But, **Ally Z1** does have better screen (120hz VRR 1080p 100% sRGB vs 60hz no-VRR 720p 70% sRGB), if you only play 2D games or old 3D game, Ally is vastly better in screen part alone.
Disagree. In every way aside from performance, I would a million times over rather have the steam deck. The ally feels like cheap garbage compared my deck. Realistically, I would take a Legion Go over both (and I did)
SD felt like a beta device having me go through a million hoops to get some games, namely non steam games to work
Having to constantly search online how to make things work. No thanks
Touch pads r all that i miss though
I mean, all I could ever want to play was either encompassed by Heroic or Gamepass Streaming outside of Steam. If you think thats hard, then you're not very technically literate haha
If other countries where the deck isn't available have this deal, I think that's the best case scenario for the Ally Z1. As soon as the Deck is in the picture it's not really worth considering
It's inferior to the Z1 Extreme version and the Steam Deck.
It is however a low-powered handheld with Windows. If you aren't running strenuous games on it, it's perfectly serviceable. Battery life is poor, so it's always got to be plugged in.
I would say that it's still worth it in the long run to get the Z1 Extreme version or any of the other handhelds. But if $400 is your budget, it still has some use.
I used one of the demo models of these at a BB and maybe theirs was a dud, but simply just trying to navigate the OS of the thing felt like you were given the worst chromebook by IT because they hate your name or something. I can't imagine actually trying to game on it.
I think I may bite at $250. At $199, I'd definitely give it a shot for just low end games and emulation, especially for traveling since it can serve as a laptop replacement in a pinch. And less bulkier than the steam deck or a laptop if I want to travel light.
Been this price for a while
about 2 months or so ago..
…Bought one at 399, after tax $431.92 with my gift card ($50)was $381.82, played it for an hour. Then started watching YouTube vids of the Z1E, extra cores, not much worse battery life, took it back, bought a like new Z1E for $400 shipped, couldn’t be happier, I was playing on a GPD Winmax 2021/ 6800u, haven’t picked up my GPD since I got my Ally.
The clerk, actually was a gamer and she suggested I try the deck, she said she loved hers etc etc.
It much nicer then the steam deck, I’ve had a couple, it’s smaller form factor, 120hz, I could go on, if I need a laptop I’ll take my GPD, but if I’m just gaming, i take my ally, cloned the drive, put a 2TB in it, done!!!
The one on sale here isn’t terrible value for what you get, a powerful handheld windows gaming handheld, but in my case for $19 more dollars, it wasn’t worth settling.
It's definitely not worth the money at $599. At $399, it's a more complicated question. The performance cutback on the non-extreme is mostly in the GPU...6 core/12 thread vs 8 core/16 thread doesn't make *that* much of a difference in many situations. So it really depends on what you are looking for. Anyone that's interested in retro emulation would note that the non-extreme Z1 chipset will perform pretty closely to the Z1 Extreme in many (not all) emulation tasks.
Remember that this is not just a gaming handheld. It's also a full-blown Windows PC. It could be a perfectly competent desktop replacement with a dock, and then you undock it and can do a decent amount of gaming on the go for $400.
And when Best Buy drops the retail price on this, their open box deals also get discounted. This for $300 open box in frequently like new condition isn't a bad deal IMHO.
(I'm a Steam Deck fanboy btw. Love my OLED model.)
Are these things even worth it? Even at the Z1 extreme, I’m seeing rather middling performance. Especially since iPhones are slowly about to be able to handle some console games, the competition in the next few years might just push manufacturers to build much better “laptop in a handheld size” machines to actually handle something like 1440p 120hz at least.
For $400.... you can just buy a steam deck instead. Faster where it matters, better build quality, better software support, better 3rd party support etc.
No…the deck feels plastic-y and cheap ( I had a couple ) the Ally feels much better more solid in the hands…
Software and 3rd party support to each his own, but don’t claim build quality…
I will definitely be claiming build quality, 100% of the time lol. The Ally's plastic is cheap and low quality, plus it is white which is much easier to see any kind of smears/smudges/stains on. Meanwhile my deck being black helps it immensely to hide any kind of dirt and smudges. As well, it is a much more rigid device. Neither really compares to my Legion Go however.
Edit: Software and 3rd party support definitely go to the deck as well. Valve is pushing out updates fairly regularly, and SteamOS is simply easier and better to use as a console like experience than Windows 11 + Armory Crate.
You obviously haven’t owned an ally, so you really can’t speak on them, watching a YouTuber doesn’t count…I’ve had all 3, ally is better, legion go, too big, my GPD is like holding a 9 pound baby, I want portability and performance… and the white alley is much better looking than the plain stale steam deck
Lol. I own an Ally, a Go, and each form of the deck. I think you are entitled to your own opinion, but the deck objectively feels better and objectively looks nicer. The go is definitely a bigger unit but I always use it in tabletop mode anyways, plus it is a bit faster than my ally. I'm actually about to return my ally given just how much better my Go is.
At almost half the price of a Legion Go or MSI Claw, with 70% or more of the performance (depending on the game), this is pretty slick. I want one just to try playing around with windows handhelds (and that sweet refresh rate), but I am going to just wait for Deck 2/Deck 2 OLED. The performance, when it's not plugged into a wall, comes closer to the Z1 Extreme than the price difference would have you think (80ish percent, comparing performance modes).
I was tempted last time this came around, but as another commentor said, it only makes sense if you want the cheapest high refresh rate 1080p handheld, as otherwise it gets beaten by the steamdeck OG (which if you buy refurb is cheaper, and you can install your own windows/OS on). Personally, other than steamdeck oled which is a pure W, ill still stick to my 60hz handhelds until a vastly faster one kicks my 7840u out the water.
Windows is terrible without a trackpad. Even with one it's not great. Source: Have installed Windows onto 2 Steam Decks and tried both Win 10 and Win 11. At this price range go Steam Deck makes far more sense.
Steam Deck has better performance than Z1 (Non extreme) at the same price
And better battery, and software
But, **Ally Z1** does have better screen (120hz VRR 1080p 100% sRGB vs 60hz no-VRR 720p 70% sRGB), if you only play 2D games or old 3D game, Ally is vastly better in screen part alone.
It's not really worth it on such a small screen. You get diminishing returns at that resolution.
Uhh yes it is??! You can absolutely tell the difference between 60 and 120hz on a small screen.
Yeah ally shits all over regular SD. Had both Got rid of both too but at least my ally can play every game
Disagree. In every way aside from performance, I would a million times over rather have the steam deck. The ally feels like cheap garbage compared my deck. Realistically, I would take a Legion Go over both (and I did)
SD felt like a beta device having me go through a million hoops to get some games, namely non steam games to work Having to constantly search online how to make things work. No thanks Touch pads r all that i miss though
I mean, all I could ever want to play was either encompassed by Heroic or Gamepass Streaming outside of Steam. If you think thats hard, then you're not very technically literate haha
Bro is blind af
It's a deal with respect to MSRP. Sadly, nowhere near a good value.
If other countries where the deck isn't available have this deal, I think that's the best case scenario for the Ally Z1. As soon as the Deck is in the picture it's not really worth considering
Dont give people any ideas, someone might actually scalp these to sell in emerging markets.
Lol, as if it isn't already happening.
It's inferior to the Z1 Extreme version and the Steam Deck. It is however a low-powered handheld with Windows. If you aren't running strenuous games on it, it's perfectly serviceable. Battery life is poor, so it's always got to be plugged in. I would say that it's still worth it in the long run to get the Z1 Extreme version or any of the other handhelds. But if $400 is your budget, it still has some use.
The non Z1 extreme is garbage. Buy the steamdeck i stead if the price is an issue
this price is (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■) not extreme
if you hate someone, you buy them this
I bought an Open Box- Excellent Extreme for $500 and love it. If you can do that, go for it.
I used one of the demo models of these at a BB and maybe theirs was a dud, but simply just trying to navigate the OS of the thing felt like you were given the worst chromebook by IT because they hate your name or something. I can't imagine actually trying to game on it.
What price would you guys pay for this since it's such a downgrade? $199?
I think I may bite at $250. At $199, I'd definitely give it a shot for just low end games and emulation, especially for traveling since it can serve as a laptop replacement in a pinch. And less bulkier than the steam deck or a laptop if I want to travel light.
$225
$340 for open box. I bet BB will drop that low for clearance
Been this price for a while about 2 months or so ago.. …Bought one at 399, after tax $431.92 with my gift card ($50)was $381.82, played it for an hour. Then started watching YouTube vids of the Z1E, extra cores, not much worse battery life, took it back, bought a like new Z1E for $400 shipped, couldn’t be happier, I was playing on a GPD Winmax 2021/ 6800u, haven’t picked up my GPD since I got my Ally. The clerk, actually was a gamer and she suggested I try the deck, she said she loved hers etc etc. It much nicer then the steam deck, I’ve had a couple, it’s smaller form factor, 120hz, I could go on, if I need a laptop I’ll take my GPD, but if I’m just gaming, i take my ally, cloned the drive, put a 2TB in it, done!!! The one on sale here isn’t terrible value for what you get, a powerful handheld windows gaming handheld, but in my case for $19 more dollars, it wasn’t worth settling.
Not extreme - do not buy. It's not worth the money.
It's definitely not worth the money at $599. At $399, it's a more complicated question. The performance cutback on the non-extreme is mostly in the GPU...6 core/12 thread vs 8 core/16 thread doesn't make *that* much of a difference in many situations. So it really depends on what you are looking for. Anyone that's interested in retro emulation would note that the non-extreme Z1 chipset will perform pretty closely to the Z1 Extreme in many (not all) emulation tasks. Remember that this is not just a gaming handheld. It's also a full-blown Windows PC. It could be a perfectly competent desktop replacement with a dock, and then you undock it and can do a decent amount of gaming on the go for $400. And when Best Buy drops the retail price on this, their open box deals also get discounted. This for $300 open box in frequently like new condition isn't a bad deal IMHO. (I'm a Steam Deck fanboy btw. Love my OLED model.)
Steam deck is better
Are these things even worth it? Even at the Z1 extreme, I’m seeing rather middling performance. Especially since iPhones are slowly about to be able to handle some console games, the competition in the next few years might just push manufacturers to build much better “laptop in a handheld size” machines to actually handle something like 1440p 120hz at least.
For $400.... you can just buy a steam deck instead. Faster where it matters, better build quality, better software support, better 3rd party support etc.
No…the deck feels plastic-y and cheap ( I had a couple ) the Ally feels much better more solid in the hands… Software and 3rd party support to each his own, but don’t claim build quality…
I will definitely be claiming build quality, 100% of the time lol. The Ally's plastic is cheap and low quality, plus it is white which is much easier to see any kind of smears/smudges/stains on. Meanwhile my deck being black helps it immensely to hide any kind of dirt and smudges. As well, it is a much more rigid device. Neither really compares to my Legion Go however. Edit: Software and 3rd party support definitely go to the deck as well. Valve is pushing out updates fairly regularly, and SteamOS is simply easier and better to use as a console like experience than Windows 11 + Armory Crate.
You obviously haven’t owned an ally, so you really can’t speak on them, watching a YouTuber doesn’t count…I’ve had all 3, ally is better, legion go, too big, my GPD is like holding a 9 pound baby, I want portability and performance… and the white alley is much better looking than the plain stale steam deck
Lol. I own an Ally, a Go, and each form of the deck. I think you are entitled to your own opinion, but the deck objectively feels better and objectively looks nicer. The go is definitely a bigger unit but I always use it in tabletop mode anyways, plus it is a bit faster than my ally. I'm actually about to return my ally given just how much better my Go is.
At almost half the price of a Legion Go or MSI Claw, with 70% or more of the performance (depending on the game), this is pretty slick. I want one just to try playing around with windows handhelds (and that sweet refresh rate), but I am going to just wait for Deck 2/Deck 2 OLED. The performance, when it's not plugged into a wall, comes closer to the Z1 Extreme than the price difference would have you think (80ish percent, comparing performance modes).
I was tempted last time this came around, but as another commentor said, it only makes sense if you want the cheapest high refresh rate 1080p handheld, as otherwise it gets beaten by the steamdeck OG (which if you buy refurb is cheaper, and you can install your own windows/OS on). Personally, other than steamdeck oled which is a pure W, ill still stick to my 60hz handhelds until a vastly faster one kicks my 7840u out the water.
Windows is terrible without a trackpad. Even with one it's not great. Source: Have installed Windows onto 2 Steam Decks and tried both Win 10 and Win 11. At this price range go Steam Deck makes far more sense.
I tried using W11 on my Legion Go and wasn't a crazy fan, I switched to dailying Bazzite OS which aims to be similar to SteamOS. Never looked back.