar of €500.
What is the ROG Xbox Ally (Z2 A) worth at this new price?
For this price, the ROG Xbox Ally Z2 A has an APU AMD Ryzen Z2 A (4 cœurs Zen 2 avec GPU RDNA 2), 16 Go de RAM LPDDR5Xand 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD in replaceable M.2 2280 format, a 7-inch 1080p 120 Hz screen FreeSync Premiuma 60 Wh battery and Wi-Fi 6E. It runs under Windows 11 with the Xbox interface and direct access to Game Pass.
Concretely, the Xbox Ally handles 1080p very well – “reasonable” – on indie games, AA titles and a good part of the Game Pass catalog, provided you adjust the settings. Recent large AAAs require more compromises on resolution and details, and you shouldn’t expect desktop gaming PC performance, but for a nomadic machine at €500, the level remains solid.
In terms of comfort, the grip is reminiscent of a stretched Xbox controller, with a well-distributed weight. The other side of the coin is Windows 11: updates, drivers and launchers to manage, less “console” than a Steam Deck. The Ally
Where to buy the Xbox Ally on sale, and is it a good time to buy it?
The best offers seen recently are around €499.99 on the Asus eStore or Cdiscount, with sometimes codes which bring the price down a little further. Before buying, take a look at a comparator like Idealo to check if Fnac or Boulanger have not aligned their prices.
If you are already a Game Pass subscriber, want to enjoy your Steam, Epic or GOG libraries on the go and Windows doesn’t scare you, this price drop makes the ROG Xbox Ally very attractive. Compared to the Steam Deck OLED at €569, it focuses on 1080p 120 Hz and the flexibility of Windows rather than the OLED screen and autonomy.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a completely plug and play experience, Valve’s solution remains simpler. But for anyone looking for an Xbox portable console around €500, the current window clearly looks like the best opportunity since the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally.
