I swapped out my laptop for an Asus ROG Ally and I have zero regrets – now I’ve found the best Black Friday deals on handheld gaming PCs so you can join me

by Pelican Press November 22, 2024

by Pelican Press November 22, 2024 10 views 19 minutes read

I swapped out my laptop for an Asus ROG Ally and I have zero regrets – now I’ve found the best Black Friday deals on handheld gaming PCs so you can join me

Last year, I made a somewhat crazy decision and sold the gaming laptop that I’d owned (and loved) for more than five years. Why did I do this? Well, I’d got an Asus ROG Ally, and suddenly my beloved laptop was in the doghouse.

Seriously, these things rule – I already owned a Nintendo Switch, but being beholden to the Switch Store’s pricing and somewhat limited library was a problem. With a handheld gaming PC, those problems evaporated; my enormous Steam and Epic libraries were at my fingertips, and I could play them all in bed or on the couch rather than perched at my desk. Now, as Black Friday approaches, I’ve become an evangelical: welcome to my church, and prepare to hear me preach the good word of discounts.

I’m talking about discounts on excellent handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go, now just $499.99 (was $699.99) at Amazon, a huge saving of $200. Or for shoppers over in the UK like me, the trusty Asus ROG Ally is 20% off – reduced to £399 (was £499) at Amazon. I’ve compiled the best discounts below, so you too can join me in breaking the chains shackling us to our desktop-replacement gaming systems.

Not in the US or UK? Scroll down to see the best handheld gaming PC deals in your region!

Today’s best handheld gaming PC deals in the US

Today’s best handheld gaming PC deals in the UK

The hardware-savvy among you may have noticed that Valve’s Steam Deck – which catapulted the handheld PC market into action – is conspicuously absent from this lineup. That’s because it very rarely sees official discounts; Valve is clearly not having any difficulty selling them, so the price remains fixed. If there are to be any discounts, they’ll likely only crop up on Black Friday itself. Oh, and I wouldn’t expect to see this year’s new Steam Deck OLED get a price cut.

That doesn’t matter to me, though. As much as I like Valve’s handheld, being limited to Steam for your games just… sort of sucks, if I’m being honest. I use a multitude of platforms for my PC gaming, including Epic, GOG, Amazon Games, and even Itch.io for some indie-game goodness. Having access to all of those on my Asus ROG Ally feels great, especially since handheld PCs are the perfect fit for indie titles.

That doesn’t mean they can’t tangle with triple-A games though, of course. I played through the entirety of Deathloop on my ROG Ally, and it ran smoothly throughout with only some gentle massaging of the graphical settings when I first booted it up. Whatever games you like to play, I urge you now: join the handheld revolution, and enjoy playing your favorite titles from the comfort of your bedsheets this winter!