ASUS ROG Ally Z1: Is It Good Enough?

The Z1 ROG Ally is coming soon, so let's take a look at how this $599 handheld Windows PC compares to the $699 Z1E model that is already on the market.

This was a review unit sent to me by the manufacturer. All opinions are my own, they did not see this review ahead of time, and no money was exchanged in any way.

Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:25 what is the Z1 ROG Ally?
02:38 user interface and software
06:06 controls
09:07 ergonomics
10:32 screen & sound
13:51 PC game performance test
21:23 emulation performance test
26:56 Z1 vs Z1 Extreme
29:07 battery life
32:32 summary and conclusion

Theme song written by Jim Gray of Our Ghosts:

This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

#ROGally #pcgaming #emulation #steamdeck

[RetroGameCorps]

Correction, the Z1 chip is more aligned to the Ryzen 5 7540U (4 CUs) than the Ryzen 5 7640 (8 CUs). Thanks to everyone for pointing it out!

[lnrdo]

I think most people will spend the extra $100 for the Z1 Extreme. Maybe that will see them bring the price down on the Z1 in the future. I just hope that disappointing sales of the Z1 won't lead to Asus giving up on making budget or mid-tier handhelds, we need more <$400 offerings in the handheld PC space.

[fatmaninhell_za]

Apparently they are 399 at the moment would be interesting to get a relook at the value proposition. Especially with the bios updates

[flux_]

At the ROG price point, I don't think its worth saving $100 to get a Z1. What I'm interested in is the possibility of mini PCs using the Z1 in the future at decent prices. It would make for a great little Steam Box/alternative console.

[evilbunny]

After watching both of your reviews I think I made the correct choice getting the z1 extreme version rather than waiting for the cheaper one to come out over here (UK). Thankyou for your clear and concise review on both devices

[dragonknight]

My how time can change things up dramatically----Best Buy almost always had the Z1 version at $399. It's not all the time, but most of it. For that much of a drop over the Z1 extreme, I'll deal with the lower performance and buy a ton more games 😄

[UnvarnishedTarnished]

If it was $200 less, I could see justifying its existance but the disadvantages are not worth saving $100.

[Psilent_P]

just grabbed a Z1 for $399. at that price, not bad for someone who just wants to dabble in handhelds. Would have never considered spending over $500 on a handheld

[alantsai]

The performance / efficiency differences are larger than I thought

[iSpenC]

The Ally drew me into the handheld community. I got mine day 1. I still love it. It does everything that I wanted it to do. I do have some interest in the Legion Go though.

[bohbnelson]

I just bought a non extreme for $330 from best buy, and I am so excited!

[WheeledHamster]

To negate the deadzone you can also go into Steam Input and set the Right Stick as Joy Stick Mouse. Smooth movements.

[donkeydrangis]

The Z1 is now consistently selling for $399. Now it just depends if it’s worth it at that price point

[dgevert]

It will be interesting to see if the Ally Z1 continues to fry microSD cards. If it does, what the hell, Asus? And if it doesn't...what the hell, Asus?

[SkeeziOS]

Something to note: Best Buy is selling the ROG ally Z1E used at like new condition for around 600-630. If you go for a worse condition you might be able to get it for even less.
At that price there is no good reason to buy this, so you’ll probably see this handheld either discontinuing or dropping down to 500 (or even 450 though unlikely).

Edit: my best buy has the rog ally open box with excellent condition at $587.99. An absolute BARGAIN, I recommend checking your local best buy for the price if you're looking for one.

[makedaily]

Your videos are catchy, I never miss a single second of them.

[rockafella]

I was feeling ill when I got home then saw this pop up on my phone.

Life is good! Lol thanks Russ ❤

[PatrickKend]

I got the z1 about 4 months ago and I got it really cheap because I knew a store manager of a certain electronics retailer. At first it was ok but not great. About a month ago I got some great updates from ASUS and now I’m playing games that I couldn’t play before. I’m keeping now and enjoying it. ASUS is on top of it with there updates. Consider this model if you can catch it at a good price.

[JayCee_SF]

Awesome video. This is what I was looking for. Thank you and keep going 💪🏽

[showOffX]

If you are already spending that much money, might as well spend extra 100 dollars to get xtreme model. Doesn't make sense to leave so much performance on the table to save only 100 bucks...on the other hand, i think this model should have been priced at $499.