Want to download games from Xbox Game Pass, the Epic Games Store, GOG, or Itch.io? Go for it! Want to make use of decades’ worth of emulation software? That’s cool. Anything built for Windows - basically 99% of software - works here. First and foremost, it comes with Windows right out of the box, like some funky-shaped gaming laptop. It’s a bizarro Steam Deck, often excelling in what the Steam Deck can’t do, but struggling with what the Steam Deck can. This is where the Asus ROG Ally comes in. The device is big, the battery life is small, and a handful of its boldest design choices (it runs on Linux and has a console-like user interface) double as its biggest hindrances (it doesn’t run Windows out of the box, making everything outside of Steam a headache at best and a nonstarter at worst). For all its greatness, however, the Steam Deck remains a first draft. I wager that I spent more than half my time gaming last year with it, whether on my couch, in the airport, or at the cafe down the street.

When I reviewed the Steam Deck, I called it “ my favorite video game console.” A year and change later, I’m even more certain of that belief. The ROG Ally Z1 Extreme will be available for sale worldwide on June 13 for $699.99, and pre-orders should now be live. Making the choice depends on what you need from these expensive portable PCs.

The trouble is, both the Steam Deck and Ally are excellent handhelds. It’s a battle between the established industry leader and the sleeker, more powerful, and slightly more expensive upstart.

You could pick Valve’s Steam Deck, which established this entire hardware niche last spring, or its first legitimate challenger, Asus’ ROG Ally, which is hitting stores this summer. If you want a handheld gaming PC, there are only two legitimate options.

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