UPDATE: Asus ROG confirmed in its launch event that an AMD Ryzen Z1 model will be launching in the US in Q3 2023. The price will be $599. This model is not yet confirmed for regions outside of the US. We’ll update this article with pricing and availability information for the UK, EU and more should there be a further Ryzen Z1 announcement.
The Asus ROG Ally is finally here, after a botched initial reveal. But, the launch is limited to the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme version for now.
If you’ve been following the ROG Ally saga with interest, you’ll know pricing has been a key point of contention, with many wondering how it will stack up against the Steam Deck. You may have thought you could somewhat avoid these concerns by picking up an entry-level model of the Asus ROG Ally, maybe that’d be the best bang for your buck? A reasonable line of thinking.
Unfortunately, those in the UK and US won’t be able to get an Asus ROG Ally with the standard AMD Ryzen Z1 chip (details for EU availability are yet to be confirmed). Instead, Asus’ new handheld is only able to be paired with the higher-end Ryzen Z1 Extreme. So it’s the top option or nothing for ROG Ally buyers on either side of the Atlantic.
That’s not quite the end of it when it comes to ROG Ally availability either. In the UK, the device will only be available at Currys and no other third-party retailer, limiting your options for where you pick it up. The ROG Ally with Z1 Extreme will be available at Currys for £699. It will also be available directly from Asus ROG though. You can pre-order the device on Asus ROG from today and from May 16th via Currys.
The on-sale date for both the UK and the US is June 13th. For US availability, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme ROG Ally will cost $699 and is exclusive to Best Buy. We may not know EU availability yet but we do know the price, with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme model costing €799.
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We don’t know the reasoning for this move, whether it’s more strategic or a matter of component availability. However, given a price that many already find difficult to justify up against the base £349 and the £569 top-end model still coming in lower than the ROG Ally, the lower-priced Asus variant feels like an important option to have in the range. Leaks (via SnoopyTech) have suggested the Ryzen Z1 model will be around £100/$100 cheaper.
We’ll have to wait to test the eventual Ryzen Z1 Asus ROG Ally to give our verdict on that model’s performance but it’s worth checking out our review of the Z1 Extreme-sporting model for some interesting insights on that version’s performance. For now, we’ll have to wait for a further Asus announcement to see when the AMD Ryzen Z1 model is coming and just how much it will cost.
